Outperformed: Australia's educational ranking continues to slip and our students' results are poorer than those of South Korean students who were level pegging in 2000. Photo: David Stewart
What is happening?
Asian countries are currently in the lead according to the most recent global education rankings published by the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD): Singapore tops the list, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
The ranking was devised by combining the mathematics and science test scores for 15-year-olds across 76 countries, using results from international tests including the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA, 2012) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, 2011).
The mathematics and science rankings are among several tabulated in the report, Universal Basic Skills: What Countries Stand to Gain, in which links between economic growth, social development and educational attainment are explored. OECD director Andreas Schleicher says the analysis encompasses a larger sample of countries than ever before, providing "a truly global scale" of education quality for the first time.
Why were the rankings published?
Report researchers Eric Hanushek (Stanford University) and Ludger Woessmann (University of Munich) present the economic case for investment in quality education; asserting that a nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is significantly boosted when countries maximise the talents of their citizens through education and skills development.
The rankings enable countries to compare themselves against world education leaders to see where progress has been made and to determine where opportunities for improved schooling quality reside. Mr Schleicher says the report limits itself to maths and science scores because they can be "measured reliably and consistently across countries and cultures".
The report establishes that the standard of education is a "powerful predictor" of the future wealth of a nation and that "poor education policies and practices" have left many countries in "a permanent state of recession".
Researchers therefore contend that any post-2015 global agenda must include goals to ensure children everywhere not only have access to schooling (one of the 15-year Millennium Development Goals set in 2000) but that they achieve a solid foundation of basic knowledge and skills while they are there.
What are the global results?
Finland (6th) is the first non-Asian country listed in the mathematics and science rankings; followed by Estonia, Switzerland, Netherlands and Canada. The United Kingdom is ranked 20th behind Ireland (15th) while South Africa and Ghana appear in 75th and 76th position respectively.
Ghana was shown to have the lowest secondary-school enrolment rate (46 per cent); however, it was also one of only a few African countries with sufficient data to be included. Researchers predict that if all of Ghana's 15 year-olds were to achieve "universal basic skill" levels, its GDP would expand by 38 times above its current value over the lifetime of its students.
The report reveals that a country's socio-economic background does not necessarily determine its ranking. For example, the United States – considered a relatively wealthy OECD country – is ranked 28th, below poorer countries such as the Czech Republic (21st) and Vietnam (12th).
With regard to acquiring universal basic skills, wealthier countries also show room for improvement: a recent UK study found that one in five students leave school without attaining a basic level of education in the UK; while in the United States, 24 per cent of 15-year olds are unable to complete basic PISA tasks.
How does Australia fare?
In the latest OECD league table, Australia is ranked 14th behind Poland (11th), Vietnam (12th) and Germany (13th). In other data tabled in the report, Australia ranks 19th for secondary school enrolment rates, behind the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates; and 17th for having the lowest share of students (just under 20 per cent) who have not acquired basic skills. For Singapore and Korea, this figure is under 10 per cent.
Concerning to some, Australia's performance in the PISA tests, held every three years, has shown a steady decline. In 2000, when the first tests were held, Australia ranked 6th for maths, 8th for science and 4th for reading (out of 41 countries), dropping to 19th for maths, 16th for science and 13th for reading in 2012 (out of 65 countries).
By way of contrast, the report notes that South Korea's performance — considered "on a par" with Australia in 2000 — has shown consistent improvement, deepening the gap between the two nations ever since. The OECD report predicts, however, that if Australia was to improve its performance on the PISA tests by 25 points, GDP would expand by 7.2 per cent; equivalent to $4.8 trillion by 2095.
What do critics say?
Some argue that the standardised tests used to devise these rankings provide a narrow, limited view of educational attainment; that focusing solely on measurable results excludes moral, civic and artistic development – aspects they consider to be of equal importance in the education of the whole child.
Others say standardised international testing places undue pressure on countries to perform, leads to a greater dependence on old-style "repetitive rote learning" and that the publishing of rankings has a stigmatising effect on some countries.
A recent letter to Mr Schleicher from a long list of concerned academics highlights grievances about the impacts of international testing regimes; including claims that PISA has contributed to "an escalation" of standardised testing around the world and spawned a dependence on test results at a time when many experts query their validity and reliability. The letter ultimately asserts that the continuous three-yearly global testing cycle "harms our children and impoverishes our classrooms".
The OECD report declares that achieving universal school access for the world's children – one of the Millennium Development Goals set in 2000 – is no longer enough: that schooling quality must be assured to enable all students to acquire the basic skills and knowledge necessary to live happy, productive lives. By shifting focus in this way, researchers claim that all nations – low income and high-income countries alike – stand to reap many future social and economic benefits.