Students in OECD countries and economies receive an average of 7 533 hours of compulsory instruction during their primary and lower secondary education, ranging from 5 940 hours in Hungary to almost double that in Australia (11 000 hours) and Denmark (10 960 hours).
Across OECD countries and economies, compulsory instruction time for primary students averages 799 hours per year, and lower secondary students receive an average of 114 more hours of compulsory education per year than primary students (913 hours).
On average across OECD countries and economies, instruction in reading, writing and literature, mathematics, and the arts represents 51% of compulsory instruction time for primary school students, and instruction in reading, writing and literature, second and other languages, and mathematics represents 40% of compulsory instruction time for lower secondary school students.
Education at a Glance 2018
Indicator D1. How much time do students spend in the classroom?
Figure D1.1. Compulsory instruction time in general education (2018)
1. Estimated number of hours by level of education based on the average number of hours per year, as the allocation of instruction time across multiple grades is flexible.
2. Year of reference differs from 2018. See Table D1.1 for more information.
3. The number of grades in lower secondary education is three or four, depending on the track. The fourth year of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) was excluded from the calculation.
Countries and economies are ranked in ascending order of the total number of compulsory instruction hours.
Source: OECD (2018), Table D1.1. See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Context
Providing instruction in formal classroom settings accounts for a large portion of public investment in education. Countries make various choices concerning the overall amount of time devoted to instruction and which subjects are compulsory. These choices reflect national and/or regional priorities and preferences concerning what material students should be taught and at what age. Almost all countries have statutory or regulatory requirements regarding hours of instruction. These are most often stipulated as the minimum number of hours of instruction a school must offer and are based on the understanding that sufficient time is required for good learning outcomes. Matching resources with students’ needs and making optimal use of time are central to education policy. Teachers’ salaries, institutional maintenance and provision of other educational resources constitute the main costs of education. The length of time during which these resources are made available to students (as partly shown in this indicator) is an important factor in determining how funds for education are allocated (see Indicator C7, which shows the factors influencing the salary cost of teachers per student). There is growing awareness of the importance of time spent outside the classroom during the school day in activities other than instruction, including recesses and breaks. In addition to formal instruction time, students may participate in extracurricular activities before and/or after the school day or during school holidays, but these activities (as well as examination periods) are outside the scope of this indicator.
Other findings
The proportion of the compulsory curriculum for primary students devoted to reading, writing and literature ranges from 19% in Poland to 38% in France; for lower secondary students, it ranges from 9% in Ireland (for English, one of the two national languages) to 25% in Greece (and more in Italy, including social studies).
The proportion of the compulsory curriculum devoted to mathematics at the primary level ranges from 12% in Denmark to 27% in Mexico; at the lower secondary level, it ranges from 11% in Hungary and Korea to 16% in Chile, Latvia and the Russian Federation (and 20% in Italy, including natural science).
Except for a few countries where the compulsory curriculum is mostly devoted to flexible subjects, in OECD countries and economies, an average of 1% of compulsory instruction time for primary students and lower secondary students is devoted to subjects with a flexible timetable. An average of 5% of compulsory instruction time at the primary level and 7% at the lower secondary level is devoted to flexible subjects chosen by schools.
In one-third of countries with available data, the allocation of instruction time across grades is flexible (i.e. instruction time for a specific subject is defined for a certain number of grades or even the whole of compulsory education, without specifying the time to be allocated to each grade).
Analysis
Compulsory general education
Both annual instruction time and the length of compulsory education have impacts on the total instruction time during compulsory education. In some countries, the duration of compulsory education is shorter, and students could bear a heavier workload based on statutory requirements. In other countries, the workload is distributed evenly over more years. This indicator focuses on compulsory education at primary and lower secondary levels. However, in some countries such as the Netherlands, pre-primary education is also compulsory, so the starting age for compulsory education is younger than the age at which primary education starts (see Annex 3 for more details on the length of compulsory education). Moreover, in around three out of five countries and economies with available data, at least one year of upper secondary education is part of compulsory full-time education (Table D1.1).
