Child School Enrollment Research Articles

Exploring Education-Induced Bargaining Power of Women on Household Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa

Women’s education and empowerment have engaged the interest of policymakers and academics for many years. We employ individual-level data from Ghana and Uganda in this paper to offer a comparative analysis of the impact of women’s education and empowerment on six household welfare indicators: child labor, child school enrollment, female labor force participation, fertility rate, household food expenditure, and nutrition intake. Comparing the two countries is insightful due to their distinct socio-economic structures and cultural contexts, which might influence the dynamics of women’s empowerment differently. The study utilizes the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Instrumental Variables (IV) regressions and provides a battery of robustness tests. The empirical results show that in a household, the woman’s and man’s education levels are significant determinants of household welfare. However, contrary to common assumptions, the woman’s education does not have a stronger effect than the man’s, and her relative bargaining position has negligible effects on the welfare indicators studied, at least for the cases of Ghana and Uganda. Further sensitivity checks support these findings, suggesting that female education can improve household welfare, but its impact may not necessarily operate through enhanced bargaining power within the household.

Parental education and children’s educational outcomes: evidence from the compulsory schooling law in China

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of literature investigating the impact of parental education, particularly maternal education, on children’s educational outcomes. This study aims to explore the causal effect of both parents’ education on children’s educational outcomes by leveraging the implementation of China’s 1986 Compulsory Schooling Law. Utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies, our findings reveal that highly educated parents enhance child school enrolment rates and reduce delayed primary school enrolment, with notable variations based on child gender. These results underscore the significance of considering both parents’ educational backgrounds in shaping children’s educational attainment. Additionally, we examine various underlying mechanisms behind these observed effects, including attendance at key-point schools equipped with better teachers and facilities.

Assessing the Impact of School Feeding Programs on the School Enrolment of Children in Primary Schools: A Case Study of T/A Chimwala Mangochi Malawi

Assessing the Impact of School Feeding Programs on the School Enrolment of Children in Primary Schools: A Case Study of T/A Chimwala Mangochi Malawi

Mobile money, child labour and school enrolment

This paper analyses the impact of household adoption of mobile money services on child labour and schooling in Tanzania. The paper uses data drawn from the Tanzania National Panel Surveys (TNPS), for the survey periods as follows: 2008/09, 2010/11, 2012/13, and 2014/15. The TNPS are national representative surveys conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of Tanzania in collaboration with the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LMSA-ISA). The surveys collect detailed information on individual, household, and community-level characteristics. The panel nature of the TNPS allows for the same households to be interviewed over time. The study uses a difference-in-differences approach, and instrumental variables strategy to investigate the nexus between mobile money adoption and child labour and school enrolment in Tanzania. The findings of this study reveal a positive and significant effect of mobile money adoption on school enrolment, but a negative effect on children's labour market activities. Moreover, the study identifies heterogenous impacts across child's gender and age; and remittances receipt and education expenditure are the potential pathways through which mobile money adoption affects child labour and school enrolment. Overall, the results suggest that policies that enhance financial inclusion such as the introduction of mobile money can be effective in improving child's school enrolment and a decline in the incidence of child labour.

The relationship between parental participation in school activities and enrolment of children in primary school in Samburu County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to discover the connection between parental participation in school activities and the enrolment of children in primary school in Samburu County, Kenya. The study got its data from secondary and primary avenues. The secondary sources were literature materials from local libraries and records/reports in education offices and schools in the Samburu District. Primary sources were based on interviews and direct observations. An interview schedule with 9 main areas was used. Proportional Stratified sampling was used to divide the area into three clusters. The study adopted the Survey Research method. This method of data collection was used because it is the most appropriate for generating data and describing a population too large to observe directly. Direct observations were used to assess the nature of the regions studied and capture relevant ‘off-the-cuff’ remarks of the respondents. In this study, the analysis of the data was done using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to aid data analysis, organisation, interpretation and presentation. The specific tools used were frequencies, cross-tabulations, contingency tables, chi-square, multiple regression, correlation, and qualitative presentation in the form of quotations. The chi-square analysis revealed that participation in school activities is significantly associated with access to basic formal education, but the relationship was weak, as indicated by the value of the contingency coefficient (0.36). This study concludes that the deliberate involvement of people in school activities may boost the school enrolment of children.

