[Index]
Inequality and Education
Geneva, 3 July 2001
"We are now beginning to understand the
root causes of growing inequality," said Mr. T. Scott Murray,
Director General for Social and Institutional Statistics at Statistics Canada,
at a seminar jointly organized by United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE), the University of Geneva and the Swiss Federal
Statistical Office in Geneva. "The reason is that we have more and better
data on how education systems work, what skills they produce, and how they
interact with family background, individual ability, institutional
arrangements and the labour market".
In the past, the key assessment of
educational performance was the number of students enrolled in school in
relation to the population of corresponding ages. This is now supplemented by
measurement of competency in reading, writing and arithmetic. However, these
competency ratings do not accurately represent skills demanded by the labour
market, or other educational outcome.
"We found out that a great deal of
economic scepticism toward human resources was mainly due to the lack of data
or inaccurate data. ‘Market for skills’ seems to work much better in
reality than many economic studies in the past had predicted. The results of
educational investment are clearly demonstrated by higher wages and more
opportunities in the labour market," stated Mr. Murray. Recent studies in
Canada, based on detailed and in-depth data analyses, showed that as the level
and number of skills increased, wages increased proportionately. Thus, the
labour market appears to be more self-regulating than previously thought. It
also seems to possess the capacity to recognize available resources.
The Canadian system of educational
measurement consists of longitudinal studies, large sample surveys, and
psychometric and individual micro data. The data collection methods, based on
administrative files and special surveys, allow analyses of different
relationships and trends across and between educational, social, institutional
factors and the labour market. The surveys include:
International Adult Literacy and Life
Skills Survey (ALL). Using a direct assessment approach, this survey
evaluates factors that determine skill profiles and their relationship to
economic successes;
National Graduates Survey (NGS) is a
longitudinal survey targeted at graduates of post-secondary schools two or
five years after their graduation. This survey investigates employment,
debt levels, and the fit between education and the labour market;
Youth in Transition (YITS) and OECD
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a longitudinal
survey targeted at people between the ages of 15 and 30. This biannually
conducted survey allows extensive and direct assessment of literacy, as
well as the impact of skills and socio-economic status on access to
post-secondary education and on the attainment of skills related to
success in the labour market;
National Longitudinal Survey of Children
and Youth (NLSCY) biannually follows the development of children between
the ages of zero to 12 until the age of 30. This survey focuses on motor,
social and cognitive development, and how development processes vary with
respect to socio-economic status (SES). This survey attempts to find out
how early experiences influence professional advancement in adulthood.
Having data at the micro level allows
different factors to be analysed and tabulated, which in turn provides policy
makers with specific information about the existing situation. Although
educational data and indicators are enlightening more than ever, there is
still a lack of comparable data. Policy makers need to have access to the
missing data to make changes in and redesign educational policies. Evaluation
measures will then show which area and population are most influenced by the
policy changes.
The institutional framework is also bringing
important changes. While education used to be exclusively a matter of national
and local interest before, there is now a growing concern for international
comparisons of educational performance, and a demand for international
indicators for success. This is due to the increasing international mobility of
skilled labour and students, as well as the growing concern for the ‘digital
divide’ created by globalization.
"We need a framework for national and
international players to promote policy discourse on educational reform,"
said Mr. Norberto Bottani, head of the Educational Research Department of the
Canton of Geneva. "UNECE, in cooperation with other major players in the
field like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) and European Statisticians (EUROSTAT) should promote an international
dialogue in the field of education. Collaboration with research groups or
institutions such as the Siena Group of Social Statisticians and the
University of Geneva could provide a powerful force for success. Education
does not belong to governments only; it belongs to the civil society."
For further information, please contact:
Ms Juliette Hyde
Statistical Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 27 59
Fax: (+41 22) 917 00 40
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/stats/
Ref: ECE/STAT/01/08