Statistics in the service of comparative education

Conclusions

A realistic consideration of the part that statistics can play in the study of comparative education must regard as the first desiderata the development of national statistics and encouragement of their comparability in the sense unfolded in the previous section. This seems a modest conclusion, and it is. But as long as descriptions of the educational systems giving a qualitatively and quantitatively sound picture of the internal cohesion and growth, and of the relation of these to the relevant social forces, are scarcely available even for the individual countries, it is premature to expect much more. In these circumstances the compilation of reliable international models with meaningful cross-cultural variables unfortunately remains an unfulfillable wish.

Investigations specially instituted for the acquisition of comparable data are at present to be expected only within the EEC. They have put in an appearance in the field of external statistics, as defined above, and not yet in that of educational statistics. However, the EEC has a function to perform with regard to occupational training inside the member-countries which could possibly lead to special surveys. For, according to Article 118 of the Treaty, the Commission should promote close cooperation between member-states in the social field, among other things with regard to “occupational and continuation training.” Only international or supranational bodies with large funds of money at their disposal can indulge in special investigations of international scope. If in conclusion I remove the restriction to government statistics which I imposed at the end of the first section above, it must be stated that outside government statistics it is by no means inconceivable that institutions fostering educational research might get together to set up joint surveys of a statistical nature. The Hamburg study mentioned in the first section is an instance of this which might assume pioneering importance.