Revenge Strategy, wasting the power of your hate on the guiltless (XLVII): US-China Trade War. Which country has an integral edifying education?
As I previously announced, today we will continue exposing the educational context between China and the USA, based on what I consider “reliable sources of information”. Do you think we know all the truth from both nations in terms of educational themes and variables? The educational comparative analysis between China and the USA deserved to be discovered separately, given the importance of this factor for both nations´ development.
Wrong data triggers incorrect decision making and erroneous conclusions
“Accuracy degrees”. An original aquarelle from Eleonora Escalante (2019). Painted on watercolor Moulin du Roy Canson paper 300 GSM. Size: 9 x 12 inches. If you wish to buy it please let me know. Made beautifully for you.
Again as I have mentioned, any misconception that we can gather from this publication in relation to data is not my fault if the data has been wrongly gathered or processed. I have no economic resources to check the data education quality, not even the UNESCO can do it. Nevertheless, intuitively I decided to assume these sources of reference are “really” responsible for data brass. If they have not checked the degree of truth or inaccuracy from the local government public bureaus and related data collection entities, I can´t certify them as “100% trusted”.
Let me explain you with a simple example: what could happen if the last census of one nation was not done properly, what if the census survey employees hired to collect, fill and verify the data, house by house, did not smash each home visited to corroborate the information? What if the same population folks when answering the surveys falsified numbers to fill the information. That simple unethical behavior from the data providers and collectors or census employees may cause fallacious data collection. The same applies with the processing. What could happen if made-up or simulated or falsified data has been classified by government statisticians?. For example: the whole idea of corrupted data can demerit or cause the country to be classified as a “medium income type” when the authentic facts show this country is still a “low-income type”? In one phrase: Wrong data triggers wrong conclusions.
I am not telling that the government bureaus or data collectors lie. Not at all. But living in a developing country with so many wicked behaviors makes me very reluctant to believe in data without a “quality control” collection and processing tollgates. It is extremely vital to check the data collection points before making presumptions based on data that may not be correct. Intelligent machines or AI can´t help us with this. It is up to real-life people to do a reality check.
Main Education Comparison Analysis between China and the US:
Coming back to our edition field, I have decided to show you what is available on the internet. I settled on my intuitive judgment and general knowledge, I have selected the sources that I consider could be carrying off data with some degree of responsibility. It is up to us to believe them or to take them with “care”.
Indicator or Variable |
Source |
USA |
China |
| Population 2018 estimated | United Nations Stats | 327.2 Millions | 1,392.7 Millions |
| Population under 15 years (%) | OECD average calculation |
18.5% |
17.8% |
| Population over 65 (%) | OECD average calculation |
16.5% |
17.3% |
| Employment rate for 15-64 years old (%)
Men Women |
OECD average calculation |
67% 74.8% 59.4% |
67.7% |
| Tertiary Education attainment (25-64 years old) % of the population | OECD |
35.7% |
35% |
| Education spending as % GDP | OECD |
3.6% |
|
| Research and Development Gross Domestic Expenditure (%GDP) | OECD |
2.3% |
2.3% |
| Attainment Education 2017 | |||
| Share of 25-64 with a tertiary degree (%) | OECD |
47 |
10 |
| Share of 25-64 with a short-cycle degree (%) | OECD |
11 |
6 |
| Share of 25-64 with a Bachelor´s degree (%) | OECD |
24 |
3 |
| Share of 25-64 with a master´s degree (%) | OECD |
11 |
0 |
| Share of 25-64 with a doctorate degree (%) | OECD |
2 |
|
| Distribution of First Time Tertiary entrants by entry program (%)
Short – Cycle Tertiary Bachelor´s degree Master´s degree |
OECD
|
47 53 0 |
60 40 0 |
|
United Nations Development Program UNDP Human Development Report 2019 |
|||
| Human Development Index Country Rank (out of 189) | UNDP HDR |
15 |
85 |
| Human Development Report Index Value (Max is 1.0) | UNDP HDR |
0.92 |
0.758 |
| Expected years of Schooling 2018 | UNDP HDR |
16.3 |
13.9 |
| Mean Years of Schooling (Years) | UNDP HDR |
13.4 |
7.9 |
| Inequality in education 2018 (%) | UNDP HDR |
5.5% |
11.7% |
| Population with at least some degree of secondary education (% age 25 and older) 2018
Female Male |
UNDP HDR |
95.7 95.5 |
75.7 83.0 |
| Pupils (students)- teacher ratio in Primary School | UNDP HDR |
14 |
17 |
| Primary School Teachers trained to teach (%) | UNDP HDR | ||
| Schools with access to internet
Primary % Secondary % |
UNDP HDR |
100 100 |
93 98 |
| Program for International Students Assignment PISA Score
Math 2015 Reading 2015 Science 2015 |
UNDP HDR |
470 497 496 |
531 494 518 |
|
World Bank Education Indicators (most recent) |
|||
| Net enrollment rate pre-primary (%) | World Bank |
65% |
? |
| Net enrollment rate primary (%) | World Bank |
95% |
89% (1997) |
| Out of school children of primary school age | World Bank |
1,013,950 |
14,051,869 |
| Net enrollment rate secondary (%) | World Bank |
92% |
? |
| Gross enrollment rate tertiary | World Bank |
88% |
51% |
| Expenditure on education as % of total government expenditures (%) | World Bank |
13.6% (2014) |
12.6% (1999) |
| Expenditure on education as % of expenditure on education
Pre-primary Primary Secondary Tertiary |
World Bank |
(data 2014)
6.6% 31% 34.6% 27.5% |
(data 1999)
1.4% 32.6% 37.4% 24% |
| Government expenditure on education as % of GDP | World Bank |
5% |
1.9% |
Of course, we can´t leave out of this publication what UNESCO is doing. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has set an Institute for Statistics (UIS). It is the official source of internationally-comparable data on education, science, culture and communication. Please visit the website here: http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=EDULIT_DS&popupcustomise=true&lang=en.
