The UK is in
second place among European countries and sixth overall in a global education
league table.
(.. in the same study, Spain is ranked at Nº 29 just behind Portugal and just ahead of Bulgaria and Romania …)
By BBC
South Korea is
top, with three other Asian countries and Finland making up the top five, in
rankings from education and publishing firm, Pearson.
The rankings
include higher education as well as international school tests - which boosted
the UK's position.
Pearson chief
executive John Fallon highlighted the economic importance of improving
education and skills.
These latest
international comparisons, compiled for Pearson by the Economist Intelligence
Unit, emphasise the success of Asian education systems, with South Korea,
Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong in China rated as the highest performing.
But it shows a
strong performance from the UK, which is ranked sixth, behind only Finland in
Europe and ahead of countries such as Germany, France and the United States.
Finns no longer flying
Finland, which
was previously in first place, has slumped to fifth, and there has been a wider
downward trend for a number of Scandinavian countries.
It also records
the rise of Poland, which has been hailed for reforming its post-Communist
education system and sits in the top 10.
These rankings
are based upon an amalgamation of international tests and education data -
including the OECD's Pisa tests, and two major US-based studies, Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) and Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls).
They also
include higher-education graduation rates, which helped the UK to a much higher
position than in Pisa tests, which saw the UK failing to make the top 20.
The UK's
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "The UK has a global reputation for
excellence in higher education, attracting overseas students who make huge
economic and cultural contribution to Britain.
"To
maintain our position, we must continue to attract international students and
promote the UK as a knowledge economy."
A Learning Curve
report accompanying the ranking says that the success of top-performing Asian
countries reflects a culture in which teachers and schools are highly respected
and "teachers, students and parents all take responsibility for
education".
Students in
South Korea, with the strongest test results, will have had to memorise 60 to
100 pages of facts, says the report, raising questions about the long-term
value of such rote learning.
The report also
notes that highly-prized skills such as being creative and problem solving are
much harder to measure and put into such rankings.
The
lowest-ranked European country is Greece, with a group of emerging economies at
the bottom of the table, including Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil.
Global lessons
John Fallon,
chief executive of Pearson, says the report shows a strong link between
improving levels of education and training and economic growth.
And the
international comparisons, such as with the top Asian education systems, show
the potential for what could be achieved in other countries.
Healthcare has
benefited from a globalised approach, he says, such as developing and testing
medicines.
And education
systems around the world could learn more from each other, he argues, when many
face the same challenge of raising standards while facing financial
constraints.
"How do we
do more or better with the same or less resources?"
More than $5
trillion (£2.95 trillion) is spent on education globally each year, he says,
but there is pressure to target this more effectively and see what really
worked.
Digital
technology could play a part in sharing good ideas, but this will mean
reinforcing rather than displacing the role of the teacher.
Mr Fallon says
it would be a "huge mistake" to think of the role of teacher being
lessened by an increasing use of technology.
Pearson has also
created an open-access information hub, with a databank of education
information for 50 countries.
Innovation
So far, the
education community is only at the stage of "dipping its toe" in applying
the lessons of international data and research, says Mr Fallon.
"There is a
huge amount of innovation in schools and colleges around the world. And the
biggest challenge isn't finding brilliant teachers or high-performing schools -
it's how to share that, and how you replicate that at scale."
Where Pisa test
results are very high, he says, "our job is how to replicate this".
But he says
globalisation will have limits and that education systems will always have a
strong national and local identity - shaped by "community, culture and
language".
Sir Michael
Barber, a former Downing Street adviser, who is now Pearson's education
adviser, says the rankings and report provide "an ever-deeper knowledge
base about precisely how education systems improve themselves".
"The rise
of Pacific Asian countries, which combine effective education systems with a
culture that prizes effort above inherited "smartness", is a
phenomenon that other countries can no longer ignore."
Russell Hobby,
general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said:
"Given the criticism of schools by many of our politicians you could be
forgiven for thinking that our education system compares unfavourably with
others.
"Yet when
alternative research becomes available, it shows a different picture."
Mary Bousted,
leader of the ATL teachers' union, welcomed the UK's strong performance.
"We are
confident that Michael Gove will respond positively to the good news and
acknowledge the hard work of teachers and lecturers in this achievement."
TOP 20 EDUCATION
SYSTEMS
- 1. South Korea
- 2. Japan
- 3. Singapore
- 4. Hong Kong
- 5. Finland
- 6. UK
- 7. Canada
- 8. Netherlands
- 9. Ireland
- 10. Poland
- 11. Denmark
- 12. Germany
- 13. Russia
- 14. United States
- 15. Australia
- 16. New Zealand
- 17. Israel
- 18. Belgium
- 19. Czech Republic
- 20. Switzerland
Source: Pearson/ Economist Intelligence Unit