Is hyper-selectivity a root of Asian American children's success?

Asian immigrants' children, even those from lower-backgrounds, tend to acquire higher levels of education than other ethnoracial groups, including White natives. Asian culture is often cited as a conventional explanation. The hyper-selectivity hypothesis challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that Asian American culture is an outcome of the community resources associated with hyper-selectivity. In this study, we assess the validity of the hyper-selectivity theory by examining the association between the magnitude of hyper-selectivity measured by the proportion of the BA + degree holders among the 1st generation Asian immigrants across communities and the likelihood of school enrollment for 1.5 and 2nd + generation Asian American children. Our results cast doubt on the hyper-selectivity theory. Asian American children's school enrollment is associated with the magnitude of educational selectivity among Asian immigrants for neither high school nor college. The benefits of hyper-selectivity do not seem to be cross-class or cross Asian ethnic groups. The higher the hyper-selectivity in a community is, the larger the education gap between upper- and lower-background Asian American children. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Risky sexual practice and associated factors among street children of Wonago town, Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia.

A "risky sexual practice" is any sexual act that might put an individual's social, physical, and psychological health at risk and increase the likelihood of adverse sexual and reproductive health consequences. Street children have risky sexual practices, which place them at all kinds of health risks. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess risky sexual practices and associated factors among street children in Wonago Town, southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed. About 214 street children, aged 10-18, residing in Wonago Town from September 1-30, 2021, participated in the study. Data was gathered from all of the street children in Wonago town. A pre-tested and structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Epi data software was used to enter the collected data, which was then exported to SPSS for analysis. A logistic regression model was applied to identify the associated factors. A p value <0.05 was used to declare the significant variables. A total of 214 street children were involved in the study. Overall, the magnitude of risky sexual practices was 43.46 percent (95% CI: 38.3-48.62). About 52.7% of participants had ever had sexual intercourse in the last year, and of them, around 43.5% had more than one sexual partner. Among sexually active street children, 40.9% never used a condom during sexual intercourse. Age (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR): 1.42, 95%CI: 1.03-2.37), educational status (AOR: 5.73, 95%CI: 1.49-10.51), substance use (AOR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.03-2.07), duration on the street (AOR: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.03-4.12), and daily income (AOR: 0.68, 95%CI: 0.32-0.98) were found to be significantly associated with risky sexual practices. Risky sexual practices among street children were more prevalent in Wonago Town, Southern Ethiopia. Children's age, educational status, daily income, duration on the street, and status of substance use were the factors that contributed to risky sexual practices. As a result, conducting information and education campaigns, developing income-generating activities for children, increasing children's school enrollment and attendance, improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, and providing capacity-building training for health care providers may all help to reduce risky sexual practices.

Assessing the Impact of School Feeding Programs on the School Enrolment of Children in Primary Schools. A Case Study of T/A Chimwala Mangochi Malawi

Assessing the Impact of School Feeding Programs on the School Enrolment of Children in Primary Schools. A Case Study of T/A Chimwala Mangochi Malawi

The impact of female off-farm wage employment on children's school enrolment in Lesotho

The impact of female off-farm wage employment on children's school enrolment in Lesotho

The Impact of Female Off-farm Wage Employment on Child School Enrolment in Lesotho

The Impact of Female Off-farm Wage Employment on Child School Enrolment in Lesotho