In around three out of four countries and economies with available data, students are required to start primary education at age 6. In most other countries, students are not required to start until age 7, as in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and Sweden. Only in Australia, England (United Kingdom), New Zealand and Scotland (United Kingdom) does primary education start at age 5.
There is also substantial variation in the duration of primary education. On average across OECD countries and economies, primary education lasts six years, but it ranges from four years in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic and Turkey to seven years in Australia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Scotland (United Kingdom). Lower secondary education averages three years, but ranges from two years in Chile and the Flemish and French Communities of Belgium to five years in Germany, the Russian Federation and the Slovak Republic, and six years in Lithuania (Table D1.2).
Countries also allocate annual instruction time differently over the year. The number of instruction days and the way they are distributed across the school year can vary significantly between countries, as countries organise holidays differently (Box D1.1). Within instruction days, countries also vary in the way they organise recess and breaks (Box D1.2).
Box D1.1. Organisation of breaks within the school year in primary education (2018)
The length of the school year varies greatly between countries, implying that there is also wide variation in the number of weeks children are not at school across countries. Countries organise the school year in different ways, in terms of the frequency and length of school breaks during the school year.
School breaks are usually defined for the whole country, but can differ between subnational entities, especially in federal countries. Breaks are usually similar at primary and lower secondary levels, but in Ireland, Israel and Lithuania, the number of weeks of instruction differs between these levels by one to four weeks (see Table D4.1). The distribution of breaks during the school year can also be flexible according to regions. For example, dates for school breaks are defined according to three areas in France, and similar flexibility occurs for several or all breaks in federal countries, as well as in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, England (United Kingdom), Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic (see Annex 3 for the organisation of the school year at primary and lower secondary levels).
In all countries, the longest break is the one between two successive school years. Focusing on primary education, this break varies from a minimum of 5 weeks in Mexico and in some subnational entities in Australia and Switzerland to 12 weeks or more in Estonia, Greece, Italy (12 to 14 weeks), Latvia, Lithuania, the Russian Federation and Turkey. In nearly all countries with available information, this break between two school years represents at least half of the school holiday time (Figure D1.a).
In addition to this long break, children usually have three to four other shorter holiday periods during the school year. Austria, England (United Kingdom), Luxembourg and Scotland (United Kingdom), as well as some Länder in Germany offer a fifth break during the third term of the school year.
Breaks during the school year differ in both length and timing, but the main common break period is at the end of calendar year, corresponding to either a two-week break (in the northern hemisphere), or the end of the school year in the southern hemisphere. These differences in the timing of breaks may result from flexible calendar dates (e.g. for holidays such as Easter).
In most countries, the length of the different breaks within the school year varies significantly, from a few days to two weeks. Exceptions to this pattern are Lithuania, the Russian Federation and Slovenia, with one-week breaks (three to four during the school year), and Australia, France, Greece and New Zealand, with two-week breaks (from two in Greece to four in France). Belgium, England (United Kingdom), Germany, Luxembourg and Poland alternate one-week and two-week breaks during the school year.
Figure D1.a. School breaks in primary education (2018)
Note: Breaks exclude public/religious days, except if these days are included in longer breaks.
1. Minimum length of breaks as some may be longer for some regions within the country.
Countries are ranked in descending order of the number of weeks of breaks during the school year.
Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Box D1.2. Recess and breaks during the school day
Learning in the classroom demands that students be focused and concentrate for long periods of time. Based on annual instruction hours and the number of instruction days per year, primary students have less than four hours of compulsory instruction per school day in about two-fifths of countries, but at least five hours a day in a few countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Flemish Community of Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and the United States). This is also the case in France, but the school week is organised in 4.5 rather than 5 days of school so that teaching time per day can be less than five hours. At lower secondary level, the number of compulsory instruction hours per day is usually higher, with all countries having at least four hours of compulsory instruction time per day. Three-quarters of countries have between four and less than six hours per day, and Chile, Denmark and Spain have six hours or more per day (Tables D1.1 and D1.2).
