UMA NAÇÃO DE DESISTENTES ABALA A EUROPA


Pergunta do teste intermédio do 9º ano de Físico-Químicas (clicar na imagem para ampliar) *

"Portugal is the poorest country in Western Europe. It is also the least educated, and that has emerged as a painful liability in its gathering economic crisis. (...) The state of Portuguese education says a lot about why a rescue is likely to be needed, and why one would be costly and difficult. Put simply, Portugal must generate enough long-term economic growth to pay off its large debts. An unskilled work force makes that hard. (...) Just 28% of the Portuguese population between 25 and 64 has completed high school. The figure is 85% in Germany, 91% in the Czech Republic and 89% in the U.S. (...) Better schooling in Portugal won't come quickly. Sharp cuts in its education spending make the task harder. And even if there are improvements, reaping their benefits could take years. (...)


Pergunta do teste intermédio do 9º ano de Físico-Químicas (clicar na imagem para ampliar) *

There is substantial evidence from elsewhere that education confers broad economic benefits. Ireland was one of the EU's poorest countries a generation ago. But it threw EU subsidy money into technical education and remade itself as a destination for high-tech labor, made doubly attractive by low corporate taxes. Ireland is now, even after a brutal banking crisis, among the richest nations in Europe. 'They had an educated-enough work force that they could move into a technology industry, and they rose out of nowhere', says Eric Hanushek, a Stanford University professor.

Prof. Hanushek and a professor from the University of Munich have linked GDP growth with population-wide performance on standardized tests. They calculate that Portugal's long-term rate of economic growth would be 1.5 percentage points higher if the country had the same test scores as super-educated Finland". (daqui citado na crónica de Carlos Fiolhais do "Público" de hoje)

* referido na crónica de Carlos Fiolhais; + aqui.

(2011)