Providers of education and educational institutions: documentation of statistics
The documentation of the statistics describes how the statistics were compiled and what methods were used in the compilation. The data help interpret the figures of the statistics and evaluate their reliability and comparability. The quality report is based on the EU's SIMS model. The documentation also contains change releases describing changes in the statistics and possible specifying methodological descriptions.
If you are looking for statistical figures for these statistics, go to the statistics page: Providers of education and educational institutions
Quality report
Data description (SIMS 3.1)
The statistics on providers of education and educational institutions describe the network of providers of education and educational institutions supervised by a public authority, changes in it, address data and numbers of students. The data are collected with an inquiry and published once a year.
Sector coverage (SIMS 3.3)
Providers of education are classified by the main activity of the provider.
Statistical unit (SIMS 3.5)
The statistical unit is educational institution or provider of education. The data are identified and aggregated based on the educational institution ID or the Business ID. An educational institution refers to an organisation or administrative unit providing education that has a principal or other head. An educational institution does not refer to a school building or facility.
Statistical population (SIMS 3.6)
The statistics on providers of education and educational institutions are based on the register of providers of education and the register of educational institutions maintained by Statistics Finland. These are updated with data collected from education providers and educational institutions, as well as with licence data of the Ministry of Education and Culture on education providers and maintainers of educational institutions. The data represent total data.
Reference area (SIMS 3.7)
The statistics cover the whole of Finland. The most detailed reporting level of the data is the municipality.
Time coverage (SIMS 3.8)
The statistics were published for the first time in 2004. The data are always published according to the situation on the last day of the reference year.
Unit of measure (SIMS 4)
The units of measure of the statistics include the number of educational institutions or providers of education and the size of the educational institution measured by the number of students.
Reference period (SIMS 5)
The statistics describe the situation on the last day of the reference year.
Concepts and definitions (SIMS 3.4)
Education
An organised activity, the aim of which is to produce competence based on teaching. Comment: Education can be divided into education and training leading to a qualification or degree and non-qualification studies.
Education provider
A legal unit providing education or training. Comment: The educational mission is defined by law or in a licence to provide or maintain education granted by the Ministry of Education or similar public authority. The education providers comprise the state, municipalities, joint municipal authorities, private providers and the region of Åland. Education provider corresponds to legal entity for education in the OKSA vocabulary.
Educational institution
An educational institution refers to an administrative unit with a principal or other head, which has teachers and other personnel in its service (role of employers), and which is liable to keep books and compile other documentation, in which students are registered, whose activities are regulated by a legal act or decree, which follows a national curriculum, and which is financed and controlled by a public authority. An educational institution does not refer to a school building or facility. A new educational institution is established, an educational institution is abolished or merged with another educational institution at the decision of the organiser of education (maintainer of the educational institution) or a public authority. Statistics Finland has assigned an individualised educational institution ID to each educational institution. Educational institutions are classified according to a classification of types of educational institutions.
Educational system
Early childhood education and care, pre-primary education, general comprehensive education of nine years, liberal adult education and post-comprehensive education, which includes vocational education, general upper secondary education and tertiary education provided by universities of applied sciences and universities.
Level of education
Category into which programmes leading to a qualification or degree are divided on the basis of the requirement level. Comment: Selection to education on a particular level of education often requires completion of a lower level of education. The level of education is measured on the basis of both the overall duration or target time of the education and the requirement level. Levels of education: early childhood education and care and pre-primary education (duration varies), primary education (6 years), lower secondary education (3 years, in total 9 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), upper secondary education (3 years, in total 12 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), post-secondary non-tertiary education (1-2 years, in total 13-14 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), lowest tertiary education (2-3 years, in total 14-15 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), bachelor's or equivalent level (3-4 years, in total 15-16 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), master's or equivalent level (5-6 years, in total 17-18 years from the beginning of comprehensive education) and second stage of tertiary education (2-4 years, in total 19-22 years from the beginning of comprehensive education). The level of education indicator cannot be calculated directly on the basis of the duration presented in this concept.
Owner type of education provider and educational institution
Private, state, municipality, joint municipal authority, region of Åland, other
Provider of education
In the statistics on providers of education and educational institutions and in the statistics on vocational education, providers of education refer to bodies entrusted with the task of providing education. The task of provision of education is defined in law (comprehensive school education) or in a licence to provide education or maintain an educational institution granted by the Ministry of Education or similar public authority. Providers or education are usually municipalities, joint municipal boards, or private corporations or foundations. Statistics Finland has assigned an individual system ID for each provider of education.
