Upper secondary general school education: 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: Upper secondary general school education
Quality report
Data description (SIMS 3.1)
The statistics have been discontinued. The statistics on upper secondary general school education contain data on the educational institutions providing upper secondary general education: upper secondary general schools, basic and upper secondary general level schools and folk high schools. The preliminary statistics by educational institution for the current autumn describe the total number of students on 20 September in the educational institutions providing upper secondary general education. The statistics on upper secondary general school pupils contain individual-based data at the reference point of time of 20 September on the pupils attending the full upper secondary general school syllabus. The statistics on matriculation examinations contain data on pupils having matriculated in a certain year, and separate data on passers of the international matriculation examinations of IB, EB and Reifeprüfung. Data on the subject choices of upper secondary general school leavers are collected with a separate collection (see Subject choices of students).
Sector coverage (SIMS 3.3)
Statistical unit (SIMS 3.5)
Statistical population (SIMS 3.6)
Reference area (SIMS 3.7)
Time coverage (SIMS 3.8)
Base period (SIMS 3.9)
Unit of measure (SIMS 4)
Reference period (SIMS 5)
Classifications (SIMS 3.2)
Concepts and definitions (SIMS 3.4)
Completers of full upper secondary general school syllabus
In the statistics on upper secondary general education a completer of full upper secondary general school curriculum refers to a student who has completed satisfactorily the national syllabi contained in upper secondary general school curriculum and received for it a school-leaving certificate from upper secondary general school. Full upper secondary general school syllabus can be completed in upper secondary general schools or folk high schools.
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.
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.
General education
Education intended to provide information and skills which facilitate functioning and influencing in society. Comment: General education comprises pre-primary education, comprehensive education, general upper secondary education and other non-vocational studies, for example, at liberal adult education institutions.
Matriculation examination
Matriculation examination refers to a final examination of upper secondary general school which is set by the matriculation examination board and which a student studying the full upper secondary general school syllabus can take. Satisfactory pass of the matriculation examination leads to a matriculation examination certificate.
New student
In the statistics on upper secondary general education new students refer to the students registered in an educational institution on 20 September who had been entered into the register of the educational institution between 1 January and 20 September of the same year.
Programme leading to a qualification or degree; formal education
Programme leading to a qualification or degree refers to education comprising the comprehensive education syllabus, the general upper secondary education syllabus, the matriculation examination, the international diplomas, the Gymnasieexamen diploma, or education and training leading to an initial vocational qualification, a further vocational qualification, a specialist vocational qualification, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a licentiate, a doctoral degree, or a specialist degree in veterinary medicine.
Qualification or degree
An accomplishment in accordance with the requirements laid down by the education authority subject to an administrative decision.
Qualification/Degree
In the statistics on upper secondary general school education qualifications comprise matriculation examination, international matriculation examinations (IB, EB and Reifeprüfung) and Gymnasieexamen examination. Matriculation examination is a school-leaving examination from upper secondary general school which measures the knowledge, skills and maturity attained in upper secondary general school. IB (International Baccalaureate) examination is an international matriculation examination that can be taken in some upper secondary general schools in the country. The EB examination is the European Schools' European Baccalaureate, which can be taken at the European Schooling Helsinki. Reifeprüfung examination is a type of matriculation examination that can be taken in the Deutsche Schule, Helsinki. Gymnasieexamen is an upper secondary general school examination that can be taken in Ålands lyceum.
School-leaving certificate from upper secondary general school
In the statistics on upper secondary general education and on subject choices of students, a school-leaving certificate from upper secondary general school refers to a certificate issued to a student who has completed satisfactorily the full upper secondary general school syllabusiculum. A school-leaving certificate from upper secondary general school can be issued by an upper secondary general school or a folk high school.
Student
In the statistics on upper secondary general education, a student of upper secondary general education is a student who is completing the full upper secondary general school syllabus (matriculation examination) or corresponding education (IB examination, Reifeprüfung examination, EB examination or Gymnasieexamen examination). Data on the number of students attending upper secondary general education describe the situation on 20 September.
Subject student
In the statistics on adult education of educational institutions a subject student refers to a student who studies a specific subject belonging to the syllabus, but not the full syllabus, of comprehensive school or upper secondary general school education.
Upper secondary general education
In the statistics on upper secondary general education, upper secondary general education refers to general knowledge education leading to the completion of the full upper secondary general school syllabus (matriculation examination) or a comparable examination (IB examination, Reifeprüfung examination, EB examination or Gymnasieexamen). Individual upper secondary general school subjects can also be studied as a subject student in educational institutions providing upper secondary general education. Upper secondary general education is provided in educational institutions of the following type: 15 Upper secondary general schools 19 Comprehensive and upper secondary level schools 63 Folk high schools.
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
Data sharing (SIMS 6.2)
Source data (SIMS 18.1)
Data validation (SIMS 18.4)
Data compilation (SIMS 18.5)
User needs (SIMS 12.1)
Overall accuracy (SIMS 13.1)
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:
Quality assessment (SIMS 11.2)
Timeliness (SIMS 14.1)
Comparability - geographical (SIMS 15.1)
Comparability - over time (SIMS 15.2)
Coherence – cross domain (SIMS 15.3)
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)
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.
Further information: The terms of use for statistical data
Frequency of dissemination (SIMS 9)
News release (SIMS 10.1)
Online database (SIMS 10.3)
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 (eur-lex.europa.eu) and the Finnish Data Protection Act (Finlex.fi) 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 (Finlex.fi).
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
Confidentiality - data treatment (SIMS 7.2)