Reviews of national policies for education

Reform of education, training and human resource development is an integral part of the transition to a democratic society and market economy. Lithuania has made progress in all these areas since reform began in 1990. The challenge for the Ministry of Education and Science has been to promote and support changes that meet the needs of the new economy and society as well as the interests of all young people and adults, in the face of a shortage of financial and human resources. This book first gives a brief overview of regional issues and a history of education in Lithuania and describes the development of education in the country since the political changes. It then presents an analysis of the entire education system and identifies key directions for the reinforcement of the reforms in light of the challenges encountered by officials, communities, enterprises, educators, parents and students under very dynamic conditions. It concludes with a set of key recommendations of goals of education, learning effectiveness, outcomes and the curriculum, management and governance for flexibility, responsiveness and change and, resources and financing. This review will be very useful to both Lithuanian professionals and their international counterparts.

Chile has long considered education as a central priority and as key for its economic development. Over the past two decades the country has made great strides to increase the numbers of young people entering tertiary education. In 2008 Chile embarked on an initiative to develop its human capital with a scholarship abroad scheme, the Becas Chile Program, which aims to train 30,000 outstanding students including teachers and technicians in institutions of their choice around the world. This joint OECD and World Bank report gives an overview of human capital development in Chile, describes features of the Becas Chile Program, analyzes the strategic and operational issues, and recommends ways to maintain and fine-tune the scholarship abroad scheme.--Publisher's description.

In recent years, the government of Egypt has driven major reforms for modernizing the country. However, Egypt's higher education system has remained largely unchanged and without fundamental reform of the sector the country will face difficulties in improving its competitiveness. This independent review of Egypt's higher education system focuses on areas in need of attention by policy makers and stakeholders, including system steering and institutional governance; student access to higher education; educational quality and effectiveness; research, development and innovation; and finance. It contains an analysis of the system and valuable recommendations which, taken together, represent a major program of structural and cultural reform of Egyptian higher education over the decade to 2020.--Publisher's description.

Following the 2008 OECD review of education policies in the Dominican Republic, the examining team was tasked to assess the condition of higher education in the Dominican Republic, to evaluate policies for higher education and research, and to identify future policy options to help meet the nation's needs. Against the background report prepared by the Dominican authorities and information supplied in meetings in the course of site visits, this OECD report provides an analysis of the higher education sector within the economic, social and political context of the Dominican Republic. It looks into access, quality and relevance, the effectiveness and governance of the system, its financing as well as its research and innovation capacity. The report concludes with a list of pragmatic recommendations for policy action.

Norway is a test-bed for the implementation of a bold vision of lifelong learning. There is broad and strong political support within Norway for lifelong learning as a next logical step for a highly developed country with a highly educated population, confronted with challenges ranging from economic re-structuring, to an ageing workforce, the contradictions of labor shortages and increased leisure time, and an increasingly diverse society. But even in Norway the institutional arrangements and policies fall short of a systemic approach to lifelong learning. The most obvious shortcomings concern adults where there are daunting issues regarding the governance and finance of adult learning. Leadership is a vexed issue insofar as successful implementation depends on concerted action by several ministries as well as the social partners. Choice, equity, and quality are in many cases conflicting objectives and difficult trade-offs have to be resolved.

Growth and diversity have characterised higher education in OECD countries for fifty years. Chile is no exception and has experienced dramatic increases in the number of students, the range of institutions and the programmes that they offer. But wider participation and diversification are only part of the story. Chilean society remains highly unequal in economic and social terms, and the quality of the academic, technical and professional programmes on offer is uneven. The establishment of a culture of quality in higher education which goes beyond accreditation, and the provision of accurate and reliable information, have become issues of concern not only to institutions, students and employers but to a wider public. This report analyses the performance of the relatively young higher education quality assurance system (SINAC-ES). It provides a set of key principles that the OECD review team believes both reflect international practice and are relevant for Chile. The report makes a set of recommendations about the place of the SINAC ES in Chilean higher education and society; the focus of its work; its structure and leadership; and the functions of licensing; accreditation and information that it carries out.

Lower secondary education is key for success in overall education attainment, because it is where students can either "make it or break it." It is the last level to consolidate basic skills and to enter either upper secondary education or the labour market with the adequate competences. This report develops comparative knowledge on lower secondary education across OECD countries and tailors it to the context of an OECD country: Norway. Despite diversity in provision across countries, lower secondary education faces some similar challenges: some countries have difficulties ensuring high academic achievement, and many students fall behind at this stage, resulting eventually in drop out from upper secondary. Selected evidence shows that there may be lack of student motivation and that the configuration and practices in schools at this age may not cater adequately to the specific development needs of early adolescents. After analyzing the comparative evidence and country practices, this report provides a strategy to support teachers, schools and students that can contribute to raise student attainment in this level (or to make this level more effective) in Norway.

This OECD publication reviews the current state of education policies for children with special education needs and those with disabilities in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan. It offers an overview of the respective country backgrounds, education systems and relevant legislation, and takes a critical look at access to education for what is considered to be the most vulnerable group of children in the countries reviewed. Particular attention is paid to inclusive education policies, to the processes of identification and assessment, to overall policy co-ordination for the provision of education services, to integration in mainstream education, as well as to good practices and the role of NGOs and the donor community.