Research has found that spending some time outside the classroom during the school day in activities other than instruction can help improve students’ performance in the classroom. In primary education, breaks in instruction allow pupils to play, rest and freely interact with their peers to further develop cognitive, emotional and social skills. Research suggests that students may then apply those skills in the classroom, thus improving their learning (Pellegrini and Bohn, 2005[1]; Pellegrini et al., 2002[2]). OECD countries increasingly consider recess and breaks as important components of the school day.
How breaks during the school day are organised in OECD countries depends on how education systems are governed and the degree of autonomy that individual schools enjoy (see Box D1.1 in (OECD, 2015[3])). In most countries, the school day is divided into lessons that last from 45 to 50 minutes, allowing for short breaks between them to make up an entire hour. Across OECD countries, 10-15 minute breaks are generally long enough to allow students to change classrooms and visit the bathroom. These short breaks are different in length and purpose from longer breaks observed in the majority of countries. During longer breaks, students can have breakfast or lunch and are commonly supervised by a teacher or group of teachers.
In primary education, long breaks are common and, in some cases, even compulsory. In Spain, for example, breaks in primary school are considered part of compulsory instruction time. Primary students in Spain have a half-hour break every day in the middle of the morning session that is considered part of the five daily instruction hours. In several countries, a lunch break is set as part of the learning process, where students learn about hygiene, healthy eating habits and/or recycling waste.
In several countries, long breaks can be found at all levels of education. In Australia, schools at all levels of education tend to have one short morning recess and then a longer lunch break. In Canada, there is a midday break for lunch in primary through upper secondary education. In both countries, long breaks can last around 40 to 60 minutes. Some countries have even longer lunch breaks, such as in France, where they last at least 90 minutes for primary education. Breaks can also occur throughout the day. In Switzerland, for example, schools usually organise two breaks of between 15 and 30 minutes each and a long lunch break of about 60 to 90 minutes. In Chile, schools with a large number of pupils may divide students into two or more groups for their breaks, by grade or age.
Schools can use recess and breaks for different purposes. They can use breaks as a way of helping students who have to commute a long distance to school or to harmonise the end of classes when the duration of lesson periods is different across grades, as in the Czech Republic, where ten-minute breaks can be shortened to five minutes. In Denmark, municipalities often use breaks and recess as an integrated part of daily exercise and physical activities for students at all grade levels. This is also the case in Slovenia, where schools sometimes organise a long break intended for students to practice sports in the gym and on the school’s outdoor playing fields.
Compulsory instruction time
Compulsory instruction time refers to the amount and allocation of instruction time that must be provided in almost every public school and must be attended by almost all public sector students, as per public regulations.
Students in OECD countries and economies receive an average of 4 620 hours of instruction during primary school and 2 913 hours during lower secondary education. While the total compulsory instruction time for primary and lower secondary students averages 7 533 hours (in 9 years on average) across OECD countries and economies, formal instruction-time requirements range from 5 940 in Hungary (in 8 years) to 11 000 in Australia (in 11 years) (Figure D1.1). In England (United Kingdom), New Zealand and Scotland (United Kingdom), regulations do not prescribe total compulsory instruction time in schools. However, schools are required to be open for instruction for a minimum number of hours per day (New Zealand) or to allow sufficient instruction time to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that includes all statutory requirements (for variation of instruction time at the subnational level, see Box D1.3).
Compulsory instruction time only captures the time spent by students in formal classroom settings. This is only a part of the total time students spend receiving instruction. Instruction also occurs outside compulsory school hours and outside the classroom or school. In some countries, secondary school students are encouraged to take after-school classes in subjects already taught in school to help them improve their performance. Students can participate in after-school lessons in the form of remedial catch-up classes or enrichment courses, with individual tutors or in group lessons provided by school teachers, or in other independent courses (see Box D1.3 in (OECD, 2017[4])). These lessons can be financed through public funds or by students and their families (see Box D1.1 in (OECD, 2011[5])).
This indicator captures intended instruction time (as established in public regulations) as a measure of learning in formal classroom settings. It does not show the actual number of hours of instruction that students receive and does not cover learning outside the formal classroom setting.
