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Education is one of the primary concerns of any country as it can significantly impact the national economy and its overall development. As our society
keep on progressing with further technological advancements, it has become more important that we focus on what our children are learning and how we can
improve the learning experience for them. However, in order to develop our existing educational structure we will need to understand and learn from other
nations and what kind of academic system they have adopted.
Comparing Education Systems
Although the social, economic, political and cultural scenario in each country is different, it is often useful to compare different education systems
across the world. This helps us to better understand what is working and what is not. Hence it becomes imperative that we look at education from a global
perspective.
Calculating School Life Expectancy
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One of the most common metrics we use to evaluate global education systems is School Life Expectancy. This is basically a measure of the number of years a
student will attend school during his lifetime, given the enrolment rates remain same. School Life Expectancy is usually calculated by UNESCO Institute for
Statistics which helps experts and statisticians to contrast and compute the development of various nations.
In the United States, we mostly presume that our students go to school usually for a minimum period of 13 years (K-12); with some additional years in
college or university education. However, whenever we discuss about education and schools in various developing nations, we find out that many children are
unable to attend schools after a specific age (which can be as less as 8 years) as they are compelled to work and earn money to financially support their
family. Apart from these, there are many other reasons as well like lack of proper infrastructure, lack of educational opportunities, gender issues and in
some countries it is even unsafe, hazardous or immensely expensive to attend school. (Source: bit.ly/1paqisf)
Do More Years In School Mean Better Learning?
Recently a study was conducted by INSEAD, Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organization to observe the school life expectancy of
students in different countries across the world. The findings of the study were rather interesting, although they bring up several questions like can more
number of years in school result in better learning? Does it help our students to better prepare for their future careers?
However, it is quite obvious that number years do not necessarily mean more learning for our students. But better school life expectancy can result in
higher test scores which in turn can help our students learn in a better way.
Let’s have a look at the Global School Life Expectancy-
Where do you think students are attending school for the longest periods? It is not surprising that developed countries have the highest numbers as the
education system in these regions has been enhanced over many years. Students in 8 prominent nations like Finland, Spain, Norway, Netherlands, Ireland,
Iceland, New Zealand and Australia attend school for an average period of 17 years to 20 years.
However the number is greatly low in many developing nations. The report revealed that 5 nations, namely Niger, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Pakistan and
Senegal, have the lowest school life expectancy where their students attend school for 0 years to 5 years. This is seriously alarming as it can severely
affect their national and economic growth.
The study also found that most of the countries, for which statistics were available, revealed that their students usually attend school for an average
period of 10 years to 15 years.
What do you think about the findings? Do you think more time in school and result in improved learning? We would love to hear your views and opinions; so
feel free to comment below.
