11% of EU public expenditure goes on education, and investment must be maintained even in the face of the current economic and financial crisis.  This was one of the key messages from a new report published last month by Eurydice, an agency of the European Commission.  Combining statistical data and qualitative information, the report provides a wide-ranging overview of recent trends and the organisation and functioning of European education systems.

One of the principle findings is that the number of people in higher education has risen consistently since 1998 to reach over 18 million, representing an increase of 15% in 8 years.  This means that one-third of all 20-22 year olds are now studying in higher education.  While this advancement seems significant at first sight, it is in fact insufficient to fulfil the objectives of the EU’s Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs.  Societal progress has pushed forward the need for personal development and the perspective of only allowing 1/3 of the population to access HE in its youth years is extremely worrying from this perspective. Social inequalities that are reflected also in the access, progress and completion of HE are to be also tackled by mainstreaming LLL in the institutional missions and giving a new dimension to this concept, by fully considering its role in social mobility. Furthermore, the impact of the financial crisis on the enrolment rates in HE is still not assessed, however worrying signs are coming from a number of European countries and ESU is currently conducting a survey among its members to gather the necessary data for a more complete picture of how the latest decline in HE financing has affected European students across the continent.

Another key finding from the report was that women’s participation in higher education is higher than men’s overall, with 123 women enrolled for every 100 men), but significant imbalances remain depending on the field of study. In ESU’s view, women’s participation in HE has indeed increased, but significant imbalances remain with regard not only to the field of study, but also to the cycles, due to the glass ceiling effect. The proportion of female students decreases visibly in the second and third cycle and thus special attention must be paid to the financial and social factors influencing the decision of female student to further their education. This situation has a dramatic effect on the quality of life, serves as a handicap in career progression and maintains the gender pay gap - a fact that has been confirmed by the very recent European Commission’s Report on the Equality between Women and Men.

You can download the full Eurydice report here.