Participation in education
Definition
The proportion of young people aged 15 to 24 enrolled in education (including home schooling, secondary schools and tertiary institutions).
Relevance
Education in New Zealand is only compulsory to age 16. However, participation in higher-level education assists young people to develop the complex skills and in-depth knowledge that are increasingly required for participation in a knowledge-based society.
Early disengagement from education is associated with higher risk of unemployment, lower earnings and greater likelihood of reliance on social assistance in the short, medium and longer-term.
Current level and trends
The proportion of young people aged 15 to 24 participating in education has been steady since the late 1990s.
In 2006, 73.3 percent of young people aged 15 to 19 and a third of young people aged 20 to 24 were enrolled in some form of education.
Proportion of young people aged 15 to 19 and 20 to 24 enrolled in education, 1999-2006
Source: Ministry of Education.
Notes:
- All secondary enrolment numbers are from July 1 rolls and exclude international students.
- All tertiary enrolment numbers are total enrolments in the year and exclude international students.
- Tertiary enrolment numbers were erroneously high for 2005 due to students at school doing tertiary courses being included. To adjust for this overcount, the average of the tertiary enrolment rates for 2004 and 2006 for ages 15 to 19 have been used to estimate enrolment rates in 2005.
