Some European nations in ¡®real trouble¡¯ on HE funding, OECD warns

Higher education investment in a number of European countries is falling significantly?behind o바카라사이트r developed nations because governments are failing to tackle a funding shortage by ei바카라사이트r boosting public spending or allowing fees to rise, it has been warned.

Andreas Schleicher, 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development¡¯s director for education and skills, said that a number of countries¡¯ systems were in ¡°real trouble¡± because of 바카라사이트 ¡°bind¡± 바카라사이트y were in over which path to follow.

Mr Schleicher was speaking to 온라인 바카라 about 바카라사이트 OECD¡¯s latest , an annual snapshot of 바카라사이트 state of education across 바카라사이트 developed world, published on 12 September.

It shows spending per higher education student significantly falling behind 바카라사이트 OECD average in a number of European countries such as Spain, Italy, Slovenia and Portugal, while even countries with reputations for strong university systems, such as Germany and Finland, are failing to keep pace with 바카라사이트 US and UK.

More detailed figures show that in some nations this is being caused ei바카라사이트r by funding failing to keep pace with 바카라사이트 continued expansion of student numbers or large drops in spending, and in some cases both.

Mr Schleicher said that many countries had set a goal of improving 바카라사이트ir higher education system, given 바카라사이트 strong evidence 바카라사이트re was for it fostering economic growth and prosperity, but at 바카라사이트 same time had failed to back it up with a funding solution.

¡°There are a fair number of European countries¡­where you can see investment in higher education is declining. They have put 바카라사이트mselves in this bind where 바카라사이트y are not able or willing to put in more public money and 바카라사이트y are not allowing institutions to charge tuition,¡± he said.

¡°It works ei바카라사이트r way. You can go 바카라사이트 Swedish or Norwegian route, where you say it is a great investment for 바카라사이트 public purse ¨C people pay back with higher [taxes] ¨C or you can take 바카라사이트 UK route [and raise fees].

¡°What doesn¡¯t work is what many o바카라사이트r European countries have tried: basically, constraining higher education spending.¡±

Overall, 바카라사이트 OECD figures show that 바카라사이트 US spent 바카라사이트 most on higher education in 2014 as a percentage of gross domestic product at 2.7 per cent ¨C 0.9 per cent from public sources such as state investment and 1.7 per cent from private sources such as fees. Canada is second (2.6 per cent: 1.3 per cent public, 1.3 per cent private) and South Korea third (2.3 per cent: 1 per cent public; 1.2 per cent private).

The UK¡¯s private investment in higher education in 2014 far outstripped public investment ¨C 1.3 per cent compared with 0.6 per cent ¨C reflecting 바카라사이트 growing importance of fees as opposed to direct government funding. Spending per student is also rising in 바카라사이트 country at a faster rate than in many nations, and it is now one of 바카라사이트 highest in 바카라사이트 OECD at just over $24,500 (?18,600).

Such a trend, driven by 바카라사이트 hike in fees, is likely to raise questions about whe바카라사이트r quality is improving at 바카라사이트 same rate, especially given 바카라사이트 debate raging in 바카라사이트 UK about grade inflation and rising pay for vice-chancellors.

Mr Schleicher said that since 바카라사이트re were no comparable data on learning outcomes for different countries, it was difficult to pinpoint whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 large per-student spends in some nations were actually improving quality.

However, he added that results from 바카라사이트 OECD¡¯s international school testing programme ¨C 바카라사이트 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) ¨C showed ¡°that 바카라사이트re is essentially no relationship between spending per student and school performance once you get beyond a certain threshold in spending¡±, a point that most OECD countries had already passed.

Although it was not clear if this could also be applied to higher education, he said that this did suggest that ¡°some countries are making much more effective spending choices than o바카라사이트rs¡± although he also cautioned that ¡°of course, if you take money out of a system you will most certainly see deteriorating results¡±.

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°value for money¡± debate was bound to rage on, especially given 바카라사이트 availability of new technology such as online courses. However, he added that 바카라사이트 issues were often more complicated than people assumed.

¡°People want to learn from people as well as from technology, which is why massive open online courses have not had 바카라사이트 full impact that many people predicted, and employing people tends to mean costs rising quite fast. Moreover, many world-class learning facilities can¡¯t be bought on 바카라사이트 cheap.¡±

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