Demographic Trends Predict Less Students in High Schools
According to Statistics Estonia, the number of students in grade schools has decreased by nearly 20,000 in five years. While the number of first graders is expected to increase in the coming years, the number of those in upper secondary school will decrease.
The total figure of grade schoolers at the beginning of the 2011/2012 academic year was 142,983, whereas five years ago it was 161,961. However, the increase in the birth rate gives reason to expect a growth in the number of students entering the first grade in the near future.
In fall 2011, 13,260 children, or 1,200 more than in 2006 started school. At the same time, the number of students completing basic school shows a declining trend.
27,046 students were studying at vocational education institutions this year. Compared to the previous year, the share of girls in vocational education has slightly increased, while the share of boys has decreased. More male students were admitted to vocational secondary schools and more female students were admitted to job-training colleges that require secondary education to be completed.
67,607 students were studying in the nation's higher education institutions, 1,506 less compared to the previous year. Three times more students entered academic higher education than applied higher education. At the bachelor’s level as well as in applied higher education the most popular areas of study have been business and administration, but the interest in IT is growing.
In 2011, the highest number of master's level graduates was also in business and administration-related fields, followed by teacher training and education science.
Erkki Sivonen