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New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

Education by numbers:A picture of tertiary education

through statistics

January Conference 2010

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New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

Overview

• Why do we need information and statistics?• What sort of info is useful?• Where do we get it?• How can we use this to our advantage?• What are some of the statistical trends in recent

times?

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New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

Why do we need good reliable useful appropriate info and stats?

• To:– be informed, credible, effective– To understand our membership – To plan and implement policy and change– To better understand your members & achieve positive

results for students• Because:– Appropriate & effective advocacy & representation require

knowledge and evidence

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What sort of info is useful?

• Participation rates and trends– Who is studying what? Where? When? …– Campus-specific and sector-specific focus

• Tertiary sector funding and regulations• Impact and outcomes of policies on students – Student support– Quality– Access

• Information and analysis from a student perspective

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New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

Where to access information?• Government departments & agencies– Ministry of Education www.educationcounts.govt.nz – Statistics New Zealand www.stats.govt.nz – Department of Labour www.dol.govt.nz – Ministry of Women’s Affairs www.mwa.govt.nz – Te Puni Kokiri www.tpk.govt.nz

• NZUSA – I&E, debt casebooks, student parent surveys etc

• Your institution• Generate your own – surveys, polls, service data etc

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Recent trends & factors…• Recession• Rising unemployment• Increase in higher education participation• Workplace learning continues to grow strongly• 2008 - Domestic student numbers decreased, international

enrolments stabilised• Fewer lower level qualifications, while longer and higher level

enrolments increased

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The Landscape - What students where?

• Very diverse but integrated sector• Training/vocational mixed with wider education• Significant rates of participation, but in specific areas• High participation doesn’t necessarily mean high equity or

achievement

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Who studies? Student numbers

Year Universities ITPs Wananga

1999 129,756 117,594 2,043

2000 129,275 123,362 4,408

2001 131,518 125,593 16,959

2002 135,454 137,616 44,587

2003 136,433 177,900 65,357

2004 135,937 201,080 69,925

2005 168,333 213,602 62,200

2006 165,571 214,394 48,842

2007 146,931 206,965 42,352

2008 147,128 186,942 40,326

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Equivalent Full Time Students- EFTS

Year Universities ITPs Wananga

1999 99,783 56,744 1,817

2000 95,966 52,248 2,840

2001 97,656 53,717 7,660

2002 99,563 55,619 22,783

2003 100,021 61,922 34,596

2004 100,188 68,532 32,017

2005 127,708 79,536 30,924

2006 124,990 76,039 23,676

2007 110,332 71,615 22,287

2008 111,300 68,059 22,658

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Who? Participation by ethnicity

Ethnic group Level 4-7Non-degree

Bachelor/Postgrad TEI Total

European 57% 59.9% 58.7%

Maori 21% 9.3% 14.3%

Pasifika 6.1% 4.3% 5%

Asian 8.9% 13.6% 11.6%

Other 3.7% 4.9% 4.4%

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New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

GenderGender Universities ITPs Wananga Total

Female 57% 52% 67% 57%

Male 43% 48% 33% 43%

AgeAge group Universities ITPs Wananga

under 18 1% 5% 2%

18-24 54% 26% 11%

25-39 28% 36% 42%

40+ 16% 33% 45%

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In 2008…• 502,000 people in tertiary education in 2008• 39,800 international students• 29,100 in targeted training programmes• 38,800 in courses of less than a week’s duration• 195,000 in industry based training• 12,100 in modern apprenticeships• 223,000 in adult and community education• 12% of population participated in some form of learning

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I & E summary• Debt– Average debt $28,838– Risen 54% since 2004 – 147% higher than 1998– 88% fulltime students have loans

• Expenditure rises since 2004– Food, accommodation, living expenses all rose

• Fee rises • Decrease in student earnings and assets• More students in paid work

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I&E policy responses

• 77% agreed a universal allowance should be provided for all fulltime students

• 91% agreed interest should not be charged on student loans

• 76% agreed that fees were too high• 68% agreed that tertiary education should be fully

funded

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I&E course quality responses

• 87% rated overall quality of main course as good or very good

• 80% rated quality of teaching as good or very good• 74% rated library resources as good or very good• Reasonableness of workload and quality of academic

support services rated poorest

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How & when to use it?

• Timing and purpose are crucial– Prioritise tasks and actions, tailoring info to support– Key messages crucial

• Where?– at Council, within your students’ association, at various

committees etc, directly to your students

• When you least expect it!– Be informed and prepared– Reliable, credible, robust data and info important

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Discussion…