The Impact of Remittances on Children’s Education in Bangladesh

Inward remittance is one of the major sources of foreign income for Bangladesh and its economic significance at both macro and household levels is evident in the existing literature. This study iassesses the impact of remittances on school enrolment of children in Bangladesh by utilising cross-sectional household-level data obtained from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2016. Employing a probit regression method for the analysis, our findings reveal a positive relationship between school enrolment of children and remittances as expected. Furthermore, the education levels of parents are found to have a significant positive impact on the school enrolment of children. Our results also suggest that households with two or three children are more likely to enrol their children in schools as opposed to households with just one child and those with four or more children. However, household location (urban) and gender of children (male) exhibit a negative impact on enrolment. This study suggests that along with the current incentives provided to migrant workers sending remittances, the government can also implement modified or additional incentives to enhance the enrolment of children from remittance-receiving families. Also, to address the issues of lower enrolment among children from urban areas, male children and households with just one child, policymakers should develop new intervention programmes while sensitising the public on the benefits of acquiring education.

Maternal Employment, Parental Education Levels and Household’s Income: Differential Impacts on the Schooling of Male and Female Children in Pakistan

The present research empirically investigates the impact of a mother’s employment status, parental education levels, and household income on school enrollment of male and female children (aged 5-15 years) in Pakistan. Child school enrollment is taken as a binary dependent variable, i.e., attending the school or not. A micro data set of 31,294 children from the Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey (PSLM) is utilized and analyzed by applying binary logistic regression. Maternal employment, parental education, and household income had discrepancies in their estimated marginal effects on the school enrollment of male child (N = 15266) and female child (N = 14113). A unit increase in maternal employment was responsible for bringing less than one percent decrease in the school enrollment of male child while more than five percent decrease in the school enrollment of female child. Similarly, a unit increase in maternal education (graduation) resulted in respectively 25.32% and 33.55% increase in the school enrollment of male and female child. Whereas a unit increase in paternal education (graduation) resulted in respectively 19.14% and 15.82% increase in the school enrollment of male and female child. A unit increase in a household’s income brought a 2.59% and 5.95% increase in the school enrollment of male and female child. The study signifies maternal education as the most influential and decisive factor in enhancing school enrollments of male child and female child in Pakistan.

The heterogeneous effects of interactions between parent's education and MSA level college share on children's school enrollment

This study finds that location matters more for children of parents with low educational attainment than for children of more educated parents. Specifically, children of parents without a high school diploma are statistically more likely to be enrolled in high schools or colleges in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) where the college graduate share is higher. The statistical relationship between a child's school enrollment and the MSA's college graduate share becomes weaker as their parents’ educational attainment increases. We also find that the least educated households are significantly less likely to be homeowners and are more likely to pay greater housing costs as a share of income in cities with higher college graduate shares, indicating that these households are paying a high price to live in high-skilled cities. Our results imply that the increasing lack of housing affordability in high-skilled cities makes it more difficult for households with less educational attainment to stay in or move to these places, contributing to intergenerational education inequality.

Understanding child disability: Factors associated with child disability at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Uganda.

IntroductionThere is scarcity of data on children with disabilities living in low-and-middle-income countries, including Uganda. This study describes disability prevalence and explores factors associated with different disability categories. It highlights the value of using a standardized, easy-to-use tool to determine disability in children and contextualizing disability in children in light of their developmental needs.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2018–January 2019 at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Uganda. Respondents were caregivers of children between 5–17 years and were administered an in-depth Child Functioning Module (CFM). The outcome variable, disability, was defined as an ordered categorical variable with three categories–mild, moderate, and severe. Generalized ordered logit model was applied to explore factors associated with disability categories.ResultsOut of 1,842 caregivers approached for the study, 1,439 (response: 78.1%) agreed to participate in the study. Out of these 1,439, some level of disability was reported by 67.89% (n = 977) of caregivers. Of these 977 children with disability, 48.01% (n = 692) had mild disability and 15.84% (n = 228) had moderate disability, while 3.96% (n = 57) had severe disability. The mean (SD) score for mild disability was 2.22±1.17, with a median of 2. The mean and median for moderate disability was 5.26±3.28 and 4 (IQR:3–6), and for severe disability was 14.23±9.51 and 12 (IQR:6–22). The most common disabilities reported were depression (54.83%) and anxiety (50.87%). Statistically significant association was found for completion of immunization status and school enrollment when controlled for a child’s age, sex, having a primary caregiver, age of mother at child’s birth, family system, family size and household wealth quintile.ConclusionThis study suggests association between incomplete immunization status and school enrollment for children with disability. These are areas for further exploration to ensure inclusive health and inclusive education of children with disabilities in Uganda.

