OECD has published "Education at a Glance 2007, OECD Indicators". The publication includes information on education in the 30 member countries. Additional information can be found on Brazil, Chile, Estonia, Israel, the Russian Federation and Slovenia, which are not OECD member countries. The data are mainly from the school year 2004-2005.
The publication comprises four chapters that discuss: The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning; financial and human resources invested in education; access to education, participation and progression, and the learning environment and the organisation of schools. The publication includes a summary, numerous tables and charts. An effort has been made to increase the availability of trend data in this edition. Additional material can be found on the OECD website (http://www.oecd.org).
Increasing number of people with education at the tertiary level
The OECD examines the increasing number of people educated at the tertiary level in member countries, and the effect of this development on the labour market. The publication raises the question whether the increasing number of well-educated workers has been matched by the creation of high-paying jobs. Or if everyone with a university degree will some day work for minimum wages. The data indicate that the expansion of tertiary education has had a positive impact for individuals and national economies and that there are, so far, no signs of an “inflation” in the value of qualifications. Information from the OECD countries with available data indicates that the earnings gap between those who have completed tertiary education and those who have completed upper secondary education ranges from at least 25% to over 100% in Hungary.
The number of students at the tertiary level has increased rapidly in Iceland in the previous years, as in most other OECD countries. Iceland has one of the highest net entry rates into tertiary-type A education of all OECD countries, 74%, while the OECD average is 54%. In no other OECD country is the difference in entry rates between men and women as great as in Iceland. The entry rate for males is 53% but 96% for females, indicating that 53% of males and 96% of females will attend tertiary-type A education during their lifetime if the current entry rates continue. Net entry rates are computed by dividing the number of new entrants in each age group by the population of that age group, then adding up the rates for the total. The high entry rate in Iceland is partly explained by the large number of older students at the tertiary level. The high entry rate will probably not continue since the number of older people in Iceland who have never attended tertiary-type A education is limited.
In many OECD countries expenditure on tertiary education has increased, but not enough to keep up with the increasing number of students at the tertiary level. Policy makers need to think about the financing of tertiary education. The publication includes the results of an OECD survey on the financing of tertiary education. Also published for the first time is an indicator under development on efficiency in the school system. This indicator suggests that at the primary and lower secondary school levels learning outcomes can be increased by 22% while maintaining the current level of expenditures.
The net graduation rate at the tertiary level of education is among the highest in Iceland of all OECD countries. The rate for first-time graduation for tertiary-type A programmes is 56% in Iceland while the average for OECD countries is 36%. In addition, the graduation rate for tertiary-type B education is 4% in Iceland and 9% on average for the OECD countries. The net graduation rate is computed by adding up age-specific graduation rates.
The survival rate in tertiary education is published in Education at a Glance. In Iceland 69% of students at the tertiary level completed their studies; just under the OECD average of 70%.
Expenditure on education
Iceland's expenditure on educational institutions in USD in 2004 was considerably higher than in 2003. In 2004 Iceland spent USD 8,264 on average per full-time student from primary to tertiary education but in 2003 Iceland spent USD 7,438. The average for the OECD countries in 2004 was USD 7,061. Iceland spent more per student in 2004 than in 2003 at all school levels except at the pre-primary level.
Iceland's expenditure on educational institutions amounted to 8.0% of GDP in 2004 which puts Iceland in first place among the OECD countries. Iceland also spent 8.0% of GDP on educational institutions in 2003. The average for the OECD countries was 5.8%. In general it can be stated that a country's age distribution has considerable influence when comparing expenditure on education. Expenditure is usually higher in countries with a young population and where students are a large proportion of the population. When considering expenditure per student from primary to tertiary education Iceland is among the OECD countries spending most per pupil at the earlier stages of the education system. Iceland is in 3rd place when comparing spending at the pre-primary level, 5th place at the primary level and 7th place at the lower secondary level. On the other hand, Iceland spends below the OECD average per student at the upper secondary level (15th place) and at the tertiary level (17th place).
A debate has been going on in Iceland on the financing of education, as in many other OECD countries. Private expenditure on educational institutions in Iceland has increased slightly between 2003 and 2004, or from 9.0% to 9.4% of all expenditure on educational institutions. The average for OECD countries is 13.0%, indicating that private expenditure on education in Iceland is considerably lower than on average in the OECD countries.
Small differences in teachers’ salaries by experience in Iceland compared to many OECD countries
Teachers’ working conditions are examined in Education at a Glance, such as teachers’ working time, salaries, students per teacher and class size. According to Education at a Glance, teachers’ salaries increase less in Iceland with increasing experience than on average in the OECD countries. The ratio of salary at the top of the scale for teachers in compulsory education after 15 years of experience is 1.32 and 1.31 in upper secondary schools, while the average for the OECD countries is 1.69-1.71. Annual statutory teachers’ salaries in Iceland are among the lowest in the OECD countries when compared with GDP per capita. The ratio of teachers’ salaries in compulsory education after 15 years of experience when compared with GDP per capita is 0.75 in 2004-2005. Only in Norway is the ratio lower than in Iceland or 0.74. The average for the OECD countries is 1.28 at the primary school level and 1.30 at the lower secondary level. At the upper secondary level the situation is similar; there the ratio is 0.88 for Iceland, 0.80 for Norway but 1.41 on average for the OECD countries. The OECD points out that teachers’ salaries are the single largest cost in providing education. It is also stated that care must be taken when teachers’ salaries are compared internationally. Teaching time is different between countries and class size varies. Additional payments are not included, neither are taxes nor various other public payments.
The OECD countries need to integrate immigrants into society
In Education at a Glance the OECD discusses the importance of integrating immigrants into society. The PISA study, which has been undertaken among 15 year old pupils, has shown that in the 14 OECD countries with significant immigrant populations, students from first generation immigrant families lag behind their native counterparts by 48 points on average on the PISA mathematics scale. That equals more than one school year’s progress. The performance of students from the second generation of immigrants still lags behind by an average of 40 points. It varies greatly between countries how large the difference is between the performance of students from immigrant backgrounds and native students. An interesting finding is that students from immigrant backgrounds believe it is more likely that they will complete a university degree than other students with similar levels of performance. Data on the performance and expectations of students from immigrant backgrounds in PISA are not available from Iceland.
OECD’s press release on Education at a Glance and a summary of the publication in Icelandic can be found on the OECD website http://www.oecd.org