The Education Index is a combined indicator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), calculated as an index of adult literacy and an index of the total share of students receiving education.

The Education Index is a combined indicator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). One of the key indicators of social development. Used to calculate the Human Development Index as part of a special series of UN reports on human development.

The index measures a country's achievements in terms of the achieved level of education of its population using two main indicators:

1. Adult literacy index (2/3 weight).
2. Index of the total share of students receiving primary, secondary and higher education (1/3 weight).

These two measures of educational attainment are combined into a final Index, which is standardized as a numerical value ranging from 0 (minimum) to 1 (maximum). It is generally accepted that developed countries must have a minimum score of 0.8, although the vast majority have a score of 0.9 or higher. When determining their place in the world rankings, all countries are ranked based on the Education Level Index (see table below by country), and the first place in the ranking corresponds to the highest value of this indicator, and the last place corresponds to the lowest.

Literacy data comes from official national census results and is compared with rates calculated by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. For developed countries that no longer include a literacy question in census questionnaires, the literacy rate is assumed to be 99%. Data on the number of citizens enrolled in educational institutions is aggregated by the Institute of Statistics based on information provided by relevant government agencies around the world.

This indicator, although quite universal, has a number of limitations. In particular, it does not reflect the quality of education itself. It also does not fully show the difference in access to education due to differences in age requirements and duration of education. Indicators such as average years of schooling or expected years of schooling would be more representative, but relevant data are not available for most countries. In addition, the indicator does not take into account students studying abroad, which may skew the data for some small countries.

The index is updated every two to three years, and reports with UN data are usually delayed by two years, as they require international comparison after the data are published by national statistical offices.

Considered the standard of academic preparation. The education system in Great Britain is based on centuries-old traditions, but this does not prevent it from being modern and keeping up with new technologies.

Diplomas from English schools and universities are valued all over the world, and the education received is an excellent start for an international career. Every year more than 50 thousand foreign students come here to study.

about country

Great Britain, despite its conservatism, is one of the most prosperous countries in Europe. It played an important role in the creation of parliamentary democracy, the development of world science and art; for several centuries, this country was the legislator in the world of art, literature, music and fashion. Many important discoveries were made in Great Britain: the steam locomotive, the modern bicycle, stereo sound, antibiotics, HTML and many others. The majority of GDP today comes from services, especially banking, insurance, education and tourism, while manufacturing's share is declining, accounting for only 18% of the workforce.

The UK is a great place to practice English and not only because it is the official language. it's the same a great opportunity master the “British accent” and get acquainted with the culture of this great power. The myths about British reserve are somewhat exaggerated - residents will be interested in chatting with you, and any shop assistant will be happy to chat about the weather and local news before handing out a check.

• included in the top 20 countries in terms of happiness according to analysts of the international project “Network of Sustainable Development Solutions” (2014-2016)
• included in the top 10 countries in the world in terms of living standards Prosperity Index-2016 (5th place in terms of conditions for doing business, 6th place in terms of education level)
• London - 3rd place in the ranking of the best cities in the world for students (Best Student Cities-2017)

Secondary education

Each British school has a history and centuries-old traditions passed down from generation to generation. Among the graduates of private schools are members of the royal family and prominent people: Prince William and his father Prince Charles of Wales, British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain, mathematician and writer Lewis Carroll, Indira Gandhi and many others.

Most British schools are located in small towns or far from populated areas and are surrounded by magnificent nature, which ensures the safety of living and studying for children. Classes are small, 10-15 people each, so the teacher knows each student and his characteristics well. In addition to the main program, an important place is given to creative and sports activities - from field hockey to pottery.

International students can enroll in a private boarding school at the age of 14 for the GCSE program - program high school, at the end of which the student passes 6-8 exams and then proceeds to the A-level or International Baccalaureate (IB) high school programs. If at A-Level a student chooses 3-4 subjects to study, then at IB - 6 out of 6 thematic blocks: mathematics, art, natural sciences, people and society, foreign languages, basic language and literature. Children choose compulsory and optional subjects according to their plans for higher education. Starting from the 9th grade, university admissions consultants work with students to help them decide on the direction of study, choose suitable universities and prepare well for submitting an application. A high school diploma allows students to enter universities around the world.

