Definition Total number of pupils who are enrolled in the same grade as in a previous year, expressed as a percentage of the total enrolment to the specified grade.
Purpose This indicator measures the extent and patterns of repetition by grade, as part of the internal efficiency of education system.
Calculation method Divide the number of pupils ( or students ) repeating a given grade in a given school-year by the number of pupils or students enrolled in the same grade in the same school-year and multiply by 100.
Formula
Where :
= percentage
of repeaters in grade i, in school-year t
= number
of pupils repeating grade i in school-year t
= number
of pupils enrolled in grade i, in school-year t.
Data required Number of repeaters and enrolment by grade for the same school-year.
Data source School register, school census or surveys for data on repeaters and enrolment by grade.
Types of disaggregation This indicator is to be calculated by gender, geographical location (region, rural/urban areas) and level of education.
Interpretation Ideally percentage of repeaters should be zero percent indicating absence of grade repetition. Higher PR means there are serious problems of grade repetition, hence of internal efficiency of the education system.
Quality standards The definition of repeaters above should be unambiguously applied to include even pupils or students repeating more than once in the same grade and those who repeat the same grade while transferring from one school to another. Pupils or students who were not studying in the same grade in the previous year should be excluded, for example, those who were in a higher or lower grade.
Limitations The level and maximum number of grade repetitions allowed can in some cases be determined by the educational authorities with the aim of coping with limited grade capacity and increasing the internal efficiency and flow of pupils (or students). Care should be taken in interpreting this indicator, especially in comparisons between education systems.