Pupils in upper secondary education - municipal state reporting, 2003

Additional costs that apply for all fields of study come on top of the costs mentioned above. Consequently, the average cost of upper secondary education and technical vocational education was NOK 107 000 measured as adjusted gross expenditure per pupil. The corresponding figure for apprentices in vocational training was NOK 125 000 per apprentice. Vocational fields of study are generally more expensive than general programmes. The average adjusted gross expenditure for vocational programmes was NOK 64 000 while general programmes cost NOK 43 000 per pupil. The most expensive general field of study was music, dance and drama, while the least expensive was general economic and management studies. Woodworking trades came out with the highest cost per pupil among vocational studies, while health and social studies had the lowest cost per pupil.

Upper secondary education largest responsibility

Upper secondary education is the largest single responsibility of the Norwegian counties. Net operating expenditure represents operating expenditure after grants from central government and other direct revenue have been subtracted. The remaining costs are covered by municipal tax and revenues and general purpose grants from central government, among others. The proportion of net operating gross expenditure for upper secondary education in relation to total expenditure for the counties was 25 per cent (national average except Oslo) in 2001. This figure increased to 58 per cent in 2002 and 57 per cent in 2003.

Equal number of pupils in general and vocational programmes

Over 95 per cent of the pupils in upper secondary education attend county schools. The rest attend private or state schools. The number of pupils in general and vocational fields of study are almost equal, as 84 600 pupils took part in general programmes and 81 800 pupils took part in vocational studies in 2003.

Women: earlier start in tertiary education

There is not much gender difference in the transition of pupils from lower to upper secondary education. The national average for both boys and girls is approximately 96 per cent. The proportion of pupils from upper secondary education who pass a general study programme and move on to tertiary education in the same year is around 30 per cent. The figure is 35 per cent for women and 21 per cent for men.

Tables:

• Table 1 Adjusted gross expenditure, by field of study per pupil and county. 2003
• Table 2 Pupils in upper secondary schools ownes by the counties, by type of education and school county. 03.10.01
• Table 3 Percentage of pupils who completed primary and lower secondary in spring 2003 and who were in upper secondary in autumn 2003
• Table 4 Percentage of pupils who completed upper secondary education in general studies programme spring 2003 and who were in tertiary in autumn 2003