Mandate:   -   Draft summary record of the Joint Session of the Education Policy Committee and CERI Governing Board [EDU/EDPC/CERI/M(2007)1 and COM/DELSA/EDU(2007)1 ]

-   Resolution of the Council concerning the creation of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) [C(2007)62/REV3] approved by the Council on 12 July 2007 at its 1158th session [C/M(2007)11, Item 135]

-   Extension of current mandate [C(2008)199]

-   Amendment to the mandate [C(2009)174]

-    Resolution of the Council revising the mandate of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies [C(2011)91/REV2] approved at its 1253rd session held on 22 November 2011 [C/M(2011)19, Item 205]

-   Resolution of the Council renewing and revising the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) [C(2016)93; approved by the Council on 27 September 2016 at its 1338th session [C/M(2016)13, Item 187]

-   Resolution of the Council renewing and revising the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) [C(2021)143; approved by the Council on 26 November 2021 at its 1435th session [C/M(2021)22; Item 256]

 

 

Resolution of the Council [C(2021)143]

RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL RENEWING AND REVISING THE PROGRAMME FOR THE INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ADULT COMPETENCIES (PIAAC)

THE COUNCIL,

HAVING REGARD to the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 14 December 1960;

HAVING REGARD to the Rules of Procedure of the Organisation;

HAVING REGARD to the Financial Regulations of the Organisation;

HAVING REGARD to the Decision of the Council concerning the creation of a Part II Programme and a Board of Participating Countries for the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) [C(2007)62/REV3 and C/M(2007)11/PROV, Item 135], as last revised by Council on 27 September 2016 [C(2016)93 and C/M(2016)13, Item 187];

HAVING REGARD to the mandate of the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee (ELSAC) and the Education Policy Committee (EDPC);

HAVING REGARD to the proposed renewal of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) [C(2021)143];

DECIDES:

A.    The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is renewed and revised as follows:

I. Mission

1.PIAAC reflects and complements the priorities of the OECD as a whole, in improving living standards and promoting sustainable development and social cohesion through good governance. It contributes to supporting participating Members and non-Members in facilitating high-quality lifelong learning for all that contributes to personal development and sustainable economic growth, as well as fostering the conditions leading to more and better jobs and a more socially inclusive society.

2.The main objectives of PIAAC shall be to:

• Identify and measure differences between individuals and across participating Members and non-Members in key competencies believed to both underlie personal success and respond to labour market requirements.

• Assess the impact of key competencies on a range of economic and social outcomes.

• Assess the performance of education and training systems, workplace practices as well as labour market policies, in generating key competencies at the levels required by social and economic demands.

• Help identify policy levers to reduce “deficiencies” in key competencies.

II. PIAAC Board of Participating Countries

3.In support of the mandates of the EDPC and ELSAC, the PIAAC Board of Participating Countries (BPC) shall oversee PIAAC and in particular:

• Set the policy priorities for PIAAC, seeking strategic guidance from the EDPC and the ELSAC, and oversee adherence to these priorities during implementation. This includes the setting of priorities and standards for data development, analysis and reporting as well as the determination of the scope of work that will then form the basis for the implementation of PIAAC.

• Develop and approve its draft programme of work and budget (which may involve separate projects) and determine scales of contributions for submission to Council (via the Budget Committee).

• Prioritise its activities and outputs in consultation with the ELSAC and EDPC.

• Monitor the quality and timeliness of output results, activities and projects, guide the preparation of the reports and analysis of results and evaluate the outcomes of the work.

• Provide regular reports to the EDPC and ELSAC on the implementation of its programme of work. 

• Disseminate policy advice, analysis, research and data to a wide range of stakeholders.

4.In accordance with Rule 4 of the OECD Rules of Procedure, the BPC may organise its meetings outside OECD Headquarters. The host will accept responsibility for additional direct and indirect expenditures related to the meeting so that it is no more expensive for the Organisation than it would have been if held at OECD Headquarters, except if specific circumstances justify a different approach.

5.The BPC shall seek the consensus in its deliberations and decisions. If unable to reach consensus, the matter will be brought to a vote and will be decided by a two-thirds majority of the BPC. Notwithstanding this provision, decisions relating to the operation of the BPC, the amount of the floor contributions for the scale of contributions, decisions on the project design and structure with major budget implications as well as the frequency of future PIAAC surveys and matters related to the participation of non-Members in PIAAC and/or in the BPC will be adopted by consensus.

III. Participation

6.Membership in PIAAC is open to:

• all OECD Members which have addressed a notification to the Secretary-General to this effect;

• non-Member countries/economies whose membership in PIAAC and in the BPC is approved by the Council following a recommendation by the BPC.

Together, these OECD Members and non-Members are referred to as “PIAAC members”.

7.All other participation of non-Members in the BPC will be decided by the BPC. They should be referred to as “PIAAC observers”.

