During the Covid-19 pandemic, obviously, a large proportion of students with plans to live outside their countries has declined, due to border restrictions, delay in processing visas, etc.
But from the moment when borders open again, and student mobility resumes, there is even the so-called “Fourth Wave of Exchange”, with the expectation of 7 million international students, just for higher Education System in the world, to 2030.
There is great mobility between our neighboring countries, for example. Argentina receives more than 116,000 international students each year, most of them from Peru, Colombia, Chile and Brazil. But some countries are surprising for the investment they already make domestically, to offer higher quality basic Education System, with a focus on making their population more competitive and with a higher level of local and global employability.
Education System According to Newsweek magazine
According to Newsweek magazine , 12 countries lead the world percentage of their population with basic Education System (from early to high school) to higher/technical education. They are South Korea, Canada, Russia, Japan, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom, United States and Netherlands.
The country with the highest educational rate in the world is South Korea, a liberal democracy. According to the ranking, the Asian country has 69.8% of its total population completing basic and higher Education System. At least 90% of 3-17 year olds are enrolled in school, 15-19 year olds 87% are studying and at least 50% 20-24 year olds have gone to college. Resulting in a higher general qualification in the country and, therefore, a result superior to the world average employability.
Furthermore, the country has been growing in search of international students, opening doors for many, including Brazilians, to enter both high school and higher Education System, in an easier and less expensive way. Last week, I even participated in an international congress, and I was honored to sign a partnership agreement with a major university in South Korea. They will offer courses in English, in addition to partial scholarships to Brazilians interested in undergraduate and master’s degrees in the country.
Already the second place in the ranking, it is the number one darling of Brazilians as an educational destination for more than 18 years in a row:
Canada
The country has a parliamentary democracy. And according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it has 63% of its population with complete Education System, from basic to higher / technical education. However, analyzing the country’s training system (whose inspiration came from the German education system), a large part of its adult population is far above the world average in completing higher technical education.
However, the country still has a number below the world average when comparing the number of adults with master’s and doctorate degrees in the country. And that’s understandable. In view of the great support that technical and vocational programs have with public educational institutions, the Colleges and Cegéps (in the case of Quebec). The high level of employability, with an average of 89 to 98%, of its graduates leaving the job market employed in the training area. The 97 universities are the most sought after for scientific and academic development programs.
Brazil
Last week, I even had meetings with the consul general of Canada, Heather Cameron, and a delegation from the country. And I had the opportunity to see how seriously Canada takes its commitment to Education System. So much so that the diversity and investment in educational institutions in the country, both public and private, to receive international students is fully focused on the government. In Brazil alone, there are 6 Canadian consulate offices. Each one with a specific management and agenda, such as agribusiness, science and technology, etc. but all,
United Kingdom
Countries such as the United Kingdom (51.8%), the United States (50.8%) and the Netherlands (49%) are respectively in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth places among the countries that have the highest percentage of their population completing secondary Education System. and the University. As are the countries that increase the number of Brazilians in their classrooms. Due to their quest to diversify and bring opportunities to Latin Americans seeking greater qualification and employability at a global level.
Brazil was not mentioned in the ranking. According to the most recent National Household Sample Survey (Pnad) of 2019, 11 million Brazilians over 15 years of age are illiterate, 52% of the population over 25 years of age do not complete basic Education System, considering when high school ends. These data, which will have a significant impact after the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a Cambridge University Press article, countries that invest more in Education System are 20% more likely to choose a better-qualified leader. As previously mentioned, countries that invest more in basic and higher Education System for their citizens bring not only greater general development to the nation, but greater employability and less social and economic distance.
One of the reasons for this low performance is the student-grade distortion, that is, students who are in lower grades than the corresponding ones for their age and who, therefore, have learned less than the others.
To give you an idea, in 2015, Brazil was the third country with the highest rate of students evaluated in PISA who claim to have repeated at least one grade in primary or elementary school (36.4%), behind only Algeria (68 .5%) and Colombia (42.6%).
“The fact that we have 70% of students below level two – considered the minimum level – in mathematics, 56% below this level in science and 51% below in reading is a huge concern because it means that Brazil has not improved the quality and the equity of the system in the last 13 years”, says Maria Helena Guimarães de Castro, executive secretary of the Ministry of Education System.
