The gross enrolment ratio (GER) or gross enrolment index (GEI) is a statistical measure used in the education sector and by the UN. The GER gives a rough indication of the level of education from kindergarten to postgraduate education – known in the UK and some other countries (mostly in the Commonwealth of Nations) as primary, secondary, and/or tertiary – amongst residents in a given jurisdiction. In the UN, the GER is calculated by expressing the number of students enrolled in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education, regardless of age, as a percentage of the population of official school age for the three levels.[1]
Example
- Locale A has 950,000 pupils enrolled in education in the academic year 2005/06.
- Locale A has 1,000,000 pupils of school age.
GER = number of actual students enrolled / number of potential students enrolled
- = <math>(950,000/1,000,000) = 0.95</math>
- = <math> 0.95 * 100\% = 95\% </math>
UN Human Development Index Use
A combined gross enrolment ratio (CGER), incorporating all three levels of education, is used to calculate the Human Development Index (HDI), an annual gauge of well-being for UN member states. Amongst other measures used in the calculation, the CGER is given one-third weight in assessing the knowledge component, represented by gross enrolment, while the adult literacy rate is assigned two-thirds weight.[2]
