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For a few years now, international university rankings, such as the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings, and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, have been very influential in shaping university priorities and even government policy on higher education. But does the exercise of placing universities in a ranking order, like football teams in a league, make sense? Or would it be preferable to recognise, in the spirit of Simon Rattle's comment on orchestras, that higher education institutions all have different qualities. More...

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 37 countries. More...

The school calendar contains national data on the length of the school year, the start and the end dates of each school year, the timing and length of school holidays and the number of school days. It covers both primary and general secondary education and key points are illustrated by comparative figures. The information is available for 37 countries. More...

"The borders of my language are the borders of my world." – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (5.6)

The stories your parents told you. The games you used to play in the playground. Conversations you have with people around you. All of these form an integral part of your identity, and what they have in common is language. Personal identity does not exist in a vacuum, but is shaped by and in turn affects the collective identity of the surrounding society. More...

As one of the four fundamental freedoms guaranteed by EU law, freedom of movement for workers, pursuant to article 45 guarantees every EU citizen the right to move freely, to study and work in another member state. From a European perspective, the fact that people are able to pursue education and employment opportunities across borders unhindered – generating greater individual and collective wealth as a consequence – is usually considered beneficial. More...

The higher education sector has experienced profound changes in recent years. Student numbers have continued to increase, while the sector has diversified and experienced significant structural changes, such as new funding arrangements, and new quality assurance systems. The challenges for academic staff have also been growing. Staffs are responsible for teaching ever greater numbers of students, undertaking research, and responding to growing societal needs, while academic jobs become more competitive, and job security more tenuous. More...

The Council of the European Union has set the goal of reducing low achievement in reading, mathematics and science among 15-year-olds to less than 15 % by 2020. But how are European countries going to achieve this? Effective learning depends on many factors, but one key element in the learning process of students is the instruction time available to them. How can they best organize limited time between different subjects, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to develop their learning potential in a range of different areas. More...