This report for Uruguay forms part of the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (also referred to as the School Resources Review, see for further details). The purpose of the review is to explore how school resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. School resources are understood in a broad way, including financial resources (e.g. expenditures on education, school budget), physical resources (e.g. school infrastructure, computers), human resources (e.g. teachers, school leaders) and other resources (e.g. learning time).

Universal access has been reached in primary education. In addition, access to pre‐primary education is good for children aged 4 and 5, with coverage rates considerably above the average for the Latin America region. However, the completion rates of lower and upper secondary education remain unsatisfactory and have increased slowly over the past decades compared to other countries of the region. Uruguay has also very high repetition rates in regional and international comparison, leading to a high number of overage students. Furthermore, levels of student achievement in international assessments have decreased but remain above the regional average. A major concern is the significant proportion of students underperforming in secondary education.

The education system in Uruguay has made good progress in pre-primary and basic education. Universal access has been reached in primary education. In addition, access to pre-primary education is good for children aged four and five, with coverage rates considerably above the average for the Latin America region. However, the completion rates of lower and upper secondary education remain unsatisfactory. The proportion of 15‐24 year-olds who have completed secondary school is one of the lowest in the region and has shown little improvement over the past decades compared to other countries of the region (29.7% in 2010 compared to 22.4% in 1990). Uruguay also has very high repetition rates in regional and international comparison, leading to a high number of overage students. Nevertheless, the repetition rate in public primary schools has decreased since 2002 and had almost halved by 2013. Also, student achievement in international assessments has decreased but remains above the regional average. A major concern is the significant proportion of students underperforming in secondary education. In PISA 2012, 55.8% of students demonstrated low levels of mathematics proficiency compared to 23.0% on average in the OECD.

The Uruguayan education system is highly centralised, both in terms of distribution of responsibilities across levels of governance and in terms of space and geography. Almost all of the decisions about administrative and pedagogical aspects are taken at the central level. In contrast to OECD countries, the main responsibility for formulating and implementing policies in school education does not lie with the Ministry of Education and Culture but rather with the autonomous National Public Education Administration (ANEP). In addition, pre-tertiary education is co-administered with teachers as they elect representatives to the governing bodies of ANEP. The large majority of children attend public education. Curricula are defined at the central level. The level of educational attainment in Uruguay remains modest and has increased slowly over the past decades. Universal access has been reached in primary education while access to pre-primary has expanded considerably. However, completion rates in lower and upper secondary education remain unsatisfactory while repetition rates are very high in international comparison. Levels of student achievement have decreased in recent years but remain above the regional average. Finally, students’ and schools’ socio-economic status have a strong impact on student performance.

This chapter is about the governance of schooling, including the distribution of responsibilities, the supply of school services and the organisation of the school network. It places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Uruguay such as the structure of education governance, strategic planning and equity within the school system. It also reviews areas in which demand for education services is likely not to be met and identifies a number of sources of inefficiency in school resource use. The chapter further highlights the importance of implementation aspects of education policy and the need to increase trust in education through effective change in educational policy.

This chapter is about the funding of school education. It deals with the level of resources available for school education and revenue sources. Furthermore, it discusses budget planning, the monitoring of funds’ use as well as incentives for the effective use of school funding. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Uruguay such as the low levels of public expenditure on education, the little transparency of mechanisms to fund individual schools, equity implications of funding approaches, and the limited autonomy of individual schools to manage resources. The chapter also reviews the limitations of funds’ use accountability and the concerns regarding the funding for school infrastructure.

This chapter analyses how school organisation and operation in Uruguay can contribute to the effective use of resources at the school level. It deals with the distribution of responsibilities for school organisation and operation and analyses school quality assurance and development. Furthermore, it discusses the approach to school leadership, the organisation of learning within schools and how school facilities and materials are used to support learning. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Uruguay such as the narrow emphasis of school inspection on supporting school development and the limited recognition of the important role that school leadership can play for teaching and learning. The chapter also reviews the role of learning support staff, schools’ autonomy over pedagogical processes and the use of resources, school-level strategies to address learning difficulties and the contribution of the school community to schools’ activities.

This chapter is about policies to improve the effectiveness of the teaching workforce. It deals with teacher preparation, recruitment, career development and use of time. Furthermore, it discusses how teachers are incentivised to perform at a high level. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Uruguay such as the unavailability of a competency framework for the teaching profession, the inequitable distribution of teachers across schools, the shortcomings in initial teacher education and the concerns over teacher quality. The chapter also reviews approaches to the selection of teachers and their deployment to schools, the structure of teacher compensation, teacher appraisal processes and the organisation of professional development.