15 September 2006
British children can expect to spend longer in education than any of their international counterparts, according to latest statistics.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's annual Education at a glance report finds that the UK tops the 30 OECD nations in terms of 'educational expectancy' – the number of years people expect to spend in education.
A British child of five can now expect to spend an average of 20.7 years in education. Educational expectancy in the UK has risen by 20% at primary and secondary levels and 25% at tertiary levels since 1995.
The UK was also found to be in the top five OECD nations for completion of degree courses and remains an attractive destination for overseas students, with 11% of foreign students worldwide enrolled in UK universities.
Continuing high levels of investment in education were noted. Spending on education institutions in the UK increased from 5.5% of gross domestic product in 1995 to 6.1% in 2003, ahead of the OECD average of 5.9%. The UK invests more money per child in early years education than any country apart from the US.
Education minister Bill Rammell welcomed the report. 'The UK education system is among the finest in the world, and the picture is one of strength and continuing improvement,' he said.
'We are delivering on one of the biggest challenges facing us in the coming years, tackling the historic neglect which has led to poor staying-on rates. The OECD provides welcome confirmation that we are beginning to turn the tide, with the UK now having over 1.5 million 16–18-year-olds in education and training, the highest number ever.'
However, teachers' leaders said that, despite the heartening messages in the report, there was still a 'massive and shocking' disparity between average class sizes in the public and private sectors compared with other countries.
Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: 'It highlights the importance of the chancellor's pledge to raise the average public investment per pupil to today's private school levels.
'I urge the government to put in train plans to increase education spending by £17bn to achieve this target. It is vital that the benefits enjoyed by youngsters in private schools are shared by all.'
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