The European Commission welcomed the launch of the OECD report, Education at a Glance 2012, which highlights that more than 40% of secondary school teachers in five EU countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden) are aged 50 or older. Gender inequality is also a problem because the report shows that nearly a third more women than men are enrolling in higher education in the EU.

The Education at a Glance 2012 report, an annual paper published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which provides data from 34 countries including 21 EU Member States on performance in education, shows that ageing teaching force is one of the challenges in the European future. More than 40% of secondary school teachers in five EU countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden) are aged 50 or older – in Germany and Italy the share is even higher at more than 50%. Gender inequality is also a problem: the report shows that nearly a third more women than men are enrolling in higher education in the EU. Recently, a report underlined the need to attract more male teachers in the EU to act as role models for boys.

The report highlights that education spending in the 21 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) covered is on average $9,122 annually per student from primary through to tertiary education.

Also 84% of young people in OECD countries are expected to complete upper secondary education; in the EU countries, some 86% will. In 1995-2010, the greatest increase in upper secondary graduation rates was in Portugal (annual growth rate of 4.7%).