Education International Research
Top obstacles to TVET and higher education according to education unions The graph below illustrates that unions considered inadequate funding to be the primary obstacle to quality TVET, followed by inadequate teacher working conditions and shortages of qualified teachers. Respondents identified the same major obstacles for higher education, but privatisation in/of education was the third most commonly reported obstacle to SDG progress in the higher education sector. A 2017 review90 that mapped trends in higher education identified the following key challenges facing the sector: austerity, academic freedom, increasingly casualised faculty, growing privatisation, and the extent and potential of unionisation (suggesting that higher education is an under-unionised sector).
50 40,91
Privatisation in/ of education
27,78 22,73
Poor/narrow curriculum
66,67 59,09
Inadequate working conditions
33,33
Shortage of qualified teachers
54,55 83,33 81,82
Inadequate funding and resourcing 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Secondary Education
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Primary Education
Figure 4: What are the top obstacles to the achievement of SDG 4 in your country? (TVET and higher education)
Inadequate funding for TVET, higher education and research limits both access and quality
GRO.EI-IE
In low-income countries where governments abide by their commitments to implement Target 4.1, a greater number of students will complete secondary education, and these countries will subsequently need to increase the number of places available at national TVET institutions, colleges and universities. Similarly, in high-income countries, the qualification levels required for employment are increasing, and more students than ever are pursuing education at the tertiary level. Sufficient funding for either the expansion of existing TVET and higher education institutions or the construction of new facilities is therefore crucial to prevent overcrowding. In South Africa, SADTU reports that the limited capacity of universities restricts the number of spaces available for new learners to approximately 127,000 each year, and there are a limited number of TVET colleges available (approximately 50). In Japan, the JTU reveals that their government is actually decreasing the number of “technical” high schools due to budget concerns.
0302 NOITA CUDE
Fifty-two per cent (52%) of unions responding to EI’s Status of Teachers survey reported that research and development is a low priority for their government. There are large disparities between governments with regard to the prioritisation of this field. Whilst Sweden spends almost 3.3% of its GDP on research and development, many low-income countries have inadequate funding for research, limiting the quality of higher education institutions. Sometimes even the most basic materials for TVET and higher education are scarce. Unions in Liberia, Uganda and Ghana highlighted a lack of inadequate equipment and resources in their laboratories and libraries. 90 S tromquist, N. 2017. Twenty years later: International efforts to protect the rights of higher education teaching personnel remain insufficient. Education International. Retrieved from: http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2017_EIResearch_1997_NellyStromquist.pdf
41