Transcript The OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education

Equity in Tertiary Education
Findings of OECD’s Thematic Review of
Tertiary Education
Presentation by Paulo Santiago, Directorate for
Education, OECD
17th EAN Annual Conference
Crossing Borders: Diversity in Higher Education
Berlin, 1 July 2008
The OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary
Education
Objective
Recommend policies that ensure that capabilities of tertiary education
contribute to countries’ economic and social goals
A collaborative, cross-national process to:
•
Synthesise research-based evidence on the impact of tertiary education
policies and disseminate this knowledge among participating countries
•
Identify innovative and successful policy initiatives and practices
•
Facilitate exchanges of lessons and experiences among countries
•
Identify policy options and the conditions under which they are
successfully implemented
Trends and factors in
equity in tertiary
education
Defining equity in tertiary education
Definition
Equitable tertiary systems are those that ensure that access to, participation in and
outcomes of tertiary education are based only on individuals’ innate ability and
study effort. They ensure that educational potential at tertiary level is not the
result of personal and social circumstances, including of factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnic origin, immigrant status, place of residence, age,
or disability.
Equity of what? Access versus outcomes
Equity for whom? Range of dimensions
Family socio-economic background, gender, immigrants, minorities, place of
residence, age, disability.
Contextual developments affecting equity
- Inequities in tertiary education are, to a great extent, dictated by inequities in
preceding levels of education
Equity issues related to the inability to acquire the necessary qualifications are likely to be more
important than affordability at the time of attendance.
- Expansion of tertiary education has had implications for equity
Should enhance the ability of disadvantaged students to attend – at least in absolute terms;
Accommodates larger proportions of all social strata to attend; When given level of education expands,
increasing inequality should be expected at the next education level given increased heterogeneity.
- Diversification of tertiary education systems raises a number of new equity
challenges
Change of the nature of inequities: lower status institutions; vocationally-oriented institutions;
discriminatory fee policies.
- Demographic developments intensify the need to place a focus on equity issues
in some countries
e.g. immigration; growth of cultural minorities.
- Countries tackle equity issues with different cultural traditions
Legitimised categories which frame the way social diversity is defined and equity is assessed.
Trends in equity in tertiary education
- Little information to assess the extent of inequities in
tertiary education
- There is strong evidence that access to and participation in
tertiary education is associated with the socio-economic
background of students (see slide)
- SES also impacts on the aspirations for tertiary studies of
secondary students (see slide)
Educational status of students’fathers
Proportion of HE students’ fathers with HE and proportion of men of corresponding age group
as students’ fathers (40-to-60-year-olds) in the overall population with HE
Students' fathers
Men in same age group
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Source: Eurostudent 2005, as published in OECD Education at a Glance, 2007.
Socio-economic status impacts on the aspirations for
tertiary studies of secondary students
Aspirations for tertiary studies of 15-year-olds by quartile of the student’s economic, social and
cultural status PISA index, 2003
1st quartile
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Source: OECD PISA Database, 2003
2nd quartile
3rd quartile
4th quartile
Trends in equity in tertiary education
- More disadvantaged students are overrepresented among those
students who are not eligible to access tertiary education
- When gaining access to tertiary education, more disadvantaged
students enrol in greater proportions in lower status
institutions and more vocationally-oriented institutions
- Female participation in tertiary education has improved
significantly in recent decades (see next slide) but the gender
gap persists in post-graduate programmes
Female participation in tertiary education has improved
significantly in recent decades
Difference between the percentage of females and the percentage of males who have attained
at least tertiary education, by age group, 2005
25-34
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
Source: OECD Education at a Glance, 2007.