As the official statistical agency of UNESCO, the UIS produces a wide range of indicators in UNESCO’s fields of action by working with national statistical offices, line ministries, and other statistical organizations. If you visit their website, they have designed 3,528 indicators. The UNESCO UIS education segment produces key measuring indicants grouped under the following themes:
- Out of school children
- Entry
- Participation
- Progression
- Completion
- Literacy
- Educational Attainment
- International student mobility in tertiary education
- Human resources (teachers)
- Financial Resources
- School resources and teaching conditions (Access to basic services)
- Disparities in teachers training
- The education system and other themes related to equity, science, technology, and innovation in education.
According to the SDG data report, the UNESCO UIS teamwork involves close consultation with partners, notably countries, development agencies, technical organizations, donors and civil society groups. The UIS is the official source of data to monitor SDG 4 (Education) and key targets in Science (SDG 9.5), Culture (SDG 11.4), and Communication (SDG 16.10).
Which Educational System is better? Is it China or the US?
I wouldn´t infer anything from the latter data. Why? I believe the educational system has to be measured with a “people-centered” approach. Is the educational system endeavoring integral citizens? Are the citizens well “educated” to become not better just in terms of “future revenues after they finish their degrees”? but in terms of ethical values and critical thinking? Education is not just to generate revenues. It is made to become “educated” in everything beyond the professional sphere.
Nevertheless, if we observe the Human Development Report Index (HDI), the USA has reached the 15th position this last year, when in 2014, they were in the 5th position. On the contrary, China has improved some steps, and it is now in the 85th position. The Gross National Income per Capita (2018) calculated by HDR UNDP is USD $56,140 dollars per year for Americans, meanwhile, the Chinese just show USD$16,127 dollars per year.
“Tao, le léopard chinois en voie de disparition vit à Paris”. An aquarelle exercise by Eleonora Escalante. This painting is not for sale. The image reference utilized is from Sekhmet Neseret. This is not for sale.
My answer: I wouldn´t infer conclusions at this time. I would be better off traveling to China and the USA, spending at least 2 years per each country, visiting each city, village, and region; trying to observe and realize how the rural villagers perform their quotidian activities since they wake up until the hour they go to sleep. Watching how the urban citizens and their families are interacting to survive economically, what they eat, what they do for a living, how do they accomplish to subsist with their budgets. Visiting schools, universities, speaking with professors, faculty leaders, understanding the teacher´s methods and contents, trying to measure the impact of the educational content beyond the PISA scores. I would love to be paid to visit state by state in the USA, from Seattle to Florida. From Boston to California. And the same, city by city inside each of the Chinese regions, from the crowded Shanghai to the most remote village in the Chinese mountains where if I am lucky I would be able to recognize a Chinese leopard as Tao. At this point, the year 2019, that would give me a much better picture than the data.
Have a beautiful weekend. See you again next week.
Thank you.
Sources of information utilized to write this publication:
http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2019.pdf
https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=BLI
https://www1.compareyourcountry.org/education-at-a-glance/en/0/all/default
http://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_USA.pdf
https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?source=Education%20Statistics
http://datatopics.worldbank.org/education/country/united-states
http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=EDULIT_DS&popupcustomise=true&lang=en
Disclaimer: Illustrations in Watercolor are painted by Eleonora Escalante. Other types of illustrations or videos (which are not mine) are used for educational purposes ONLY. Nevertheless, the majority of the pictures, images or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.
Eleonora Escalante Strategy 