Education - Which Way Nigeria

THE BEST EDUCATION SYSTEMS  IN THE WORLD AS RANKED BY PEARSON'S 

Asian countries have come out on top of the world's education systems according to a report from Pearson, an education and publishing firm. The rankings are based on international tests and education data as well as higher-education graduation rates. Find out which are the top 10 education systems in the world, plus some other notable countries.

In the on-going Oceania battle Australia, comes out just in front of close rival New Zealand. Australia's education system has been ranked as the 15th best in the world, whereas New Zealand was ranked 16. Nigeria is number ...

There are around 81.5 million students in education in the US, 88% of school-aged children attend public schools, 9% private schools and around 3% are home-schooled. The US education system is ranked 14th in the world.

Old school Russians will be delighted to get one over their US rivals by having the 13th best education system in the world. The report was compiled for Pearson by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Poland's education system has been reformed in its post-communist era, the rewards are that it is now the 10th best in the world according to the EIU. As well as graduation rates the study also factored in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which was developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Despite the dire state of its economy, Ireland's education system is ranked as the ninth best in the world. Pearson chief executive John Fallon told the BBC that more than US$5 trillion is spent on education globally each year, and there is pressure to target this more effectively and see what has worked.

Many Dutch universities offer different degrees that are taught in English, in a bid to lure overseas students. The University of Amsterdam, pictured, opened in 1632 and currently has more than 30,000 students enrolled.

Canada will be happy to be significantly in front of its North American neighbour when it comes to its education system. The country boasts as 99% literacy rate. According to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada around 53% of Canadians aged 15 or over had trade certificates, college diplomas or university degrees, up 20 percentage points since 1990.

The UK has the second-best education system in Europe according to the EIU report. The UK's Business Secretary Vince Cable told the BBC: 'The UK has a global reputation for excellence in higher education, attracting overseas students who make huge economic and cultural contribution to Britain. To maintain our position, we must continue to attract international students and promote the UK as a knowledge economy.'

Europe's best education system, indeed the best outside of Asia, belongs to Finland. The country has previously been named in first place, but there has been a downward trend for a number of Scandinavian countries. The lowest-ranked European country is Greece and a number of other emerging economies, including Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia are also at the bottom of the table.

Hong Kong's education system is largely modelled on England's system and currently there are around 570 primary schools, over 500 secondary schools and 61 special schools. Talking about the future of education, John Fallon said: 'There is a huge amount of innovation in schools and colleges around the world. And the biggest challenge isn't finding brilliant teachers or high-performing schools - it's how to share that, and how you replicate that at scale.'

In 2010 the UK's education minister picked out Singapore's education system for commendation, describing it as 'world class'. Education spending makes up around 20% of the annual nation budget and Singapore currently has six universities. The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University are both ranked in the world's top 50 universities.

The literacy rate in Japan is 99% and recent figures show that there are around 2.8million students enrolled in the country's 778 universities. Sir Michael Barber, Pearson's education adviser, said: 'The rise of Pacific Asian countries, which combine effective education systems with a culture that prizes effort above inherited 'smartness', is a phenomenon that other countries can no longer ignore.'

According to the EIU, South Korea currently has the best education system in the world. The system has been described as 'intensely competitive' and sees students working very long hours. In the final two years before graduating high school at 18 or 19, many students are out of home from 5am to 2am, Monday to Friday attending school and then specialty study schools, as well as studying on the weekend. John Fallon said recently that in places where the Pisa results are very high, 'our job is how to replicate this'. 

20.       Switzerland

19.       Czech Republic

18.       Belgium

17.       Israel

16.       New Zealand

15.       Australia

14.       US

13.       Russia

12.       Germany

11.       Denmark

10.       Poland

9.         Ireland

8.         Netherland

7.         Canada

6.         UK

5.         Finland – first in Europe

4.         Hong Kong

3.         Singapore

2.         Japan

1.         South Korea 

Additionally, teachers in Finland and South Korea (THE TOP SCHOOLS) have a higher status in society. These two cultures acknowledge the role teachers play and appreciate their efforts.

It is my personal belief that the Quality of Life of any Nation cannot be expected to be more than the Quality of the Education of her Citizenry and the intentional investment in the Education System. Public Expenditure on Education as a Percentage of Total Government Expenditure in South Korea is 15.7%. In Nigeria it is 10.7%.