55-64
Trends in equity in tertiary education
- Females remain underrepresented in some areas such as
technology and engineering and overrepresented in other
areas such as teaching and nursing
- In some countries TE degrees of women seem to be
undervalued by the labour market
- Some countries face challenges in making tertiary education
accessible to students with an immigrant background
- The inclusion of ethnical minorities poses serious challenges in
some countries
Trends in equity in tertiary education
- There has been an improvement in the geographical
accessibility to tertiary education
- There are increasing opportunities in tertiary education for
more mature students but their participation remains limited
in some countries
- Students with disabilities remain underrepresented in
tertiary education
- In most countries there is little emphasis on equity of
outcomes
Factors affecting equity in tertiary
education
-
Funding-related factors
- Three types of financial constraints: “price constraint”; “liquidity constraint” and “debt aversion
constraint”
- Ability for systems to channel public funds to student support systems
- Funding approach affects the extent to which one benefits from tertiary education
-
Family background
- The impact of family background on schooling performance is well established
- Family background is also a strong influence on tertiary education participation
- Parental income might be more of an influence through its long-term effect on cognitive and noncognitive ability rather than through short-term credit constraints
-
School factors
- The organisation of schooling has an impact on opportunities for tertiary education study
- Uneven distribution of teacher quality and school resources influences opportunities to access
tertiary education
- Other school factors may hinder opportunities to reach tertiary education
-
Peer effects
-
Articulation between secondary and tertiary education
Factors affecting equity in tertiary
education
-
Organisation of tertiary education
- The ability of the tertiary education system to accommodate demand
- Available programmes which fit the interests of a wide range of students
- Financial incentives for institutions to advance equity objectives
- Availability of tertiary education in remote areas
- Information about the benefits (and costs) of tertiary education available to
disadvantaged students
- Transfers between different types of institutions within tertiary systems
- Targeted support within institutions during the course of studies
Factors affecting equity in tertiary
education
-
Selection procedures
- Merit is never pure
- National-level entrance examinations have some positive aspects
- Institutional say in student selection is desirable but involves some complexity
- Alternative entry arrangements are potentially instrumental in assisting equity
objectives in tertiary education
- Broader selection criteria might reduce inequalities of access
-
Factors impacting on the participation of students with disabilities
- Approaches to policies targeted at students with disabilities have great impact on
participation levels
- Specially-designed institutional strategies are an important vehicle to ensure the
success of students with disabilities in tertiary education
The OECD policy
directions to achieve
equity in tertiary
education
Policy priorities
 Assess extent and origin of equity issues:
Systematic collection of data.
 Making tertiary education more equitable requires policy to intervene
much earlier
 Career guidance and counselling services at the school level are
instrumental in improving equity of access
 Provide opportunities for tertiary education study from any track in
upper secondary school
 Strengthen the integration of planning, policy and analysis between
secondary and tertiary education systems
 Diversify the supply of tertiary education to accommodate a more
diverse set of learners
Policy priorities
The principle of cost-sharing
Use cost-sharing between the State and students as the principle to shape the
funding of tertiary education, especially if limited public funding either:
• rations the number of students;
• jeopardizes levels of spending per student; or
• restricts financial support for disadvantaged groups.
Student Support
Back the overall funding approach with a comprehensive student support
system. Aim for a universal student support system with two major components:
• A loan system with income-contingent repayments;
• A means-tested grants scheme.
• Student aid entitlements to cover living costs
Policy priorities
 Consider alternative types of provision to account for the cultural
diversity of the population
Development of institutions with diverse cultural foundations
 Improve the access to tertiary education in remote areas by
expanding
distance learning and regional learning centres
 Diversify criteria for admission and give a say to institutions in
entrance procedures
 Consider positive discrimination policies for particular groups whose
prior educational disadvantage is well identified
 Consider alternative ways of acquiring eligibility for tertiary education
Policy priorities
 Improve transfers between different types of institutions within
tertiary education
 Provide incentives for tertiary education institutions to widen
participation and provide extra support for students from
disadvantaged backgrounds
Special financial incentive for institutions to attract less represented
groups; positive discrimination; studies progression support (e.g. tutoring
services); adapting the learning environment to account for the diversity of the
student body.
 Encourage institutions to be more responsive to the needs of adult
learners
Policy priorities
 Sustain efforts to improve gender parity at all levels of tertiary
education and address gender stereotyping in subject choice

Grant special provisions for students with disabilities
- Targeted support: accessibility to the buildings; resources for institutions to
provide special support; special entrance procedures; targeted grant schemes.
- Account for special rhythms.
- Avoid stigmatisation.
- Life course perspective.
- Distance learning opportunities.
 Place more emphasis on equity of outcomes
Thank you
Final Report
Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society
Preliminary version, launched at International Conference in April 2008, available from:
http://oecd-conference-teks.iscte.pt
For further information and other documentation:
www.oecd.org/edu/tertiary/review
[email protected]