Literacy

Sources Public expenditure on education by level: Human Development Report 1998, UNDP, United Nations, New York, NY, 1998. Other data: World Development Indicators 1998 (CD-ROM version), World Bank, Washington, DC, 1998.

Definitions Education Expenditure is defined as expenditure on the provision, management, inspection and support of pre-primary, primary and secondary schools; universities and colleges; vocational, technical and other training institutions; and general administration and subsidiary services. Primary education provides the basic elements of education at elementary or primary schools. Secondary education provides general or specialized instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools, teacher training schools, and vocational or technical schools; this level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the primary level. Higher education (or tertiary) requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level or evidence of attainment of an equivalent level of knowledge and is provided at universities, teachers colleges, and higher-level professional schools. Expenditure on teaching materials is the percentage of public spending on teaching materials (textbooks, books, and other scholastic supplies) to total public spending on primary education. Pupil -teacher ratio is the number of pupils enrolled in primary school divided by the number of primary school teachers (regardless of their teaching assignment). Duration of primary education is the minimum number of grades (years) a child is expected to cover in primary schooling.

Notes While the public expenditure per student data for El Salvador (1995) and Brazil (1980 and 1995) appear peculiar, these are the data as recorded by the source.

Source World Development Indicators 1998 (CD-ROM version), World Bank, Washington, DC, 1998.

Definitions Gross enrollment ratio is the number of students enrolled in a level of education, whether or not they belong in the relevant age group for that level, as a percentage of the population in the relevant age group for that level. Estimates are based on UNESCO's classification of education levels, as follows. Preprimary provides education for children not old enough to enter school at the primary level. Primary provides the basic elements of education at elementary or primary schools. Secondary provides general or specialized instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools, teacher training schools, and vocational or technical schools. This level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the primary level. Tertiary requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level or evidence of attainment of an equivalent level of knowledge and is provided at universities, teachers colleges, and higher-level professional schools. Net enrollment is the number of students enrolled in a level of education who belong in the relevant age group, as a percentage of the population in that age group.

Notes The gross primary enrollment ratio has an inherent weakness in that the length of primary education differs significantly across countries (see Table 5.2). As a result, a short duration increases the ratio, and a long duration decreases it (partly because of more dropouts among older children). The gross enrollment ratio provides an indication of the capacity of each level of the education system, but a high ratio does not necessarily indicate a successful education system as the ratio includes overage and underage enrollments. Net enrollment ratios provide a better indicator of a school system's efficiency, but neither indicator measures the quality of the education provided. While the equivalence of the gross and net primary ratios for Nicaragua in 1980 and the net primary ratio for Mexico appear peculiar, these are the data as recorded by the source.

Source World Development Indicators 1998 (CD-ROM version), World Bank, Washington, DC, 1998.

Definitions Primary education provides the

basic elements of education at elementary or primary schools. Secondary general education is defined as general instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools. This level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the primary level. Secondary vocational education is defined as specialized instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools, teacher training schools, and vocational or technical schools; this level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the primary level. Female teachers as a percentage of total teachers includes full-time and part-time teachers. Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils includes enrollments in public and private schools but may exclude specialized schools and training programs.

Sources Literacy: Compendium of Statistics on Illiteracy, UNESCO, United Nations New York,NY, 1995. Other data: Human Development Report 1998, UNDP, United Nations, New York, NY, 1998

Definitions Adult literacy rate reflects the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life. Gross enrollment ratio is the number of students enrolled in a level of education, whether or not they belong in the relevant age group for that level, as a percentage of the population in the relevant age group for that level. Estimates are based on UNESCO's classification of education levels, as follows. Primary (or first- level) provides the basic elements of education at elementary or primary schools. Secondary provides general or specialized instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools, teacher training schools, and vocational or technical schools; this level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the primary level. Tertiary (or third-level) requires, as a minimum condition of admission, the successful completion of education at the secondary level or evidence of attainment of an equivalent level of knowledge and is provided at universities, teachers colleges, and higher-level professional schools. Education Expenditure is defined as expenditure on the provision, management, inspection and support of pre-primary, primary and secondary schools; universities and colleges; vocational, technical and other training institutions; and general administration and subsidiary services.