Worrying trends observed in OECD report

Funds for education have not increased in OECD countries in relation to their growing number of students in the past years. Data from the OECD’s report Education at a Glance shows a notable trend where higher education institutions turn to private funding sources. The European Students’ Union (ESU) is concerned that this may affect the equality and access to higher education.
Many key groups of society continue to be excluded, despite that these countries experience a significant increase in attendance at the tertiary level. The education level of people’s parents has a large impact on participation in higher education. 65 per cent of young adults that obtained qualifications at the tertiary level had parents with the same level of education. Only 23 per cent of those that completed tertiary education had parents without such qualifications. The report concluded that it was important to ensure access to and success in tertiary education and to address inequalities at the earliest stages of schooling. More...