Box D1.3. Compulsory instruction time at the subnational level at primary and lower secondary levels
Instruction time varies largely between levels of education and also between countries for each level of education. However compulsory education can also vary significantly within countries, especially in federal countries where requirements are defined at the subnational level.
Among the four countries that reported at least some subnational data on instruction time (Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States), the difference in compulsory instruction time in primary education between the subnational regions with the lowest and highest number of hours of instruction varies largely between the two countries with available data. It varies from 4 931 hours to 5 012 hours (by 2%) between the French and Flemish Communities of Belgium, and from 4 320 hours to 7 560 hours (by 75%) between the 51 subnational regions (50 states and Washington DC) of the United States. At the lower secondary level, the variations are similar to primary level: instruction time varies from 1 896 hours to 1 909 hours (by less than 1%) in Belgium and from 2 160 hours to 3 780 hours (by 75%) in the United States. In both these countries, these variations result from differences in annual instruction hours between subnational entities, as the number of years of compulsory primary and lower secondary education does not vary between subnational entities (OECD/NCES, 2018[6]).
Differences in the annual number of hours of compulsory instruction between subnational regions may be explained by differences in the number of annual days of instruction at the subnational level at both primary and lower secondary levels. Within countries with available data, the number of annual days of compulsory instruction at these levels varies between subnational regions by about 6% in Canada (between 180 to 190 days), less than 13% in Belgium (between 159 or 160 days to 179 days) and 16% in the United States (from 160 to 186 days), but does not vary between subnational entities with available information in the United Kingdom (190 days) (OECD/NCES, 2018[6]).
Intended instruction time
Total intended instruction time is the estimated number of hours during which schools are obliged to offer instruction in compulsory and, if applicable, non-compulsory subjects.
Intended and compulsory instruction time are of the same length (i.e. intended instruction time is fully compulsory) for primary and lower secondary students in about three out of four countries with available data. In Finland, France (lower secondary), Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal (primary) and Slovenia, the intended instruction time is at least 5% longer than the compulsory instruction time. However intended instruction time could be different from actual instruction time of students (Box D1.3).
Instruction time per subject
On average across OECD countries, primary students spend 51% of the compulsory instruction time on three subjects: reading, writing and literature (25%), mathematics (17%) and the arts (10%). Together with physical education and health (9%), natural sciences (7%) and social studies (6%), these six study areas form the major part of the curriculum in all OECD countries where instruction time per subject is specified. Second and other languages, religion, ethics and moral education, information and communication technologies (ICT), technology, practical and vocational skills, and other subjects make up the remainder of the non-flexible compulsory curriculum at the primary level, representing 19% of the compulsory instruction time on average across OECD countries (Table D1.3a and Figure D1.2a).
Figure D1.2a. Instruction time per subject in primary education (2018)
1. Year of reference 2017.
2. Excludes England (United Kingdom), Flemish Comm. (Belgium), French Comm. (Belgium), Italy and the Netherlands.
3. Excludes the first three years of primary education for which a large proportion of the time allocated to compulsory subjects is flexible.
Countries and economies are ranked in descending order of the proportion of instruction hours devoted to reading, writing and literature.
Source: OECD (2018), Table D1.3a. See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
At the lower secondary level, on average across OECD countries and economies, 40% of the compulsory curriculum is composed of three subjects: reading, writing and literature (14%), second and other languages (13%) and mathematics (12%). On average, an additional 12% of the compulsory curriculum is devoted to natural sciences, 10% to social studies, 8% to physical education and health and 7% to the arts. These seven study areas form the major part of the curriculum for this level of education in all OECD countries where instruction time per subject is specified. Religion, ethics and moral education, ICT, technology, practical and vocational skills, and other subjects make up the remainder (12%) of the non-flexible compulsory curriculum for students at this level of education (Table D1.3b and Figure D1.2b).
Figure D1.2b. Instruction time per subject in general lower secondary education (2018)
1. Natural sciences included in mathematics. Social studies included with reading, writing and literature.
2. Excludes England (United Kingdom), Flemish Comm. (Belgium) and the Netherlands.
3. Year of reference 2017.
Countries and economies are ranked in descending order of the proportion of instruction hours devoted to reading, writing and literature.
