Latest OECD report gives insights into ECEC’s role in educational attainment

Early childhood education is key for reducing the impact of family background on educational opportunities, as it helps to close developmental gaps between children before they enter primary school, the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Education at a Glance report has shown. 

 

The report also showed that educational attainment and labour market outcomes are improving but more is needed on equality of opportunities, and that education systems can adapt further to improve results for all groups – including girls, women, and low-income students.

 

Education at a Glance 2024 had some positive findings, noting:

 

• the share of 25-34 year-olds with an upper secondary qualification has increased from 83 per cent to 86 per cent across the OECD since 2016
• the share of 18-24 year-olds not participating in any form of employment, education or training has fallen from 16 per cent to 14 per cent on average
• the employment rate among 25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary qualification has risen from 59 per cent to 61 per cent 

 

These positive trends are being driven by 18-24 year-olds staying in education longer and a more robust labour mark, however this does not mean that their learning outcomes are uniformly better, as the OECD’s latest Programme for International Student Assessment results showed a decline for many groups. 

 

As such, skills mismatches remain a problem in the labour market for workers at all levels of qualification, according to the report.

 

“While educational attainment and labour market outcomes have improved in many OECD countries, findings from this year’s report show that challenges remain,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. 

 

“Expanding access to and the quality of education will allow countries to harness the untapped potential of underrepresented groups for the benefit of their societies and economies.”

 

Early childhood education is essential in ensuring a fair start

 

The report confirms that early childhood education is key for reducing the impact of family background on educational opportunities, as it helps to close developmental gaps between children before they enter primary school. 

 

However, it also points to disparities in the available options depending on families’ income level, such as the availability of sufficient childcare hours, and the proximity of publicly funded institutions.

 

Ten of the 38 OECD countries have lowered the starting age of compulsory education within the last decade to include some or all pre-primary education, which is now compulsory in 17 countries. 

 

Governments are also increasingly prioritising early childhood education in their budgets – public expenditure on early childhood education measured as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 9 per cent between 2015 and 2021, significantly more than for other levels of education.

 

Enrolment rates in early childhood education have continued to rise across all age groups. On average across the OECD, 83 per cent of children aged three to five years are enrolled in pre-primary education in 2022, up from 79 per cent in 2013. 

 

Enrolment rates for low-income families are particularly sensitive to levels of public funding and free access, putting children from poorer families at a disadvantage.

 

Gender gap

 

The report shows that girls and women continue to out-perform boys and men by most available educational measures, including test scores, grade repetition rates, and completion rates at both upper secondary and tertiary levels. 

 

Girls tend to achieve higher scores in standardised assessments and are 28 per cent less likely to repeat a grade at primary and lower secondary levels than boys. At upper secondary and tertiary levels, they are more likely to successfully complete their programmes in all countries for which data is available, with gender gaps often exceeding 10 percentage points.

 

However, despite their higher educational attainment, young women continue to face significant disadvantages in the labour market. The gap is particularly large for those who have not completed upper secondary education – the 47 per cent employment rate for women aged 25-34 without an upper secondary qualification is 25 percentage points lower than their male counterparts. 

 

Among young women with a tertiary qualification, 84 per cent are employed, which is 6 percentage points below the employment rate for similarly qualified men.

 

Income disparity

 

Improving equality of opportunity early on is fundamental to levelling the educational playing field, particularly for low-income families, the report noted.

 

The report found that children from low-income families are on average 16 percentage points less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education and care before three years of age. In primary and secondary education, students from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds perform worse in standardised assessments.

 

This early disadvantage persists across the different levels, affecting educational attainment. Students whose parents have not attained upper secondary education are 17 percentage points less likely to successfully complete their studies than their peers whose parents have a tertiary qualification, and this gap rises to 19 percentage points for those starting tertiary programmes.

 

While 72 per cent of adults who have at least one parent with a tertiary qualification have also obtained a tertiary qualification, only 19 per cent of those whose parents have not completed upper secondary education have tertiary attainment.

 

Teacher shortages

 

The widespread shortage of well-qualified teachers represents another pressing challenge, with recruitment of well-qualified teachers to replace those who retire or resign now a challenge in most countries. At the start of the 2022/23 academic year, 18 out of 21 countries for which data are available faced teacher shortages and had been unable to fill all their vacant teaching posts.

 

However, financial incentives alone are not enough to attract motivated candidates. Comprehensive measures are equally important, including sufficient professional support and strong public recognition of teachers in disadvantaged schools.

 

Education at a Glance is the definitive guide to the state of education around the world, providing policymakers with evidence to improve the effectiveness of their education systems, including data on attainment, enrolment, finance, labour market outcomes, working conditions for teachers and the organisation of education systems. The 2024 edition focuses specifically on equity in education.

 

Access the latest Education at a Glance here.