Abstract

A commonly used measure of participation in tertiary education is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). The GER is often used internationally as a proxy measure to compare access to education across numerous countries. Such comparisons serve as a barometer for how countries perform in terms of their education systems, and they also serve as indicators used to measure a country’s competitiveness against other countries. Investors often draw on this indicator to assess investment potential in a country.

The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to assess whether South Africa’s participation rate at universities fares well when compared to that of other countries.

This publication covers

• Definition and Interpretation of GER
• Limitation of GER
• Definition of Tertiary Education
• Findings