13th Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC) Meeting
NEWS RELEASE – MAJOR EDUCATION REPORT RELEASED
Education ministers and Statistics Canada released a report today that will stimulate public debate and discussion on the performance of the education systems.
Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program 1999 provides information that will help in making decisions on education priorities and directions. The report is a project of the Canadian Education Statistics Council. CESC is a partnership between Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).
"This report represents a major achievement, as it provides a comprehensive source of information on education in Canada, collected into one document. It provides policy makers, practitioners, and the public with current information about education systems," said Dr. Charles Ungerleider, Deputy Minister of Education for British Columbia, and co-chair of CESC.
The indicators include the context of education, the characteristics and features of education systems, and the outcomes they produce, with comparisons over time and using commonly accepted standards.
Some of the major findings
More Canadians are graduating from high school, and more graduates are going on to higher education than in the past.
Many adults are also improving their education: in 1997, about 1.4 million Canadian adults aged 25 and older were enrolled in formal education programs.
In 1995, the most recent year for which international data are available, Canada had the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP among G-7 countries.
It pays to stay in school. Data on recent graduates show that earnings increase with more advanced postsecondary qualifications.
The largest difference in labour market outcomes occurs between those who have completed high school and those who have not. Unemployment rates, for example, were almost twice as high for those who had not completed high school compared with those who had.
How to obtain copies
The report is available as a free, downloadable publication on the following Web-sites:
Print copies can also be ordered through Statistics Canada.
CMEC is an intergovernmental body made up of the ministers of education and advanced education from the provinces and territories. Through CMEC, ministers share information and undertake projects in areas of mutual interest and concern.
Information
Rita Ceolin, CMEC
Tel.: (416) 964-2551, ext. 251
E-mail: r.ceolin@cmec.ca