RS20 annual return of students and staff at PTE
The RS20 is a census collected annually containing data on the students and staff at private training establishments during the week that 31 July falls in.
The Ministry of Education uses the data you supply to support policy analysis, development and decision making, to monitor the outcomes of the New Zealand Education system, and for national and international reporting purposes.
The data submitted in the RS20 relates to the week of Monday 29 July – Sunday 4 August providing a one week snapshot from the 2024 academic year.
Completed RS20 returns can be submitted online from Monday 5 August – Sunday 11 August 2024. All returns must be submitted by the close of business Sunday 11 August 2024.
You should complete the RS20 statistical return if your organisation:
- is registered with the NZQA as a Private Training Establishment,
- is an active Private Training Establishment during the week of 31 July, and
- does not receive Student Component (EFTS based) funding.
Education Sector Logon (ESL) Access
To complete the RS20 electronic return you need to have an ESL User account with the STEO RS20 Role.
If you do not have your own Education Sector user account with the STEO RS20 Role, complete the Education Sector User Access Request Form.
Completing the Education Sector user access request form
In 'Part 4: Which services do we need access to?' of the form select the STEO RS20 User box.
If you have an ESL user account with the STEO RS20 role, you can log on via the STEO secure site.
If you require a new password, or wish to check that you have the STEO RS20 Role on your ESL User account, contact the Education Service Desk.
RS20 Guidelines
We understand that supplying this information is not always easy and that it requires your time and effort, hence these guidelines are provided to guide you through the process to complete the RS20 electronic return.
Completing your RS20 Electronic Return
The Ministry of Education carries out statistical collections, known as annual returns, from all Private Training Establishments (PTE) registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The Ministry uses the data you supply to support policy analysis, development and decision making, to monitor the outcomes of the New Zealand Education system, and for national and international reporting purposes.
All RS20 returns must be submitted electronically. An RS20 Webinar to help you to complete your RS20 Electronic Return.
Log into STEO and download the RS20 template, and save it.
Open the template in Microsoft Excel.
Go to the first worksheet.
Use the worksheet tabs at the bottom to ensure you’re on the right worksheet.
Enter the name of your PTE and the 4 digit institution number.
Carefully follow through the flow chart and determine the type of return (A or C) you need to complete.
Complete only those worksheets relating to your return type:
Type A
Only the PTE name and 4 digit institution number and the Return Type on the first worksheet should be completed. All other parts to remain empty.
Type C
Complete the PTE name and 4 digit institution number and the Return Type on the first worksheet, then Parts 1 to 10 must be completed.
When entering your information remember to include:
- Students studying during the week which has 31 July in it (Monday to Sunday), if they are enrolled in a formal qualification of at least 20 hours in total.
- Students taking even a small number of unit standards towards a national qualification should be included if the total time is 20 hours or more.
- Students at other sites and branch offices.
- Students away sick or on holiday.
- Industry Training Organisation (ITO) trainees enrolled with your PTE to do Off-Job Training.
- Part 9 of this form (Foreign fee-paying students) has been removed as information on these students is no longer collected through RS20. If you have foreign-fee paying students you should be returning UIP (unfunded international provider) data. Please talk to the service desk for assistance.
Remember to exclude:
- Students enrolled in courses of less than 20 hours in total.
- Students enrolled in courses that are not formal qualifications.
- STAR funded or alternative education students also enrolled at a secondary school. This information is collected directly from the school.
- Students being taught under a contract to another institution (e.g. a Wananga) where they are formally enrolled. This information is collected from the enrolling institution.
Once you have entered and saved the required information to the spreadsheet you must return the spreadsheet to the Ministry of Education. Log into STEO to upload the completed RS20.
If your spreadsheet contains any errors or you have not completed any of the required parts for your return type the spreadsheet will not be accepted by STEO.
Check your spreadsheet for the errors listed and try uploading again.
Definitions
Ethnicity of Students
Students can affiliate with more than one ethnic group.
Note: ethnicity must not be confused with country of citizenship.
Full-time student
A student enrolled in a programme of study of more than 12 weeks with class work of 20 or more hours per week.
Part-time student
A student enrolled in a programme of study of 12 weeks or less or a student enrolled in a programme of study of more than 12 weeks with class work of less than 20 hours per week.
Formal qualification
A national qualification such as a National Certificate or National Diploma.
A course or programme of study developed by the provider that has been approved by NZQA.
(Providers offering formal qualifications will be accredited by NZQA as capable of running an approved course or awarding credit for unit standards towards national qualifications).
First year student
A student in their first year of study at any tertiary institution, including a PTE, in the year of the return.
Prior Activity
The main activity of a first year student on 1 October last year.
Domestic student
A domestic student is a New Zealand citizen (including those born in the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue), a New Zealand permanent resident, or a citizen of Australia residing in New Zealand.
Gender
There are three possible values, which follow the Statistics New Zealand Gender Classification. Possible values are Male, Female and Another Gender.
RS20 Frequently Asked Questions
The RS20 is a census collected annually containing data on the students and staff at private training establishments during the week that 31 July falls in. The Ministry of Education uses the data you supply to support policy analysis, development and decision making, to monitor the outcomes of the New Zealand Education system, and for national and international reporting purposes.
This information is for statistical purposes only. It has no effect on the funding you are entitled to.
You should complete the RS20 statistical return if your organisation is:
- registered with the NZQA as a Private Training Establishment,
- an active provider on the week that 31 July falls in, and
- not receiving Student Component (EFTS based) funding.
If you answer yes to these three statements, then you are expected to complete an RS20 return.
We do not require you to do an RS20, as the SDR from the Tertiary Education Organisation your organisation is associated with will take into account all of the information on the RS20 return.
Yes. If your organisation is still registered with NZQA in the week which 31 July falls in, you will still need to complete an RS20 return even if there were no students studying during that week. The return will be a ‘Type A’ return.
The regional offices do not need to complete an RS20 as long as the central office takes into account the figures of the regional offices as well as their own. If a central office completes an RS20 for the regional offices please inform the Sector Service Desk 0800 422 599 so they know not to expect a return from the regional offices.
This depends on what kind of education you are offering and the types of students that are attending. Please follow the flowchart on the first worksheet of the RS20 return to determine which sections you need to fill out.
The error report which is generated guides you through where issues have arisen. Please check each comment in this report to amend the information.
One common reason for the RS20 to error is that there are portions of the census which may not have needed completion. Please review the flowchart to ensure you have completed the correct sections. Another common reason is that the totals between pages should correlate with each other.
You should use the UIP to return your student data. Staffing data is not collected in UIP, but you can return this in part 10 of the RS20.
RS20 support
TEC Customer Contact Group (CCG) is your first point of contact for enquiries or problems relating to RS20 support. Please call 0800 601 301 from Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 5.00pm, with the exception of Wednesday when we are here from 9.30am to 5pm or alternatively email Tertiary Education Commission on customerservice@tec.govt.nz.
Contact the Ministry of Education (MoE) Service Desk for help on accessing the STEO website via Education Sector Login (ESL). Please call 0800 422 599 from Monday to Friday between 7:30am to 5:30pm or email service.desk@education.govt.nz.