Federal Government Expenditures in Support of Education - Guidelines

(Fiscal years 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016)

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I Introduction

A. Objectives and Uses

As part of its Education Statistics Program, Statistics Canada conducts regular surveys on the financing of education in Canada. The current survey, which forms an integral part of this program, aims at collecting financial and narrative data on federal expenditures in support of education.

Federal government departments and agencies are the major users of the statistics collected. They use the information for analytical purposes, in the coordination, planning, evaluation and development of policies and programs affecting education.

The data collected are also accessed by education associations, educational institutions, researchers, consultants, private sector and provincial governments who wish to conduct special studies and/or to acquire a better understanding of federal support in the field of education.

Record Linkages: To enhance the data from this survey, and to minimize response burden, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.

B. Authority

These data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S19.

C. Confidentiality

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes.

You may choose to share individual data from this survey with all users by signing the AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE DATA section located on the first page of the questionnaire.

D. Population

The survey covers federal government programs having expenditures in support of education. For purposes of this survey, the population is defined to include the federal government departments, agencies, commissions, boards and crown corporations listed in schedules I, I.1, II and V of the Financial Administration Act.

E. Definition of Education

A program or an activity is related to education if it provides support to individuals, institutions, associations, groups, private enterprises or governments for training or formal instruction oriented to the acquisition of skills or knowledge.

The programs in support of university research (research grants or fellowships) as well as the programs concerned with occupational and official language training provided to federal government employees are included in this definition; however, the data related to these programs should not be reported on the attached questionnaires since they are collected from another source.

F. Coverage

This survey covers the period from April 1 to March 31 for each of the three fiscal years 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

 
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II Submission date

The deadline for the submission of the data is indicated in the covering letter and the completed questionnaires should be returned to the following address:

Statistics Canada
Operations and Integration Division
170 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa Ontario K1A 0T6

III Instructions

For each program, activity or sub-activity which falls within our definition of education, as defined under Part E of the introduction, the respondent is asked to complete a separate questionnaire. For example, the department of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will be required to report separately, information for the Canada Student Loan Program (CSLP).

The questionnaire comprises two sections; the first section is for the respondent to describe the program or the activity while the second section is for reporting the statistical data. It is important for the respondent to become familiar with the coding structure listed under Section IV and also to carefully read all the definitions stated in Section V.

All expenditure data should be reported net of recoveries on a cash payment basis for each of the fiscal years indicated; that is for the period from April 1 to March 31.

Each statistical data item in Section II of the questionnaire is to be coded according to:

  • one type of recipient
  • one expenditure item
  • one type of expenditure and
  • one level of education

In this example, the respondent would have to report two separate lines of data (by province) to show the “cost of loans” for the university and the non-university levels and also two other separate lines to show the “value of loans” for both levels. The four lines of data in Section II of the questionnaire would be covered by one narrative description in Section I.

Please provide accompanying notes of explanation where appropriate. For example, if certain costs apply to more than one category (two or more expenditure items or two or m ore levels of education), the total cost should be prorated to these categories and footnoted (when applicable). Similarly, all estimated amounts for the fiscal year 2015-2016 should be indicated with an asterisk (*).

Example: The statistical data to be reported by province for the Canada Student Loan Program (administered by Employment and Social Development Canada) would be the following:

Table 1 Example of statistical data reported
Variable Name Code Description Code
Type of Recipient individuals – students 241
Expenditure Item cost of loan 331
value of loan 332
Type of Expenditure operating 401
Level of Education post-secondary/non-university 502
post-secondary/university 503

IV Coding structure guidelines

Table 2 Coding structure guidelines
Variable Name Coding Description Code
Type of Recipient Governments  
Municipal 211
Provincial/territorial 212
Federal – internal expenditures 214
Foreign 215
Educational Institutions  
Public 221
Private 222
Private Enterprises 230
Individuals  
Students 241
Parents 242
Staff of educational institutions 243
Other 245
Associations, Group 250
Expenditure Item Bursary 321
Scholarship 322
Fellowship 323
Tuition Fees 325
Allowances 326
Cost of Loan 331
Value of Loan 332
Administration 350
Federal Schools  
Teachers' salaries 361
Other salaries and wages 362
Fringe benefits 363
Other recoveries – local school boards 365
Recoveries – provincial 366
Recoveries – other 367
Grant (excluding research) 371
Contribution (excluding research) 372
Type of Expenditure Operating 401
Capital 402
Level of Education Elementary-Secondary 501
Post-secondary\Non-university 502
Post-secondary\University 503
Vocational 505

