UNESCO defines gross school enrollment ratio as the total enrollment, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the eligible official school-age population corresponding to the same level of education. Gross enrollment ratio can be over 100% due to the inclusion of over-aged and under-aged students. Net school enrollment ratio is the enrollment of the official age-group for a given level of education expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population. Primary school is level 1 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and its principal function is to provide the basic elements of education, such as those provided by elementary and primary schools. Intercountry comparisons should be made cautiously, because regulations for this level are extremely flexible. Secondary school includes levels 2 and 3 of the ISCED, is provided at middle, secondary, high- or teacher-training schools as well as vocational or technical schools, and is based upon at least 4 years of previous instruction at the first level. Tertiary school refers to levels 5 and 6 of the ISCED classification.

Gross Enrolment Ratio is widely used to show the general level of participation in a given level of education. It indicates the capacity of the education system to enrol students of a particular age-group. It is used as a substitute indicator to net enrolment ratio (NER) when data on enrolment by single years of age are not available. Furthermore, it can also be a complementary indicator to NER by indicating the extent of over-aged and under-aged enrolment.

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Socio-Economy

Education