A report published by the European Commission shows the North-South divide in educational attainment in the EU, with the highest rates of low-qualified people, with lower secondary education or less, chiefly found in southern European regions and especially in Portugal and Spain. The report also calls on EU countries to work harder to reduce these inequalities.

The 'Mind the Gap - education inequality across EU regions' report highlights significant disparities in education opportunities and results across and within Member States. There appears to be a North-South divide in educational attainment, with the highest rates of low-qualified people, with lower secondary education or less, chiefly found in southern European regions and especially in Portugal and Spain. In contrast, the regions with the lowest rates of low-qualified people are mostly found in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. Recently, a report also underlined the need to attract more male teachers in the EU to act as role models for boys.

Moreover, it also underlines significant regional disparities in terms of adult participation in lifelong learning. The report shows that the regions with the highest proportion of individuals with tertiary education qualifications (with a bachelor or master's degree or equivalent) are mostly found in the UK, the Netherlands, northern Spain and Cyprus. The regions with the lowest rates of tertiary education graduates are in Italy, Portugal, Romania and the Czech Republic.

In the light of these results, the Commission will adopt its strategy on "Rethinking Skills" next November which will underline the need to address geographic disparities in education. In 2013, the Commission will present further evidence and policy advice to Member States on how to improve equity in education and training. A second report on the geography of educational inequality in the EU will be published in 2013.