OECD calls to lift spending on disadvantaged schools
MANY school leavers lack basic skills, and one fifth of UK pupils drop out of the education system before finishing their A-levels, a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) revealed yesterday.
Dropout rates range from two per cent in South Korea to 58 per cent in Turkey, with the UK in line with the average of the 34 countries measured at 18 per cent.
“Successful secondary education completion gives individuals better employment and healthier lifestyle prospects resulting in greater contributions to public budgets and investment,” the report argued.
“More educated people contribute to more democratic societies and sustainable economies, and are less dependent on public aid and less vulnerable to economic downturns.”
As a result the think tank wants governments to increase spending on disadvantaged schools and pupils.