Source: OECD (2018), Table D1.3b. See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
This is a significant shift in the allocation of time from primary schooling. On average across OECD countries and economies, instruction in reading, writing and literature drops from 25% of compulsory instruction time to 14%, and instruction in mathematics drops from 17% of compulsory instruction time to 12%. Conversely, instruction in natural science climbs from 7% of the compulsory curriculum to 12%, and in social studies from 6% to 10%, while instruction in other languages (second and others) climbs from 6% to 13%. At the national level, instruction in second and other languages accounts for the largest share of the compulsory core curriculum at the lower secondary level in Costa Rica, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Japan and Luxembourg (Tables D1.3a and b).
At the lower secondary level, there is substantial variation in how countries allocate time among the different subjects within the compulsory curriculum. For example, reading, writing and literature account for 12% or less of compulsory instruction time in Australia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland and Japan, but more than 25% of compulsory instruction time in Greece and Italy (in Italy, it also includes time devoted to social studies). In Ireland, reading, writing and literature are taught in two national languages, and therefore the actual estimation of the combined percentage can reach about 21% of the total compulsory instruction time. Compulsory instruction time devoted to second and other languages also varies largely between countries. Second-language instruction accounts for less than 7% of compulsory instruction time in Greece, Ireland and Poland and 13% or more in the French Community of Belgium, Iceland and Japan. In addition, in just over half of countries with available data, studying another language in addition to a second language is compulsory for lower secondary students.
As seen at primary and lower secondary levels, there are significant differences in how time is allocated to school subjects as students grow older. On average across OECD countries, 28% of instruction time for 7-year-olds is devoted to reading, writing and literature, 18% for 11-year-olds and 11% for 15-year-olds. By contrast, while an average of 3% of instruction time for 7-year-olds is devoted to teaching of a second language, 10% of instruction time for 11-year-olds is spent studying a second language and 2% studying other languages, and for 15-year-olds, 9% of instruction time is devoted to the second language and 5% to other languages. The share of instruction time dedicated to natural sciences increases from 7% for 7-year-olds to 9% for 11-year-olds and 11% for 15-year-olds, while instruction time in social studies increases from 5% for 7-year-olds to 9% for 11-year-olds and 15-year-olds. The portion of instruction time dedicated to the arts slips from 11% for 7-year olds and 9% for 11-year-olds to 4% for 15-year-olds, while the time dedicated to physical education remains fairly constant, at 9% for 7-year-olds and 8% for 11-year-olds, before dropping to 6% for 15-year-olds (Tables D1.5b, f and j, available on line).
Flexibility in the curriculum
In most countries, central and state authorities establish regulations or recommendations regarding instruction time and the curriculum. However, local authorities, schools, teachers and/or students also have varying degrees of freedom in organising instruction time or in choosing subjects.
In about one-third of countries with available data, the allocation of instruction time across grades is flexible (i.e. instruction time for a specific subject is defined for a certain number of grades or even the whole of compulsory education, without specifying the time to be allocated to each grade). In such cases, schools/local authorities are free to decide how much time should be allocated for each grade (Tables D1.2 and D1.4).
Setting compulsory subjects within a flexible timetable is the practice for most subjects in a few countries. In the Flemish and French Communities of Belgium and in Italy, 83% or more of the compulsory curriculum at the primary level is organised within a flexible timetable. In England (United Kingdom) and the Netherlands, the whole curriculum at the primary level is organised in a flexible timetable. At the lower secondary level, similar patterns occur in the Flemish Community of Belgium, England (United Kingdom) and the Netherlands. In these countries and economies, compulsory subjects and total instruction time are specified, but not the time to be allocated to each subject. Local authorities, schools and/or teachers are free to decide how much time should be allocated to each compulsory subject. In Scotland (United Kingdom), at both primary and lower secondary levels, some compulsory subjects are specified, but there is no regulation on total instruction time, which is the responsibility of local authorities and schools themselves. Excluding these countries, compulsory subjects with flexible timetables account for less than 2% of the compulsory instruction time at both primary and lower secondary levels, even if they could be a significant part of the curriculum in some countries. Flexible timetables account for more than 10% of the compulsory subjects only in Canada at the primary level.
