HC Deb 15 November 1989 vol 160 cc276-8W
Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the level and type of provision of facilities for visually impaired students at each higher education and further education college in Wales.

Mr. Jackson

My right hon. Friend's responsibilities extend only to the university of Wales, for which no information on this is held centrally by the Department.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the gross national product was spent on higher education for each year for which figures are available since 1979; and what information he has on the corresponding figures for Australia, Canada, France, West Germany, Japan and the United States of America.

Mr. Jackson

The available information is shown in the table. Corresponding data for earlier years are not readily available.

Public recurrent expenditure1 on higher education 1986
As Percentage of GNP
Australia 1.6
Canada 2.0
France 0.7
West Germany 0.9
Japan 0.5
United Kingdom2 0.9
USA3 0.8/0.9

Source: UNESCO Statistical Yearbook.

1 The data includes apportionment of expenditure described as unallocated which can be significant.

2 Excludes expenditure on nursing and paramedical students on courses at Department of Health establishments, and the salaries of in-service teacher training secondments.

3 Lower figure based on exclusion of 2-year courses from higher education.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of young people between(a) the ages of 16 and 18 and (b) the ages of 19 and 22 years, were in full-time education in the latest year for which figures are available; and what information he has on the corresponding figures for Australia, Canada, France, West Germany, Japan and the United States of America.

Mr. Jackson

The following information is readily available. Figures for combined full-time and part-time participation, and for higher education participation at all

Proportion in education, academic year 1985–86
Per cent.
Country Ages 16–18 education and training1 Ages 19–22 education
full-time full-time and part-time full-time full-time and part-time
Australia 50 66 2 2
Canada3 75 75 27 29
France 66 74 24 424
West Germany 547 590 19 36
Japan 77 79 6 6
United Kingdom7 33 69 88 823
(35) (73) (8) (23)
USA9 79 80 30 34
1 Including apprenticeships, YTS and similar schemes.
2 Not available.
3 Excluding part-time students at Community Colleges, for whom age detail is not available.
4 Part-time participation is negligible.
5 Academic year 1986–87. Includes compulsory part-time education for 16 and 17-year-olds.
6 Age detail for students aged over 18 is not readily available.
7 Figures in brackets are for academic year 1987–88. Including nursing and paramedical students at DH establishments, and for 16–18s, estimates for public sector evening study and for private sector further and higher education, including training courses with employers. Includes adult education at LEA establishments.
8 Based on ages 19–24.
9 Including private sector higher education.

Participation in higher education 19851
New entrant rate2
Australia 39
Canada ..
France 32
West Germany 329
Japan45 36/49
United Kingdom 34
USA467 30/61
1 Australia 1984, Germany and United Kingdom 1987, USA and Japan 1986.
2 OECD define new entrants to higher education as excluding postgraduates and those already qualified in higher education irrespective of age. The denominator is the age-group of the population including 70 per cent, of new entrants, divided by the number of years involved.
3 Partly estimated.
4 Including a significant private sector element.
5 Figures presented as range. The higher figure adds students in advanced senshus, some of whom may be equivalent to level 5, to the official rate.
6 The lower figure is the result of removing students on two year courses (some of which may be below higher education level) from the official rate.
7 First year students.

Sources:

OECD Education in OECD countries—comparative statistics 1985–86.

Correspondence with individual countries.

ages on the OECD definition, are also given to provide a fuller picture. Further comparisons of 16 to 18-year-olds will appear in a statistics bulletin, which will be published shortly. Figures for 19 to 22-year-olds in other countries tend to be inflated by longer duration of courses and higher drop-out rates. For example, university courses in the United Kingdom typically last three years compared with four or more years elsewhere.