kpi.1.1

Total number of children enrolled in kindergarten, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population in the relevant official age group in a given school year.

To show the general level of participation of young children in kindergarten. It also indi- cates the capacity of the education system to prepare young children for primary education. Calculation Method: Divide the total number of children enrolled in kindergarten, regardless of age, by the population in the relevant official age group, and multiply the result by 100.

Total enrolment in kindergarten; population in the relevant official age group.

School register, school survey or census for data on enrolment; population census or estimates for school-age population.

By gender, geographical location (region, urban/rural).

A high GER generally indicates a high degree of participation, whether the pupils belong to the official age group or not. A GER value approaching or exceeding 100% indicates that the country is, in principle, able to accommodate all of its preschool-age population.

Data on enrolment should cover both public and private institutions and programs. Since gross enrolment does not take the age factor into account, children below 3 years and above 5 years (or whatever the official age group may be) will also be included. Therefore, gross enrolment can exceed 100%. If data is gathered only for public or state- supervised pre-school educational programs, there is a need to supplement these data with information on enrolment in other types of ECCE programs, possibly through case studies and/or sample surveys. Breakdown by geographic location might not be accurate when the population moves to different locality between two censuses or when children are enrolled in a school in neighboring locality.

Enrolment data for ECCE programs can be affected by differences in reporting practices, namely by the extent to which childcare programs with little or no pedagogical component are included in the statistics. The distinction between ECCE programs and organized, custodial childcare can be difficult to define in a consistent way, especially with regard to very young children, for whom the natural pace of development limits the pedagogical possibilities.