V Definitions

SECTION I – Descriptive InformationNote 1

  1. Department or agency. Record only the name of the department or the agency.
  2. Program, activity or sub-activity. Consists of operations established to meet a specific objective identified either by legislation, order-in-council, Treasury Board and/or any other requirements and responsibilities of federal government departments and agencies.
  3. Administered by. Provide the name of the service, directorate or branch of the department or agency that is responsible for the administration of the program, activity or sub-activity.
  4. Purpose. Specify the objectives of the program, activity or sub-activity and any other relevant sub- objectives.
  5. Authority. If applicable, specify the legislation, act, agreement or regulations under which the program, the activity or sub-activity is conducted.
  6. Time Frame. Whenever applicable, specify the year that the program, activity or sub-activity was established. Also state if it is continuing or renewable and in the latter case, indicate the frequency and the terms of reference.
  7. Financing and Operation. Describe how the amount of assistance is established, how it is disbursed and under what conditions the money and/or the services are provided.
  8. Contact. Give the name of the person who can provide additional information concerning this program, activity or sub-activity.

SECTION II – Statistical Data

  1. Type of Recipient. The term “recipient” is understood here as being the immediate recipient of the money, which is not necessarily the recipient of the benefit.

    Carefully read the definitions and/or examples of each type of recipient in order to identify the relevant recipient of the money.
    1. Governments

      Municipal: Includes, for example, grants in lieu of taxes in case of school taxation. Code 211

      Provincial: Includes a large group of programs that are of a federal-provincial nature such as manpower training, official languages in education, etc. Code 212

      Federal – internal expenditures: Includes direct expenditures incurred by a federal government department or agency to provide educational services and/or to administer any program in support of education. Examples of these expenditures are the direct costs to operate federal schools such as national defence schools, schools for Indians and Inuit and military colleges. Another example is the cost to administer the payments to provinces under the Official Languages in Education Program. One exception here would be the cost of loans under CSLP where the recipient should be coded “individuals – students”. Code 214

      Foreign: Includes, for example, money given to a foreign government for the construction of a school abroad. Code 215
    2. Educational Institutions. Includes amounts paid directly by the federal government to educational institutions (does not include expenditures incurred for federal schools; these are to be reported under category "federal – internal expenditures").

      Public: Includes local school boards, public elementary-secondary schools, community colleges, universities and vocational schools. Code 221

      Private: Includes private elementary- secondary schools, private colleges, private vocational and trade schools. Code 222
    3. Private Enterprises. Includes, for example, amounts paid by ESDC to employers for reimbursing a portion of the cost of providing training to their employees. Code 230
    4. Individuals

      Students: Includes payments to persons who are registered, whether full-time or part-time, in a recognized teaching institution with the intention of obtaining a degree, certificate or diploma. Examples are scholarships, bursaries, cost of loans/CSLP, etc. Note that federal government employees who attend courses at government expense are not to be included in this survey. Code 241

      Parents: Includes, for example, the amount of tuition fees if they are reimbursed to parents rather than to the student himself. Code 242

      Staff of Educational Institutions: Includes professional development courses provided to teachers. Code 243

