BRUSSELS, September 19 /PRNewswire/ --     Education International is concerned that the OECD's policies are paving
the way for increased privatisation of education, especially at the tertiary
level, instead of promoting greater access to quality public education.

"Financing higher education through general taxation is the most
equitable way of ensuring education as a social good in democratic
societies," said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen, speaking in reaction
to Education at a Glance 2007, which examines internationally-comparable
indicators of education.

"The OECD consistently fails to call for greater public investment in
education, but this year's report clearly calls for increasing privatisation
of funding for tertiary education," van Leeuwen said. He criticized
income-contingent student loans brought in by the Australian government,
which the OECD presents as a successful example of private financing. "These
income-contingent loans entrench regressive tuition fees and place a
disproportionate burden on students from lower-income households," he said.

Once again the OECD indicators show both economic and social benefits for
individuals and countries that invest in education. Countries with
well-funded education systems tend to have the most successful economies and
the highest levels of student performance.

According to UNESCO, 18 million more teachers are needed worldwide to
achieve Education for All by 2015. Facing this dramatic shortage, EI is
concerned the OECD doesn't address the improvements needed to recruit and
retain millions more teachers.

"The teaching profession is becoming less competitive worldwide," said
van Leeuwen. "Salaries are often inadequate, and with teachers expected to
address huge social problems as well as classroom duties, working conditions
have become extremely demanding."

The OECD says although countries are spending more than ever on
education, "the results from that investment are far from maximized." It
suggests governments should introduce "innovative" reforms, such as
performance-related pay and less secure forms of employment for teachers.
However these measures are more likely to discourage young people from
becoming teachers.

"Teachers will be forced to compete in ever-more stressful working
conditions. There is no evidence that such policies improve education quality
or produce better student outcomes," said van Leeuwen. "Countries that have
introduced such reforms (such as Mexico and Turkey) are among the lowest
performers on the OECD's own academic quality measurements."