Government outlays on education include expenditures on services provided to individual pupils and students and expenditures on services provided on a collective basis. Expenditures on individual services are allocated to groups (09.1) through (09.6); expenditures on collective services are assigned to groups (09.7) and (09.8).

Collective educational services are concerned with matters such as formulation and administration of government policy; setting and enforcement of standards; regulation, licensing and supervision of educational establishments; and applied research and experimental development into education affairs and services. However, overhead expenses connected with administration or functioning of a group of schools, colleges, etc. are considered to be individual expenditures and are classified to groups (09.1) through (09.6) as appropriate.

The breakdown of education is based upon the level categories of the 1997 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-97) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This division includes military schools and colleges where curricula resemble those of civilian institutions, police colleges offering general education in addition to police training and the provision of education by radio or television broadcasting. Expenditures so incurred are classified to groups (09.1) to (09.5) as appropriate.