Denmark slips on world education tables

It is a drop on the higher education sub-ranking, where Denmark has gone from 8th to 14th place, that is helping to push Denmark down the global competitive rankings. This is according to a close reading of the report’s recently released numbers.

Denmark dropped from number 8 to 12 in the World Economic Forum’s influential ‘Global Competitiveness Report’, setting off a storm of criticism of government policies in the media. It represents a large gap from 2010 when Denmark reached its highest ever ranking of fifth place.

See the report and data for yourself here

Downward trend reversible

»Denmark was quickly overtaken this year and the report indicates that Denmark is in dire need of strengthening its level of education in the coming years,« wrote Hanne Shapiro, from the centre for policy and business analysis at DTU, in a press release.

The report also asked business bosses »how well the higher education system meets the needs of a competitive economy« here Denmark came 19th. For enrolment rates the country came 13th out of 109 countries. All educational measurements showed a decline on the rankings.

However the report also writes that overall Denmark »continues to receive a first-rate assessment for its higher education and training system (14th), which has provided the Danish workforce with the skills needed to adapt rapidly to a changing environment«. The report continues confidently that »a continued strong focus on education would help to reverse the downward trend«.

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