Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of the determinants of school enrolment and attainment rates in Uganda from a gender perspective. We used the DHS 2006 data set and employed maximum likelihood binary and ordered probit models in our estimation. Whereas improvements in parents’ education promote the schooling outcome of both boys and girls, it is not without inclination. Fathers’ education significantly favors boys’ schooling and mothers’ education significantly favors girls’ schooling. This suggests that there are differences in parents’ preferences for schooling of children. We also find that the higher the parents’ education (secondary and postsecondary levels) the more favorable are the child’s schooling outcomes. For more favorable child schooling outcomes for future generations, government should strengthen policies aimed at educating boys and girls beyond secondary level. The government universal secondary education program is a good start and needs to be strengthened.
Highlights
The role of education in the attainment of favourable social outcomes such as lower mortality rates, favourable nutrition outcomes, and increased child schooling cannot be underscored
The data was obtained from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2006 conducted by Macro International on behalf of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)
UBOS 2006 UDHS survey contains a rich source of information on household size, age and sex distribution, religious affiliation, occupation of household members, the number of children ever born by a woman, reproductive health, marital status, wealth index, maternal health care utilization, and knowledge of health issues
Summary
The role of education in the attainment of favourable social outcomes such as lower mortality rates (maternal, infant, and child), favourable nutrition outcomes, and increased child schooling cannot be underscored. In 2007 the government implemented the Universal Secondary Education (USE) This was after a realization that many pupils dropped out after primary seven due to lack of tuition fees for secondary school enrolment (Republic of Uganda, 2008). Literature creating a link between parents’ schooling and schooling outcomes of children has substantially grown (Behrman et al, 1984; Schultz, 1988; Parish et al, 1993; Strauss et al, 1995; Lam et al, 1999; Glick et al, 2000; Glewwe et al, 2001; Alderman et al, 2000; Brown et al, 2002; Orazem et al, 2008; Sackey et al, 2007; Mani et al, 2009).
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