Living Standards Measurements Study - Serbia 2002 - 2007

Table 8.1. shows the proportion of expenses
for different education levels from the 2002 and
2007 surveys.
In both surveys, households from urban areas
spend more on preschool education, while rural
areas spend more on secondary education. During
the last five years 27 differences by gender in
expenditure for preschool education have decreased,
but the gap has widened in respect to secondary and
tertiary education (greater expenditure for men).
Also, more money is now spent for textbooks and
supplies in primary education (by 6 percent), and
less in secondary education (5 percent less). The
most educated households from urban areas spend
more on primary education, while the difference
between urban and rural areas in expenditure for
tertiary education has decreased.
Expenses for preschool and primary education
are twice as high for families with the highest
education level in comparison to families with the
lowest education levels, in both survey years.
Expenses for textbooks are similar, while the
greatest differences are in expenditure for transport
to school and for school trips.
In both survey years, expenses for secondary
education are slightly higher among those families
whose head of household has the highest level of
education (10 percent). Over the past five years, the
difference in expenses for textbooks has increased
for the most educated in relation to the least
educated. In both survey years, the least educated
have spent more than the most educated for
transport to school. This difference has increased
significantly in 2007, representing the greatest
expense made for the education of secondary school
pupils by households whose head has a low
education level. Transport costs to school are
highest in East Serbia, for households where the
head has a low education level.
It is interesting to note that expenses for
membership in various organisations are greater for
primary school children coming from the poorest
families, while the situation is reversed for
secondary school children.
Families with students spent most on textbooks
and other educational materials in both survey
years. In relation to 2002, expenditure for university
administrative taxes has increased, whereas
transport expenses have decreased.
If we look at specific expense items it is
evident that households with children aged 7-19,
who are below poverty line, spend only 12 percent
less for textbooks and reference books than
households with income above poverty line. Since
this difference has decreased relative to 2002, we
may conclude that purchase of textbooks weighs
even more heavily on the poorest population. In
both surveys, poorer families spend two and a half
times fewer resources than richer families for all
forms of education, up to tertiary education.
Households have a large share in financing
education. The share of the poorest families in
expenses for the purchase of textbooks, at all
education levels is worrying. The high proportion of
households covering transport expenses for
secondary school pupils indicates problems in the
secondary school network, as well as the problem of
reimbursing transport costs for specific categories
of pupils. Higher expenses of boys for secondary
school textbooks are probably the result of a
greater percentage of boys in three-year vocational
schools, which use more expensive, specialized
textbooks, printed in fewer copies.
Table 8.1. Proportion of expenses for special forms of education, by quintiles of expenditure,
2002 and 2007 (dinars)
Education
Total
2002
Total
2007
The poorest first
quintile
2002
The poorest first
quintile
2007
The richest first
quintile
2002
The richest first
quintile
2007
Preschool 1 026 1 850 370 801 1 242 2 887
Primary 6 100 13 146 3 520 8 320 8 092 18 344
Secondary 10 566 23 152 6 282 14 846 14 495 30 417
Tertiary 17 456 31 726 12 862 0 21 420 30 448
Education
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