Higher education

Great Britain has been a leader in higher education for several centuries. High quality education is confirmed by independent ratings.

Of course, the most famous universities with an impeccable reputation, which applicants from all over the world strive to get into, are the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. However, other British universities, for example, University of Edinburgh, University of Exeter. The University of Sheffield provides high-quality training in all areas of knowledge.

• 6 British universities are in the top 20 according to the QS ranking 2016/2017
• 7 universities are in the top 50 according to THE World University Rankings-2016
• 8 universities are in the top 100 of the Shanghai ranking 2016

Northern Ireland primary school pupils achieved the sixth-best performance in the world, the best in Europe. England's results have not improved since the tests four years ago.

These international rankings - Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) - are published every four years. They are based on test results involving more than 600,000 students from 57 countries aged 9 to 10 and 13 to 14 years.

1. Singapore

2. South Korea

3. Taiwan

4. Hong Kong

7. Kazakhstan

9. Ireland

11. England

England's results are above average and better than many European countries, but there has been no significant progress in the rankings despite reforms to the school system.

In the latest TIMSS international primary maths test, England fell one place in the rankings, from 9th to 10th place. Secondary school results have also deteriorated. Instead of 10th place, England finished 11th.

When these same tests were carried out in 2007, England were sixth in maths. This place is now occupied by Northern Ireland.

In science, primary school pupils in England remain in 15th place, while secondary pupils have risen from 10th to 8th place.

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Taiwan

6. Northern Ireland

8. Norway

9. Ireland

10. England

England's schools minister, Nick Gibb, said the results from English students were more "engaging and confident" than many international competitors.

"The new one is more demanding syllabus in mathematics for primary schoolchildren began to be used in September 2014. We expect future testing of TIMSS to reflect progress,” said Mr Gibb.

Meanwhile, Labour's Angela Rayner said the results had been achieved despite "the constant re-forging and re-jigging of exams, school structures and curriculum".

National Association of Head Teachers leader Russell Hobby says a shortage of qualified maths and science teachers has kept England from staying in the “top tier” of international education.

Northern Ireland performed very well in maths testing among primary school pupils. The country has maintained the same position as four years ago and is first in the group, following the leaders of the ranking - Asian countries.

This puts Northern Ireland's young people ahead of schoolchildren in countries such as Finland and Norway, which tend to be high achievers. Scotland and Wales did not participate in these trials.

The results of tests carried out in 2015 highlighted a group of countries demonstrating high achievements. They increased their advantage compared to previous tests. All these states are located in Asia.

Despite Singapore's international success in testing, there were concerns about young people being put under too much pressure.

Singapore's Ministry of Education has said that education is more than just getting good grades.

Top 10 test results for high school students in mathematics:

1. Singapore

3. Taiwan

4. South Korea

5. Slovenia

6. Hong Kong

9. Kazakhstan

10. Ireland

Finland, whose education model is often used to improve school systems in other countries, has worsened its position in these rankings.

Testing is carried out by the International Association for the Assessment of Educational Achievement in the Netherlands and Boston College in the USA.

TIMSS testing chief executive Ina Mullis said the overall results brought "a lot of good news" about schools, with participants' scores rising and more children than before saying school was a safe environment for them.

Professor Mullis said the success of Asian countries reflected the “coherence” of their approach and “culture of immersion in education”.

"The rest of the world has ignored its work, and has fallen further behind countries like Singapore and South Korea," she said.

Top 10 test results for elementary school students in mathematics:

1. Singapore

2. South Korea

5. Hong Kong

6. Taiwan

7. Finland

8. Kazakhstan

The most important overall success factor is the quality and accessibility of training, said TIMSS Director Michael Martin.

And Singapore’s achievement, I think, could not have become a reality if education in this country had not been a priority.

“Education is hugely important in these countries,” said another testing project leader, Dr. Dirk Hastedt.

It is also worth noting the successes of Russian schoolchildren. In all four ratings, the country is approximately in the middle of the top ten.

