4221.0 - Schools, Australia, 2002  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/02/2003   
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Decline in the proportion of male school teachers


The proportion of male school teachers has declined in the decade to 2002, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Between 1992 and 2002, the proportion of male school teachers (in full-time equivalent measure) declined from 25.8% to 20.9% in primary schools and from 49.4% to 44.9% in secondary schools.

In the year to 2002, full-time school student numbers increased in government schools by 9,118 (0.4%) and increased in non-government schools by 24,517 (2.4%). Over the ten year period 1992 to 2002, the proportion of full-time students attending government schools declined from 72.1% to 68.4%.

Representing less than 1% of total school students, part-time school student numbers reached 29,450 in 2002, an increase of 3.6% since 2001. The proportion of part-time students was highest in Tasmania (3.4%), South Australia (3.0%) and the Northern Territory (2.9%).

In 2002, there were 121,647 Indigenous full-time school students, a 5.4% increase over the number reported in 2001. Approximately 57% of Indigenous full-time school students attended schools in New South Wales or Queensland.

The apparent retention rate from Year 10 to Year 12 increased from 75.4% in 2001 to 77.0% in 2002, although lower than the rate recorded a decade earlier (78.6%).

In 2002, there were 6,969 government schools and 2,663 non-government schools. The total of 9,632 schools comprised 6,666 primary schools, 1,487 secondary schools, 1,085 combined primary/secondary schools and 394 special schools.

Further information is in Schools Australia, 2002 (cat. no. 4221.0).