Belgium / Flanders Education at a Glance

In 2012 around 35% of the adult population in B held a tertiary qualification Percentage of tertiary-educated adults in 2000 and 2012 Chart A1.1

Fl has a wide distribution of literacy proficiency across education levels… Mean literacy score, by educational attainment (2012) Chart A1.4

…but the low- and mid-educated do rather poorly Percentage of adults scoring at literacy proficiency Level 4/5, by educational attainment (2012) Chart A1.5

Younger adults perform better in literacy proficiency than older adults Percentage of younger and older adults scoring at literacy proficiency Level 4 or 5 in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) (2012) Chart A1.6

In Fl only 71% completes upper sec education within the theoretical duration, an extra 16% within two extra years Successful completion of upper secondary programmes (N: theoretical duration of the programmes) Chart A2.4

The successful upper secondary completion rate of boys in Fl is only 65%, below OECD average (girls 77%) Successful completion of upper secondary programmes, by gender (N: theoretical duration of the programmes) Chart A2.5 %

In B the median age of finishing university is 22, the lowest age across OECD countries Average age of graduates at ISCED 5A level and age distribution (2012) Chart A3.1

In Fl 45% of adults have the same education as their parents… Percentage of year-old non-students whose educational attainment is the same as (status quo) that of their parents Chart A4.3 - SQ

…while 47% are more educated than their parents, a comparatively high figure Percentage of year-old non-students whose educational attainment is higher than (upward mobility) or lower than (downward mobility) that of their parents Chart A4.3 - Mob

Only 5.75% of tertiary education students come from low- educated families (which count for 18% of population)

Fl belongs to countries with relatively less equitable access to tertiary education and around average mobility Relationship between the share of upward mobility among year-olds and the relative likelihood among year-olds of participating in tertiary education by parents’ educational attainment (values in reverse order) Mobility Odds A4

In B the employment penalty for the low-educated is high (<50% employment rate)… Employment rates among year-olds, by educational attainment (2012) Chart A5.1

…but their unemployment rate has been remarkably stable during the crisis Unemployment rates among year-olds, by educational attainment (2005, 2010 and 2012) Chart A5.2 - BS %

Unemployment rate for tertiary educated is relatively low in B and decreasing Chart A5.2 - T Unemployment rates among year-olds, by educational attainment (2005, 2010 and 2012) Tertiary education

The net public return on investment for a man in tertiary education in B is higher ( USD) than the net private return ( USD) Net private and public returns associated with a man attaining tertiary education (2010) Chart A7.1

The public benefit for a woman attaining tertiary education in B is the highest of all OECD countries Public costs and benefits for a woman attaining tertiary education (2010) Chart A7.3

The more schooling an individual has, the more likely (s)he is to do volunteering in the community Proportion of adults reporting that they volunteer at least once a month, by educational attainment Chart A8.3 - VA

Tertiary education has a high impact on interpersonal trust, but upper secondary education not Proportion of adults reporting that they trust others, by educational attainment Chart A8.4 - TA

Private costs are slightly higher than public costs for tertiary education in B, but are comparatively low Public versus private costs for a man attaining tertiary education (2010) Chart A7.4

An individual with a higher level of education is more likely to believe they have a say in government Proportion of adults reporting that they believe they have a say in government, by educational attainment Chart A8.5 - GA

Total per student spending on education in B is relatively high Annual expenditure per student by educational institutions, by type of service (2011) Chart B1.1

Annual spending per primary student is USD 8 296, on average Annual expenditure per student by educational institutions for all services, by level of education (2011), primary education Chart B1.2a - P OECD average

Annual spending per secondary student ranges from USD 522 to USD Annual expenditure per student by educational institutions for all services, by level of education (2011) Secondary education Chart B1.2a - S

Annual spending per tertiary student ranges from USD 1173 to USD Annual expenditure per student by educational institutions for all services, by level of education (2011) Tertiary education Chart B1.2a - T

Expenditure per primary, secondary and post-secondary non- tertiary student increased by 21% since 2005 in B Relationship between annual expenditure per student in 2011 and change in expenditure per student between 2005 and 2011 Chart B1.5 - PS

But only by 6.8% in tertiary education (below OECD average) Relationship between annual expenditure per student in 2011 and change in expenditure per student between 2005 and 2011 Chart B1.5 - T

As enrolment increased faster than expenditure, spending per tertiary student decreased with 6.4% in B since 2008 Change in expenditure per student by educational institutions, by level of education (2008, 2011) Chart B1.6 - T

Also as % of GDP Belgium is among countries with higher than average expenditure in school education… Expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP (2011). From public and private sources, by level of education and source of funds Chart B2.2 - PS

But not in tertiary education (because of low private expenditure) Expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP (2011). From public and private sources, by level of education and source of funds Chart B2.2 - T

During the crisis public expenditure public expenditure on educational institutions remained constant in B Impact of the economic crisis on public expenditure on education Chart B2.3 - T

Only 10% % of spending on tertiary education comes from private sources in B (31% on average) Share of private expenditure on educational institutions (2011) Chart B3.1

And private expenditure in tertiary education did not increase Share of private expenditure on tertiary educational institutions (2000, 2008 and 2011) Chart B3.3 - T

In some countries where students pay high tuition fees they also benefit from financial support Relationship between average tuition fees charged by public institutions and proportion of students who benefit from public loans and/or scholarships/grants in tertiary-type A education (2011) Chart B5.1

In B a high % of current expenditure goes to compensating education staff Distribution of current expenditure by educational institutions for primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (2011) Chart B6.1

In B teachers’ salaries have a high impact on salary cost per student Contribution of various factors to salary cost of teachers per student, in upper secondary education (2012) in USD Chart B7.4

B has the highest participation rate in education among year-olds Enrolment rates of year-olds for full-time and part-time students in public and private institutions (1995, 2000, 2005 and 2012) Chart C1.2

B also has the highest enrollment rate in early childhood education Enrolment rates at age 3 in early childhood education (2005 and 2012) Chart C2.1

But expenditure on early childhood education is just slightly above the average of 0.6% of GDP Expenditure on early childhood educational institutions (2011) as a percentage of GDP, by funding source Chart C2.3

And an average student/teacher ratio Ratio of pupils to teaching staff in early childhood education (2012). Public and private institutions, calculation based on full-time equivalents Chart C2.4

Based on current patterns only 33.5% of young adults are expected to enter university programmes in B, against 60% on average Entry rates into tertiary-type A education (2012) Chart C3.1 %

In 2012, 15% of year-olds in B were neither employed nor in education or training (same as average) NEET population among year-olds (2012) and change between 2011 and 2012 Chart C5.1

Less than 50% of adults participate in formal and/or non-formal education in a given year in Fl Adult participation in formal and/or non-formal education (2012) Chart C6.1

Between 2005 and 2012, teachers did not see an increase in their salaries in real terms in Fl Change in lower secondary teachers’ salaries (2000, 2005, 2012). Index of change between 2000 and 2012 (2005 = 100, constant prices), for teachers with 15 years of experience and minimum training Chart D3.3 In most countries, salaries increased less since 2005 than between 2000 and 2005