Abstract
BackgroundSustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable access for all by 2030, leaving no one behind. One indicator selected to measure progress towards achievement is the participation rate of youth in education (SDG 4.3.1). Here we aim to understand drivers of school attendance using one country in East Africa as an example.MethodsNationally representative household survey data (2015–16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey) were used to explore individual, household and contextual factors associated with secondary school attendance in Tanzania. These included, age, head of household’s levels of education, gender, household wealth index and total number of children under five. Contextual factors such as average pupil to qualified teacher ratio and geographic access to school were also tested at cluster level. A two-level random intercept logistic regression model was used in exploring association of these factors with attendance in a multi-level framework.ResultsAge of household head, educational attainments of either of the head of the household or parent, child characteristics such as gender, were important predictors of secondary school attendance. Being in a richer household and with fewer siblings of lower age (under the age of 5) were associated with increased odds of attendance (OR = 0.91, CI 95%: 0.86; 0.96). Contextual factors were less likely to be associated with secondary school attendance.ConclusionsIndividual and household level factors are likely to impact secondary school attendance rates more compared to contextual factors, suggesting an increased focus of interventions at these levels is needed. Future studies should explore the impact of interventions targeting these levels. Policies should ideally promote gender equality in accessing secondary school as well as support those families where the dependency ratio is high. Strategies to reduce poverty will also increase the likelihood of attending school.
Highlights
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030, and at leaving no one behind, through targeting at equal access to any level of education, increasing the participation rate of youth in education (SDG 4.3.1) and reducing out-of-school rates (SDG 4.1.4) [1]
Individual and household level factors are likely to impact secondary school attendance rates more compared to contextual factors, suggesting an increased focus of interventions
Instructions on how to access the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data can be found here: https://dhsprogram.com/data/Access-Instructions. cfm To the Editor: Please note I do not have control over possible future changes to the direct URL to the data used in our work
Summary
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030, and at leaving no one behind, through targeting at equal access to any level of education, increasing the participation rate of youth in education (SDG 4.3.1) and reducing out-of-school rates (SDG 4.1.4) [1]. Trends at the global level showed that nearly one-fifth of the global population among adolescents (lower secondary school age) and youth (upper secondary school age) are out of school, and that progress towards reducing numbers of adolescents and youth who are out-of-school has stagnated in LMICs [2], according to UNESCO, only a reduced proportion of those who complete primary school will complete secondary school [3], and this pattern is seen in particular among the most vulnerable populations Benefits from education such as economic growth, poverty reduction and decreasing inequalities are well established [4, 5]. We aim to understand drivers of school attendance using one country in East Africa as an example.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
