An indicator may be defined as a tool that should make it possible both to have a sense of the state of an education system, and also to report on that state to the whole of the education community, in other words, to the whole of the country.
Sauvageot, Claude. 2003. Indicators for educational planning: a practical guide. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP.
In order to construct a good indicator, one must be able to identify the most interesting phenomena to measure. These will depend,inter alia, on the country’s choices as inspired by the objectives of its education policy. The relevance of some indicators is more universal and descriptive, but in every case their importance will depend on the context. The enrolment rate in primary education is a good indicator (Sauvageot, 2007: 17).
Sauvageot, Claude. 2003. Indicators for educational planning: a practical guide. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP.