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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has once again jerked at Spain for its high percentage of young people who neither study nor work, the so-called ninis . In its annual educational report it confirms the "significant differences" that exist within the regions of the member countries of this international organization. He gives as an example to Spain, where there are territories like Melilla where 30% of the youth population between 18 and 24 years is nini , while in other regions, such as the Basque Country , this percentage reaches only 9.9%. In Ceuta (23.2%), the Canary Islands (21.4%), Andalusia (20.7%) or Extremadura (20%) the Basque rate is doubled.

The OECD shows the contrast that exists with countries such as Denmark , Slovenia or Sweden , where regional differences are only just three percentage points. Also remember that in Japan only 2% of young people do nothing. Spain is one of the countries with the worst unemployed in this statistic, with 16% of ninis between 18 and 24 years old, reaching 19.1% if the fork is extended to the age range between 15 and 29 years. In the EU there are only higher figures in Greece and Italy .

The data comes from the Education Panorama 2019 , a 479-page study that the OECD has published on Tuesday and that in Spain has presented the Secretary of State for Education, Alejandro Tiana . The publication analyzes the evolution of education systems, their financing and the impact of training in the labor market and in the economy of the 36 member states .

This one of the ninis is one of the most exhaustive statistics and it shows that Spain has improved in relation to the worst years of the economic crisis, when a quarter of the youth population became in this situation. Since 2014 the ninis have been declining in small steps. At the same time, the rate of early school leaving has been reduced, although it is still too high compared to the countries around us ( 17.9% compared to 10% that the EU has set as a challenge).

The OECD insists that education is the best antidote against unemployment and provides the evidence that proves it. For example: the unemployment rate in adults who have not finished Baccalaureate is 21% , while it remains at 14% for those who have completed this educational stage and falls to 8% among those who have education higher. Another example: those who have gone to college earn 57% than those who only have a Baccalaureate.

Of course, it seems that these warnings have not fallen into a broken sack. The crisis has caused, among other things, that more students have stayed longer in the classrooms. The report highlights that the baccalaureate graduation rate has increased in Spain from 56% to 81% in the period between 2005 and 2017 and has thus approached the OECD and EU averages ( 86% ). The glass can be seen half full or also half empty, because there are still 19% of young people (almost one in five) who do not have even the Baccalaureate.

"The Baccalaureate degree is one of the necessary requirements for access to the labor market in most OECD countries," recalls the report, and young Spaniards seem to have realized it. Not surprisingly, the schooling rate has increased five points in Spain between 2010 and 2017, while in the rest of the countries it has remained stable.

The work also analyzes other issues:

High teacher salary costs

The OECD applauds Spain because the educational expenditure per student ( $ 9,500 ) is lower than in most countries ( $ 10,500 ). The reason is that here the expenditure per student in higher education is below average ( $ 12,600 in Spain compared to $ 15,600 on average) and that lowers the total expenditure.

However, the report warns that the salary costs per student of Primary and Secondary teachers "were substantially higher than in the average of OECD countries." These costs represented 9.4% of GDP per capita for Primary (OECD average: 6.7% ) and just over 12% for Secondary (OECD average: 8% ).

The report notes that this is due to two things. The first is that the estimated class size in Spain is "smaller" than in the OECD. And the second is that the initial regulatory salaries of teachers "are considerably higher than in the average" of countries. Spain is the fourth country in the EU and the fifth in the OECD with higher initial salaries in secondary school. According to the data contained in this report, a teacher at this stage starts earning around 32,000 euros , a figure much higher than that seen in other countries such as France , Italy or Portugal .

What happens is that, over the years, their working conditions do not improve much. With 10 years of experience the salary has risen to 35,000 euros . And at 15, the payroll is at 37,000 . In other countries they start earning less but end up thriving; That is, there is a professional career. All experts consider this to be one of the evils of Spanish teachers, as the system has hardly any incentives nor does it recognize teachers who work hard and do it well.

A smaller gender gap in Spain

The percentage of women with higher education increases, but the market does not reward them to the same extent as men. Young women have a higher educational level ( 50% of girls aged 25 to 34 obtained a higher degree, compared to 38% of men), but have higher unemployment rates for the same levels of education achieved.

However, women with higher education in Spain earn 82% of the income of men with the same educational level, compared to the OECD average, which is 75% , and the EU ( 76% ), which leads this organization to affirm that "this data confirms a smaller gender gap in Spain".

Many class hours

ESO Spanish students give 1,054 class hours, compared to 919 that are taught, on average, at the OECD. The conclusion is that those extra hours do not yield them for the results obtained later, according to the data of the PISA report. Spain is the fourth country with the most OECD class hours, only behind Colombia , Denmark and Mexico. And the second in the EU, second only to Denmark. This pattern is also repeated in Primary ( 4,750 hours compared to 4,568 in the OECD).

DISPERSION IN THE CURRICULUM

The analysis of the curriculum that makes the report shows that, in Primary, there are fewer hours of language than in the average of countries and there is very little space for Science. In return, around 20% of the compulsory schedule is dedicated to subjects of the most varied that make up a flexible curriculum.

In ESO, the time devoted to a second foreign language is greatly reduced and, in return, more than half of the curriculum is used in subjects that are neither Language , Mathematics , Science , or English .

It is assumed that the Lomce was going to increase the weight of instrumental subjects (Language, Mathematics and Science) and form a more uniform curriculum in all communities, but has failed to reach the OECD average. The acting Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá , said a few days ago that the Wert law has brought more dispersion to the system and is responsible for having so many different textbooks in the autonomous communities.

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