Flexibility in the choice of subjects is less common across OECD countries. On average, 5% of compulsory instruction time is allocated to subjects chosen by schools at the primary level. At the lower secondary level, 7% of compulsory instruction time is allocated to subjects chosen by schools and another 4% to subjects chosen by students. However, some countries allocate a substantial part of the compulsory instruction time to flexible subjects. For example, 10% or more of compulsory instruction time is allocated to subjects chosen by schools in Canada (lower secondary), Chile, the Czech Republic, Estonia (primary), the French Community of Belgium (lower secondary), Hungary, the Slovak Republic (lower secondary) and Spain (primary). At least 20% of compulsory instruction time is allocated in this way in Australia (29% at the primary level and 22% at lower secondary level), the Flemish Community of Belgium (20% at lower secondary level), Ireland (50% at lower secondary level) and Spain (23% at lower secondary level). In Australia, Iceland, Norway and Turkey, 15% to 20% of compulsory instruction time is allocated to subjects chosen by lower secondary students (Tables D1.3a and b).
Non-compulsory instruction time
Non-compulsory instruction time is rare across OECD countries. Only six countries at primary level and eight countries at lower secondary level devote a known amount of time to non-compulsory instruction. Across OECD countries, non-compulsory instruction time is equivalent to an average of 5% of the total compulsory instruction time for primary students and 4% for lower secondary students. However, a considerable amount of additional non-compulsory instruction time is provided in some countries. At the primary level, additional non-compulsory time accounts for 53% of the total compulsory instruction time in Greece, 25% in Portugal and 21% in Slovenia. At the lower secondary level, non-compulsory instruction time accounts for 11% of the total compulsory instruction time in Finland, 20% in France, 32% in Greece, 15% in Lithuania and 23% in Slovenia (Tables D1.3a and b).
Definitions
Compulsory instruction time / curriculum refers to the amount and allocation of instruction time that has to be provided in almost every public school and must be attended by almost all public sector students. The compulsory curriculum may be flexible, as local authorities, schools, teachers and/or pupils may have varying degrees of freedom to choose the subjects and/or the allocation of compulsory instruction time.
Compulsory flexible subjects chosen by schools refers to the total amount of compulsory instruction time indicated by the central authorities, which regional authorities, local authorities, schools or teachers allocate to subjects of their choice (or subjects they chose from a list defined by central education authorities). It is compulsory for the school to offer one of these subjects, and students must attend.
Compulsory options chosen by the students refers to the total amount of instruction time in one or more subjects that pupils have to select (from a set of subjects that are compulsory for schools to offer) in order to cover part of their compulsory instruction time.
Compulsory subjects with a flexible timetable refers to the total amount of instruction time indicated by the central authorities for a given group of subjects, which regional authorities, local authorities, schools or teachers allocate to individual subjects. There is flexibility in the time spent on a subject, but not in the subjects to be taught.
Flexible allocation of instruction time across multiple grades refers to the case where the curriculum only indicates the total instruction time for a specific subject for a certain number of grades, or even the whole of compulsory education, without specifying the time to be allocated to each grade. In such cases, schools/local authorities are free to decide how much time should be assigned for each grade.
Instruction time refers to the time a public school is expected to provide instruction to students on all the subjects integrated into the compulsory and non-compulsory curriculum, on school premises or in before-school/after-school activities that are formal parts of the compulsory programme. Instruction time excludes breaks between classes or other types of interruptions, non-compulsory time outside the school day, time dedicated to homework activities, individual tutoring or private study and examination periods (days for non-school-based examinations, e.g. national examinations).
Intended instruction time refers to the number of hours per year of the compulsory and non-compulsory part of the curriculum that students are entitled to receive in public schools. The intended curriculum can be based on regulations or standards of the central (or top-level) education authorities or may be established as a set of recommendations at the regional level.