Student
In the statistics on providers of education and educational institutions, students refer to students studying at educational institutions within the school system at the time of the inquiry. The time of the inquiry is the week containing the 20th of September for study circle centres, the entire autumn term for folk high schools (estimate of number of students) and 20 September for other educational institutions.
Type of owner of educational institution
In the statistics on providers of education and educational institutions owners of educational institutions are divided into the following groups: 1 Private 2 State 3 Municipality 4 Joint municipal board 5 Region of Åland 9 Other.
University education
Tertiary education provided by universities. Comment: The objective of the education is a bachelor’s or master’s degree or a scientific postgraduate degree, which are licentiate's and doctoral degrees. Education not leading to a qualification or degree can also be completed.
Vocational education and training
Education and training completed after the comprehensive education syllabus, aimed at producing vocational competence. Comment: Initial, further and specialist vocational qualifications can be obtained in vocational education and training. In addition to completing a qualification, parts of a qualification can also be completed in vocational education and training.
Institutional mandate (SIMS 6)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Legal acts and other agreements (SIMS 6.1)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Data sharing (SIMS 6.2)
Data of the statistics are reported to UNESCO, the OECD and Eurostat in the UOE education statistics survey and in the related separate surveys. In addition, geographic data concerning the statistics are available via an open interface.
Data of the statistics are made available to the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education in accordance with the H9098-OKM-OPH information service agreement.
Source data (SIMS 18.1)
The data are based on data collected from education providers and educational institutions. The data collection covers all educational institutions and education providers operating in Finland.
Frequency of data collection (SIMS 18.2)
The data are collected annually.
Data collection (SIMS 18.3)
The data are collected using an online survey.
Data validation (SIMS 18.4)
The data are compared with data obtained in the collection of student data, which enables identifying possible changes in the network of educational institutions during the autumn term. In addition, the data on the maintainers of educational institutions in the register of educational institutions are compared with data in the register of providers of education.
Overall accuracy (SIMS 13.1)
The main source of errors concerns insufficient location data of educational institutions. The addresses reported in data collections do not always correspond with the address in the building information system.
Quality assurance (SIMS 11.1)
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The European Statistics Code of Practice forms the basis for the common quality system of the European Statistical System.
The Code of Practice is based on 16 principles that concern statistical authorities' independence, accountability and the quality of the processes and data to be published.
The principles are in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nations Statistics Commission and are supplementary to them. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: European Statistics Code of Practice | Statistics Finland and Recommendations of the Advisory Board of Official Statistics of Finland | Statistics Finland
Quality assessment (SIMS 11.2)
The register of educational institutions constitutes the population of Education Statistics. The quality of data must be high, and quality is assessed in relation to other statistics.
Data revision - policy (SIMS 17.1)
Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
Timeliness (SIMS 14.1)
The data are published two months after the reference period.
Punctuality (SIMS 14.2)
There are no delays between the release calendar and the actual release date.
Comparability - geographical (SIMS 15.1)
The statistics cover all providers of education and educational institutions in Finland. Of the providers of basic artistic education, the statistics include those who also arrange education leading to a qualification. Each educational institution is registered once according to its main place of establishment.
Comparability - over time (SIMS 15.2)
The statistics are comparable both over time and geographically. The classification of educational institutions changed in 1999. Therefore data published prior to 1999 are not directly comparable with the more recent data. The regional breakdown follows the latest reference year.
Coherence – cross domain (SIMS 15.3)
The reference period for the statistics on providers of education and educational institutions is the last day of the year. However, for the statistics on pre-primary and comprehensive school education, the reference date is 20 September. Changes in the network of educational institutions during the autumn term can cause deviations in the numbers of educational institutions.
Release calendar (SIMS 8.1)
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data become public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
Release calendar access (SIMS 8.2)
Statistics Finland's release calendar Future publications
Future publications of the statistics can be found on the page of the statistics at: Future publications of the statistics (tähän linkki tilaston omille sivuille)
User access (SIMS 8.3)
The data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may be processed at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise specifically stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer and copyright owner of the data. The terms of use for statistical data.
Frequency of dissemination (SIMS 9)
The data are published once a year.
News release (SIMS 10.1)
The release is published annually on the home page of the statistics.
Online database (SIMS 10.3)
The database tables of the statistics can be found in the StatFin database.
Confidentiality - policy (SIMS 7.1)
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed. The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. Alongside the Statistics Act, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Finnish Data Protection Act are applied to the processing of personal data. Provisions on the confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes are laid down in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
The data are processed only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Confidentiality - data treatment (SIMS 7.2)
The statistics do not contain any data that need to be protected.