Academic Year 2015/2016, Lowest Participation Rate of Early Childhood Education Students

The gross participation rate (GPR) of students in Early Childhood Education (ECE) relative to the school-age population is the lowest compared to other levels. The ECE GPR only reached 70.06 percent, with 13.39 million ECE students in the 2015/2016 academic year, while the population of children aged 3-6 years reached 19.1 million.

Meanwhile, the GPR for primary school and equivalent levels reached 108 percent, the highest compared to other education levels. The number of primary school students in the 2015/2016 academic year reached 29.57 million, while the actual population of children aged 7-12 years was only 27.38 million. The participation rate exceeding 100 percent is due to many children under 7 years old already enrolled in primary school, and children over 12 years old still studying at the primary school level (repeaters).

The GPR for upper secondary education (high school/vocational school) only reached 76.45 percent. This indicates that many junior high school graduates aged 16-18 years do not continue their education to the next level.