The non-compulsory part of the curriculum refers to the total amount of instruction time to which students are entitled beyond the compulsory hours of instruction and that almost every public school is expected to provide. Subjects can vary from school to school or from region to region and take the form of elective subjects. Students are not required to choose one of the elective subjects, but all public schools are expected to offer this possibility.
Methodology
This indicator captures intended instruction time (as established in public regulations) as a measure of learning in formal classroom settings. It does not show the actual number of hours of instruction that students receive and does not cover learning outside of the formal classroom setting. Differences may exist across countries between the regulatory minimum hours of instruction and the actual hours of instruction received by students. Given such factors as school timetables, lesson cancellations and teacher absenteeism, schools may not consistently attain the regulatory minimum instruction time (see Box D1.1 in (OECD, 2007[7])).
The indicator also illustrates how minimum instruction hours are allocated across different curricular areas. It shows the intended net hours of instruction for those grades that are part of compulsory full-time general education. Although the data are difficult to compare among countries because of different curricular policies, they nevertheless provide an indication of how much formal instruction time is considered necessary for students to achieve the desired educational goals.
When the allocation of instruction time across grades is flexible (i.e. instruction time for a specific subject is defined for a certain number of grades, or even the whole of compulsory education, without specifying the time to be allocated to each grade) instruction time per age or level of education was estimated by dividing the total number of instruction hours per the number of grades.
For more information please see the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparable Education Statistics 2018 (OECD, 2018[8]) and Annex 3 for country-specific notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Lithuania was not an OECD member at the time of preparation of this publication. Accordingly, Lithuania does not appear in the list of OECD members and is not included in the zone aggregates.
Source
Data on instruction time are from the 2017 Joint Eurydice-OECD Instruction time data collection and refer to instruction time during compulsory primary and full-time (lower and upper) secondary general education for the school year 2017/18.
Note regarding data from Israel
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
References
[8] OECD (2018), OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en.
[4] OECD (2017), Education at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2017-en.
[3] OECD (2015), Education at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2015-en.
[5] OECD (2011), Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2011-en.
[7] OECD (2007), Education at a Glance 2007: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2007-en.
[6] OECD/NCES (2018), Education at a Glance Subnational Supplement, OECD/National Center for Education Statistics, Paris and Washington, DC,, https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/annualreports/oecd/index.asp.
[1] Pellegrini, A. and C. Bohn (2005), “The role of recess in children's cognitive performance and school adjustment”, Educational Researcher, Vol. 34/1, pp. 13-19, http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0013189x034001013.
[2] Pellegrini, A. et al. (2002), “A short-term longitudinal study of children’s playground games across the first year of school: Implications for social competence and adjustment to school”, American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 39/4, pp. 991-1015, http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00028312039004991.
Indicator D1 Tables
Table D1.1. Instruction time in compulsory general education (2018)
Table D1.2. Organisation of compulsory general education (2018)
Table D1.3a. Instruction time per subject in primary education (2018)
Table D1.3b. Instruction time per subject in general lower secondary education (2018)
Table D1.4. (Web only) Instruction time in compulsory general education, by age (2018)
Table D1.5a. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 6-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5b. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 7-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5c. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 8-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5d. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 9-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5e. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 10-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5f. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 11-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5g. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 12-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5h. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 13-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5i. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 14-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5j. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 15-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5k. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 16-year-olds (2018)
Table D1.5l. (Web only) Instruction time per subject for 17-year-olds (2018)
Cut-off date for the data: 18 July 2018. Any updates on data can be found on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-data-en.
Table D1.1. [1/2] Instruction time in compulsory general education1 (2018)
By level of education, in public institutions
Note: Columns showing instruction time in compulsory upper secondary education (i.e. Columns 19-25) are available for consultation on line. See Definitions and Methodology sections for more information. Data available at http://stats.oecd.org/, Education at a Glance Database.
1. Refers to full-time compulsory education and excludes pre-primary education, even if compulsory.
2. Estimated number of hours by level of education based on the average number of hours per year, as the allocation of instruction time across multiple grades is flexible.