      Other: Includes amounts paid directly to individuals not already mentioned in other categories. Code 245
    5. Associations, Groups. Includes amounts paid directly by the federal government to independent associations or groups. An example is direct payments from the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC), to Indian bands for operation of their schools. Code 250
  2. Expenditure Item
    1. Bursary. A financial award made to students based on an assessment of financial need. Code 321
    2. Scholarship. A financial award made to students on an assessment of academic performance and other education-related activities (e.g., participation in community or volunteer activities). Code 322
    3. Fellowship. A financial award made to students to provide support for professional development and improvement of skills and knowledge. This should exclude funds awarded to individuals for research related activities (research fellowship) since these will be accessed from another source. Code 323
    4. Tuition Fees. Financial assistance given to cover education tuition costs as well as other educational services provided to students. Code 325
    5. Allowance. Financial assistance given to support costs related to lodging, food, travel, instructional supplies, etc. Code 326
    6. Cost of loan. Includes net expenditures related to interest payments, loss claims, death claims, service fees and collection costs incurred through the Canada Student Loan Program. In the case of provinces opting out of the CSLP, the alternative payment should be reported. Code 331
    7. Value of loan. Includes the value of certificates issued under the Canada Student Loan Program. Code 332
    8. Administration. Any costs incurred at the departmental or the agency level for the administration of federal government programs in support of education. Code 350
    9. Federal Schools – Teachers' Salaries. Includes gross salaries of teachers hired to provide educational services in schools operated by federal departments such as the Department of National Defence (DND), AANDC, Transport Canada (Coast Guard College), etc. Code 361
    10. Federal Schools – Other Salaries and Wages. Includes gross salaries of all employees other than teachers who provide services in functions such as administration, school maintenance, school transportation, cafeteria services, libraries, etc. Code 362
    11. Federal Schools – Fringe Benefits. Includes the employers' contribution to fringe benefits such as pension plans, unemployment insurance, group insurance, health insurance plans, etc. Code 363
    12. Federal Schools – Other. Includes all the expenditures other than gross salaries and fringe benefits incurred by federal departments to operate federal schools. Examples of these expenditures are travel expenses, school administration, plant maintenance, instructional supplies, etc. Note that capital expenditures are also to be reported under this item of expenditure but classified as "capital" under the variable "type of expenditure". Code 364
    13. Federal Schools – Recoveries. Includes monies received from local school boards, Code 365, provincial governments, Code 366, and other sources, Code 367, to operate the federal schools
    14. Grant (Excluding Research). Unconditional transfer payments not subject to audit. Examples of this category are grants to educational institutions, universities, etc. Includes only those grants not already described in expenditure items 2.a) to 2.m) inclusive. Code 371
    15. Contribution (Excluding Research). Conditional transfer payments subject to audit, requiring an arrangement between the recipient and the donor (department or agency) identifying the terms and conditions governing the payments. Examples of contributions are courses purchased by ESDC, transfer payments under official languages in education (OLE) program, Canada Social Transfer (CST), cash transfer payments, etc. Includes only those contributions not already described in expenditure items 2.a) to 2.m) inclusive. Code 372
  3. Type of Expenditure. The classification of the expenditure in terms of operating or capital is to be determined from the standpoint of the donor rather than the recipient.
    1. Operating. Current expenditures having to do with the main or inherent activities of a program, activity or sub-activity. Code 401
    2. Capital. An outlay or incurrence of liability to acquire or add to a capital asset, or an expenditure yielding enduring benefits. Code 402
  4. Level of Education
    1. Elementary-Secondary. Consists of all elementary-secondary programs as defined by each province. Even though the grade ranges may differ from one province to another, the education at this level is quite general and basic. These programs are offered by four types of schools: public, private, federal and schools for handicapped persons. Code 501
    2. Post-secondary/Non-university. Consists of post-secondary level programs offered by community colleges, CEGEPs, regional colleges, colleges of applied arts and technology, institutes of technology and agricultural colleges. These are terminal career programs of one to four years' duration, and generally require junior matriculation for entry. Also included are one- or two-year academic programs after which a student may proceed to university. Code 502
    3. Post-secondary/University. Consists of all education programs offered by any degree-granting institution such as a university. Code 503
    4. Vocational. Consists of all vocational and occupational training programs offered by public and private trade schools, community colleges, institutes of technology, etc. Includes funding of manpower programs such as apprenticeship and training in industry, as well as allowances paid to trainees. Also considered in this category are training costs of nursing assistants and aides in hospitals, vocational training in federal penitentiaries, and other similar training expenditures. Code 505

VI Suggestions for improvements

Statistics Canada would welcome any suggestions for changes in the survey that you may wish to propose.

Notes

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