OECD Education today Crisis Survey 2010 : The Impact of the Economic Recession and Fiscal Crisis on Education in OECD Countries

Abstract

The results of the survey relies largely on the informed opinion of education officials regarding various aspects of the impact of the economic recession and fiscal crisis on education. The main outcomes of the 2010 survey are the following: The survey data does not portrait an education system dramatically affected by overall budget cuts. In countries where public investment in education has diminished, the effects are still very specific and concentrated, and vary across and within sectors of education. In general, governments seem to be rather successful in protecting education spending. Although in some cases the impact on teachers and schools is significant, governments are trying to contain the negative impact of fiscal consolidation. Some countries even have increased funding for specific parts of the education system in order to enhance output and efficiency. Only in the few countries which have been severely hit by the crisis a more general expenditure cut has occurred. The demand for non-compulsory education continues to augment, especially in vocational education and training, although the recession reduces the capacity of enterprises to uphold their training investments. As a result, higher demand is not systematically transformed in all cases into more training places. The recession has not slowed down reforms in education; on the contrary, some countries have accelerated reforms. Alleviating unemployment, meeting increased demands, preparing future growth and fostering innovation are the most frequently mentioned policy rationales for education policies which are trying to enhance the education system’s capacity and efficiency. Some governments are also taking into consideration the difficult situation of private households by increasing social measures to contain education cost.