3. Year of reference 2017.
4. Excludes the last year of compulsory education, which can be classified at either the lower secondary or the upper secondary level.
5. Average planned instruction time in each school at the beginning of the school year.
6. The number of grades in lower secondary education is three or four, depending on the track. The fourth year of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) was excluded from the calculation.
Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Please refer to the Reader’s Guide for information concerning symbols for missing data and abbreviations.
Table D1.1. [2/2] Instruction time in compulsory general education1 (2018)
By level of education, in public institutions
Note: Columns showing instruction time in compulsory upper secondary education (i.e. Columns 19-25) are available for consultation on line. See Definitions and Methodology sections for more information. Data available at http://stats.oecd.org/, Education at a Glance Database.
1. Refers to full-time compulsory education and excludes pre-primary education, even if compulsory.
2. Estimated number of hours by level of education based on the average number of hours per year, as the allocation of instruction time across multiple grades is flexible.
3. Year of reference 2017.
4. Excludes the last year of compulsory education, which can be classified at either the lower secondary or the upper secondary level.
5. Average planned instruction time in each school at the beginning of the school year.
6. The number of grades in lower secondary education is three or four, depending on the track. The fourth year of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) was excluded from the calculation.
Source: Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Please refer to the Reader’s Guide for information concerning symbols for missing data and abbreviations.
Table D1.2. Organisation of compulsory general education¹ (2018)
By level of education, in public institutions
Note: Columns showing the organisation of compulsory upper secondary education (i.e. Columns 11-15) are available for consultation on line. See Definitions and Methodology sections for more information. Data available at http://stats.oecd.org/, Education at a Glance Database.
1. Refers to full-time compulsory education and excludes pre-primary education, even if compulsory.
2. Allocation of instruction time across multiple levels of education is flexible.
3. Year of reference 2017.
4. Excludes the last year of compulsory education, which can be classified at either the lower secondary or the upper secondary level.
5. The number of grades in lower secondary education is three or four, depending on the track. The fourth year of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) was excluded from the calculation.
Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Please refer to the Reader’s Guide for information concerning symbols for missing data and abbreviations.
Table D1.3a. Instruction time per subject in primary education (2018)
As a percentage of total compulsory instruction time, in public institutions
Note: The averages were adjusted to add up to 100% and do not correspond exactly to the average of each column. Please refer to Tables D1.5a to D1.5l, available on line, for instruction time per subject for each age (see StatLink at the end of the indicator). See Definitions and Methodology sections for more information. Data available at http://stats.oecd.org/, Education at a Glance Database.
1. Allocation of instruction time across multiple levels of education is flexible.
2. Year of reference 2017.
3. The second language of instruction includes other national languages taught.
4. England (United Kingdom), Flemish Comm. (Belgium), French Comm. (Belgium), Italy and the Netherlands are not included in the averages.
5. Excludes the first three years of primary education for which a large proportion of the time allocated to compulsory subjects is flexible.
Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Please refer to the Reader’s Guide for information concerning symbols for missing data and abbreviations.
Table D1.3b. Instruction time per subject in general lower secondary education (2018)
As a percentage of total compulsory instruction time, in public institutions
Note: The averages were adjusted to add up to 100% and do not correspond exactly to the average of each column. Please refer to Tables D1.5a to D1.5l, available on line, for instruction time per subject for each age (see StatLink at the end of the indicator). See Definitions and Methodology sections for more information. Data available at http://stats.oecd.org/, Education at a Glance Database.
1. The intended instruction time derived from the Australian Curriculum assumes that certain subjects, which may be considered compulsory in years 7 and 8, could be delivered to students as electives in years 9 and 10.
2. Allocation of instruction time across multiple levels of education is flexible.
3. Year of reference 2017.
4. The second language of instruction includes other national languages taught.
5. England (United Kingdom), Flemish Comm. (Belgium) and the Netherlands are not included in the averages.
6. Second and other languages included in compulsory flexible curriculum for grades 8 and 9.
Source: OECD (2018). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-36-en).
Please refer to the Reader’s Guide for information concerning symbols for missing data and abbreviations.