SPANISH youngsters are falling dramatically behind their peers in other developed countries, despite spending longer in school than earlier generations.
A new OECD study shows that the gap in basic skills between Spain and the international average has tripled since the days of the EGB model, the General Basic Education system that was in place until the 1990s.
While Spaniards now aged between 55 and 65, who were educated entirely under EGB, actually outperform the OECD average for their level of schooling, younger generations are slipping further and further back.
The study, based on the OECD’s 2023 PIAAC survey, which measures adult skills in reading, maths and problem-solving, shows that Spain is one of the five OECD countries that has improved least in the past few decades, alongside the United States, Sweden, New Zealand and Slovakia.
Spain’s working-age population consistently scores below the OECD average, with younger cohorts in particular widening the gap. Those aged 25 to 34 are now three times further behind their OECD peers than the generation aged 55 to 65.
In reading, Spaniards average a score of 247 compared with the OECD’s 260. In maths, it is 250 compared with 263, while in problem-solving Spaniards score 241 against 251.
The data shows that while each generation in Spain has made some progress, the advances have been much smaller than in other countries.
Reading competencies rose by 18.5 points between the oldest and youngest cohorts in Spain, compared with a 30.4-point improvement across the OECD. In maths, the Spanish improvement was 13.2 points compared with an OECD average of 25.7. In problem-solving, the difference was 17.4 points compared with 29.7.
The diminishing returns are even clearer when broken down cohort by cohort. Spaniards aged 55 to 65 scored 8.5 points higher in maths than those aged 45 to 54, but the next jump shrank to 4.6 points, and from 35 to 44 down to 25 to 34 the increase was just 1.8.
The report’s authors, Fundación BBVA and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research, argue that the explanation lies in the quality of education reforms after the 1990s, when EGB was replaced by the LOGSE system and compulsory schooling was extended to 16.
Despite longer schooling, the results suggest Spanish children are leaving the system less well-prepared in basic skills than their counterparts abroad.
The OECD itself warns that in a globalised economy, competencies in reading, maths and problem-solving are central to productivity, employability and innovation.
The concern is that Spain’s younger workforce is starting its career at a structural disadvantage, and unless the trend is reversed, the country risks falling permanently behind its competitors.
Click here to read more Education News from The Olive Press.