8.Any PIAAC member or PIAAC observer may nominate one or more of its sub-national entities as ‘assessment participants’. Assessment participants will be treated as separate entities for the purpose of calculating assessed contributions and for reporting but shall not be represented on the BPC.

9.Representatives on the BPC should be chosen by virtue of their knowledge about large-scale survey assessments and their relationship to educational and employment policy and practice.

10.Each PIAAC member shall have one vote, irrespective of how many sub-national entities it may have nominated as assessment participants.

11.Continued participation in PIAAC and its BPC requires participation in at least one project at any given time. If at any time a PIAAC member or PIAAC observer is not participating in at least one project, its participation in PIAAC will be automatically terminated. Withdrawal from a project will require twelve (12) months’ notice. The Organisation may also terminate the participation of non-OECD Members in PIAAC with the same twelve (12) months’ notice.

IV. Budget

12.The BPC may develop a work programme consisting of separate projects, each with a separate scale of contributions.

13.The scale of contributions for each separate project will be composed of:

• The distribution of the costs of the core of the activity, consisting of a floor contribution, to be determined by the BPC, assigned to each PIAAC member (other than those which have nominated a sub-national entity as an assessment participant) and assessment participant; and the remainder of costs to be assigned to PIAAC members (other than those which have nominated a sub-national entity as an assessment participant) and assessment participants on the basis of the OECD principles and rules for determining the scales of contributions by Members other than for Part I of the Budget of the Organisation [C(2008)144/REV1, Annex II],* using as input statistics the national income data and exchange rates used in the calculation of scales for the previous year;

• If the project has optional components, the distribution of the costs of each optional component of the project, to be shared only by those PIAAC members and assessment participants which participate in that particular option, on the basis of the OECD principles and rules for determining the scales of contributions by Members other than for Part I of the Budget of the Organisation [C(2008)144/REV1, Annex II],** using as input statistics the national income data and exchange rates used in the calculation of scales for the previous year; and

• In case of assessment participants, the above principles will apply; however, the national income for determining their share in the scale of contributions other than a floor contribution will be calculated by multiplying the country’s ‘national income’ as defined in Annex II of [C(2008)144/REV1] by the average percentage of GDP represented by the region over the relevant three year period. The population adjustment will be based on multiplying the midyear estimate of the population of the region by US$450. The source of the data used will be the relevant national statistical office.

• The annual contribution of PIAAC observers in a project will be set by the BPC and will equal at least the sum of the minimum contribution of a PIAAC member under the scale of contributions applying to the project plus the cost recovery charges applying to a voluntary contribution of that amount.

14.The expenditure of PIAAC shall be charged against the appropriations authorised for it under Part II of the Budget of the Organisation.

15.Appropriations for which no commitment has been entered into before the end of the Financial Year for which they were appropriated, as well as any surplus income, shall be automatically carried forward to the budget of PIAAC for the ensuing year by decision of the Secretary‑General, notwithstanding the provisions of Regulation 10 of the Financial Regulations of the Organisation.

16.A PIAAC member or PIAAC observer falls into arrears on 1 January of the year following the year of the call for payment of the assessed contribution if its contribution remains unpaid at that date. If the contribution remains unpaid in the second year following the year of the call for payment, the BPC may suspend its participation in the work programme, unless it pays its outstanding contribution. Settlement of the outstanding debt by the PIAAC member or PIAAC observer will reverse the suspension. If, in the third year following the year of call for payment, a PIAAC member or PIAAC observer’s contribution remains unpaid, the BPC may recommend that it be excluded from the PIAAC Programme, unless it pays its outstanding contribution. The decision to exclude the PIAAC member or the PIAAC observer shall be adopted by the Council and notified to the PIAAC member or PIAAC observer concerned.

V. Co-ordination arrangements

17.The BPC:

• shall maintain close working relationships with the EDPC and ELSAC as well as other relevant bodies of the Organisation working on issues related to assessment, educational, training and employment outcomes, as well productivity and economic growth, in particular the Governing Board of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation and the Committee for Industry, Innovation and Entrepreneurship;

• shall co-operate with other international and regional organisations active in its field of competence;

• may consult with non-governmental bodies as and when necessary.

B.    This Resolution shall remain in force until 31 December 2026.

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*    In the event of a PIAAC member, a PIAAC observer or an assessment participant withdrawing from the project, the limit on the year on year increases of contributions provided for in paragraph 1.i of [C(2008)144/REV1, Annex II] will not apply in the year in which that PIAAC participant is first removed from the calculation of the scale of contributions.

 

**    In the event of a PIAAC member, a PIAAC observer or an assessment participant withdrawing from an optional component of the project, the limit on the year on year increases of contributions provided for in paragraph 1.i of [C(2008)144/REV1, Annex II] will not apply in the year in which that PIAAC participant is first removed from the calculation of the scale of contributions.