Challenges for education with equity

1. Challenges for education with equity Martín Hopenhayn Director Social Development Division, ECLAC Regional Preparatory Meeting 2011 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review 12 & 13 May, 2011, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2. Issues to be presented • Shortfalls in achievement and learning outcomes in the school system • Education-work linkage reproduces social inequities • New divides – the digital divide • Progressive and regressive factors in the distribution of public spending on education • Policy challenges for the region

3. Shortfalls in achievement and learning in theschoolsystem • Education is the principal tool for preventing the lifelong perpetuation of differences in origin. • Advances between generations, but intra-generational inequality is maintained

4. The greatest advances in coverage, with social convergence, have been made at the level of primary schooling LATIN AMERICA (17 COUNTRIES): COMPLETION OF PRIMARY EDUCATION AMONG CHILDREN BETWEEN 15 AND 19 YEARS OLD Source: ECLAC, based on Information System on Educational Trends in Latin America (SITEAL), Statistical summary I, national totals, October 2008, and special tabulations of surveys in the countries

5. ONE OF THE CLEAREST INDICES OF INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION IS THE CONTRAST BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS IN COMPLETION OF SECONDARY SCHOOLING LATIN AMERICA (18 COUNTRIES): COMPLETION OF UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION AMONG PEOPLE AGED 20-24 BY PER CAPITA INCOME LEVEL AND SEX, AS OF APPROXIMATELY 2008 Source: ECLAC, based on special tabulations of household surveys in the countries. a Data for young people of indigenous or non-indigenous origin relate to eight countries and refer to 2007.

6. DIVIDES IN EFFECTIVE LEARNING OUTCOMES ARE ADDED TO GAPS IN NUMBER OF YEARS OF SCHOOLING LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (NINE COUNTRIES) AND THE OECD AVERAGE: DISTRIBUTION OF ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS IN READING IN THE PISA TEST AMONG STUDENTS AGED 15, BY SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL GROUP (ISEC) Source: ECLAC, based on special processing of PISA 2009 microdata.

7. 2. Education-work linkage reproduces social inequities Although many students are of the first generation in their families, tertiary education remains limited to a very small proportion of young people. A return to segmented education also reproduces divides in access to decent employment and welfare

8. Completion of university education is extremely segmented by family income levels LATIN AMERICA (17 COUNTRIES): COMPLETION OF AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AMONG PERSONS AGED 25 TO 29, BY PER CAPITA INCOME QUINTILE AND BY SEX, AS OF APPROXIMATELY 2008 Source: ECLAC, based on special tabulations of household surveys in the countries.

9. Quality of insertion into the workplace depends heavily on education level achieved LATIN AMERICA (18 COUNTRIES): MONTHLY WORKING INCOME FOR THE WORKFORCE AGED 15 TO 29, AGED 30 TO 64, AND ALL AGED OVER 15, BY EDUCATION LEVEL ACHIEVED a(In year 2000 ppp dollars) Source: ECLAC, based on special tabulations of household surveys in the countries.

10. Educational divides mark fairly rigid thresholds in perspectives for employment welfare for young people AVERAGE OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE AGED 20 TO 29, AS OF APPROXIMATELY 2008a/b (In number of years of studies) Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), based on special tabulations of household surveys in the countries. a Employed for 20 or more hours per week. b Urban areas.

11. 3.New divides – the digital divide The digital divide exacerbates divides in learning, broadened communication, social networks, access to productive employment, and public voice – digital convergence clearly helps overcome these divides. The school system is key in generalizing people’s access, training, and usage of new digital technologies

12. The school system has played a significant role in reducing differences in access to technology – but does not guarantee USAGE LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (9 COUNTRIES): DISPARITY IN ACCESS BETWEEN STUDENTS IN THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST QUARTILES OF SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL STATUS, BY PLACE OF ACCESS, 2009 (%) Source: ECLAC, based on special processing of PISA 2009 microdata.

13. 4. Progressive and regressive factors in the distribution of public spending on education Social spending (and on education) has risen significantly over the past decades However, spending on education tracks economic cycles and is very heterogeneous in the region Spending on primary and lower secondary education is progressive, but starting in upper secondary, and especially at the tertiary level, it is regressive

14. LATIN AMERICA (15 COUNTRIES): DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC SPENDING ON EDUCATION BY INCOME GROUP, AND BY COMPARISON TO PER CAPITA INCOME a/ PUBLIC SPENDING ON EDUCATION SPENDING ON PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY EDUCATION SPENDING ON SECONDARY EDUCATION SPENDING ON TERTIARY EDUCATION Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), based on special tabulations of household surveys in countries and data from UNESCO-UIS. a/ Unweighted average.

15. 5. Policy challengesFOR EDUCATION TO REVERT INEQUALITIES OF ORIGIN AND IN THE LIFE CYCLE : • Education policy must be linked to other efforts in social promotion and protection (for example, transfers to vulnerable homes with children at risk of desertion/discontinuity of studies, increased childcare coverage). • Key intervention factors in the area of education: • Increased coverage of early childhood education and preschool • Extending the primary school day • Incorporation of ICT into education • Obtain progression and completion of secondary education in sectors from homes with lower incomes and educational capital • Articulation with the education/training system for work • Making quality compatible with expansion in higher education

16. Challenges for education with equity MartínHopenhayn Director Social Development Division, ECLAC Regional Preparatory Meeting 2011 ECOSOCAnnual Ministerial Review 12 & 13 May, 2011, Buenos Aires, Argentina