Statistical bulletin. Education and training. School and University Education in the Community. Full-time Education - school year 1981/82. 1984.1

Abstract

The changing age-structure of the population, resulting from fluctuations in birth rates in earlier years, continued to have its effect on the number of pupils and stu­dents, of which the Community total fell by a further 125 thousand in 1981/82 and was then 1.85 million below the peak in 1976/77. The demographic trends observed in recent years in all Community countries except Ireland have been: 1) a decreasing number of children at the lower end of the school-age range, where full-time education is compulsory, and 2) a growing number of young people aged towards the upper end of the range where, beyond a certain age (varying between countries), full-time education ceases to be compulsory. This increasing num­ber of young people available has at the same time exhibited a tendancy to stay long­er in full-time education than formerly, although the age-participation rates cannot be calculated with sufficient accuracy to show changes in the short-term.