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If we take the ranking of education around the world, Russia does not rank first in it, but ends up in 20-40 positions. What is it - the incompetence of domestic teachers or the biased attitude of Western rating agencies in assessing the level of Russian education? The portal’s specialists looked into this issue.

Why are they compiled?

The compilers and customers of ratings pursue business goals. They need to sell the services of higher educational institutions, increase traffic to your own web resources. In addition, high positions in published indicators are the prestige of not only the universities themselves, but also the countries in which they are located, which allows them to attract both human capital and investment.

Following this, the share of educational services in the export line of such a country increases. This is an important factor; the better the export of services in a country, the stronger the economy. For example, in the USA, services account for 78% of GDP, industry - 21%, and only 1% - Agriculture. That is, out of $18.5 trillion in GDP, $14.5 trillion comes from services. UK GDP is fifth in the world ranking. The country has captured 10% of the global services market, which makes it economically strong and sustainable. Leading positions in the global services market are the key to powerful economic growth.

Some data

Part of this market is education. Every year over 4 million students study abroad.

They choose universities based on rankings, in which the USA and European countries occupy the first places. Therefore, the United States accounts for about 20% of all foreign students – that’s about 800 thousand people. For the UK – a little more than 11% or about 450 thousand people.

Russian universities manage to attract 5% of foreign students, behind Australia (7.5-8%), France (7.5-8%) and Germany (6-7%). Here, domestic universities are ahead of China (less than 2%), South Korea (about 1.5%), Malaysia and Singapore (each attracting 1.2%).

Of the total number of students, a third come from the following countries:

1. China – just over 15%;
2. India – about 6%;
3. South Korea - 3.5-3.7%;
4. Germany – 2.6-2.8%.

Based on the distribution of the total number of students, the following areas are in greatest demand among students:

1. Business – 22-23%;
2. Engineering – 14-15%;
3. Humanities – 14-15%;
4. Law, sociology – 12-13%.

The struggle of universities for first places in world rankings is a method of increasing the country’s economic growth.

What are the ratings?

There are different indicators based on different evaluation systems. Some of them are presented in the table below:

TOP-5 according to different assessment systems

		TOP 5	Place of Russia
	The level of education	Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Germany
	The best universities in the world according to TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION	Oxford, Cambridge, California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology	194 (Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov)
	Effectiveness of national education systems	USA, Switzerland, Denmark, UK, Sweden
	International study of reading quality and text comprehension (based on the results of 4th grade students)	Hong Kong, Russia, Finland, Singapore, Northern Ireland
	International study of the quality of mathematics education (based on the results of 11th grade students)	Russia (in-depth study), Lebanon, USA, Russia, Portugal,
	International study of the quality of science education (based on the results of 11th grade students)	Slovenia, Russia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden

If Russian schools adequately cope with the functions assigned to them, questions arise for the higher education system. Why, while receiving well-prepared students, do domestic universities not compete with American, English, and German universities?

The problem lies in the assessment approaches and directions that are taken as a basis, namely:

1. Education;
2. The science;
3. Internationalization;
4. Commercialization.

Domestic experts explain the unfavorable data on Russia in foreign rating agencies by an imperfect assessment system. The objects of study - universities - are presented to them as research institutions.

A simple example. One of the evaluation parameters is the ratio of the number of teaching staff and students of the institution. There are 8 students per Russian teacher. In foreign universities, this ratio is 2.5 times higher - 1 to 17. Different approaches have an impact, the domestic path puts work in the classroom in first place, in the West the advantage is given to independent learning.

By the way, Due to this indicator, Russia managed to rise in the ranking, but it is planned to change the ratio, after which there will be 12 students per one domestic teacher. This will lower the country in the lists and worsen the attractiveness of studying at Russian universities for foreigners.

Universities are forced to change under the pressure of the demands dictated by new times. Their activities must be taken into account from the standpoint of introduced innovations, the introduction of innovations into the economy, as well as their role in the development of the country's regions. Expanding the areas of assessment will help avoid contradictions and compile an objective rating.