Impact of Right to Education on School Enrollment of Children with Disabilities: Evidence from India

Impact of Right to Education on School Enrollment of Children with Disabilities: Evidence from India

Understanding Wealth Inequalities in Education Access in Urbanizing Sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction: Urbanization is a double-edged sword, while it is transforming the world, it is also creating spaces that pose threats to its benefits. In sub-Saharan Africa, urbanization is occurring amidst slowed economic growth and into spaces that are already strained. This is resulting in the growth of urban poverty and possibly increasing inequalities. It is thus imperative to understand the effects of urbanization in realizing inclusive and equitable education for all.Objective: We examine inequalities in enrolment of schooling going children aged 6–17 years living in urban areas using the latest Demographic and Health Surveys data from 24 SSA countries.Methods: We utilize three measures of inequality: Rate difference, rate ratio, and relative concentration index to examine inequalities in education access. Using wealth status as the key inequality indicator, we compute and compare school enrollment of children living in urban poor households with that of those living in urban rich households for each measure of inequality. Where appropriate, we stratify the results by country, age, and gender.Results: The results show high levels of inequalities in education access in urban settings. Across all the measures of inequality, in most countries, children from urban poor households were significantly less likely to be in school compared to those from the richest ranked households. The degree of inequality varied considerably between countries and the age groups. Among children aged 6–11 years, Tanzania, Burundi, Nigeria, and Uganda had the highest degree of inequality favouring the urban rich. We also find intriguing results in few countries such as Ethiopia, Benin, Senegal and Mali, which the urban poor had, better school enrolments than the urban rich. We do not find a clear pattern to suggest girls from poor households are overly disadvantaged than boys from similar households.Conclusion: Our study shows a high level of inequalities in education access in an urban setting, with children age in urban poor settings hugely disadvantaged. There is a need for strategic efforts in terms of deliberate interventions and policy frameworks to combat the apparent inequalities that disadvantage children from poor families from accessing education.

Women's employment and Children's education: Longitudinal evidence from Nepal

This study examines how maternal employment is related to children's school enrollment in rural Nepal. Using the Chitwan Valley Family Study we combine over 30 years (1974–2008) of yearly data on mother's employment and their children's education. Results reveal heterogeneity by gender, social status, and type of work. Children from historically disadvantaged social groups were more likely to be in school when their mothers started working. This was largely driven by mothers with jobs that allowed them to more easily combine work and family tasks (i.e., those self-employed in the home). In fact, maternal self-employment outside the home was associated with boys dropping out of school. Additionally, we find evidence that some of the observed relationship between maternal wage labor and children's school enrollment is due to household-level selection effects on mother's work.

International migration and remittance effects on school enrolment of children staying behind: The evidence from Tajikistan

This paper explores the impact of international migration on school enrolment of children staying behind in Tajikistan, by using data from a large nationally representative household survey. By correcting endogeneity and self-selection of migration and remittance with respect to school enrolment, the results show that migration of household members reduces the probability of enrolling in school by 10.3 percentage points for children who belong to households with migrants. The effect of parental migration is larger than migration of other household members. Receiving remittances does not fully offset the adverse impact of migration.

Integration of Palestinian Refugee Children from Syria in UNRWA Schools in Lebanon.

Following the Syrian conflict that began in 2011, Lebanon received more than one million refugees including 44,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS). PRS children were integrated into existing schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Despite efforts by UNRWA to integrate the newly displaced into its services in Lebanon, only 58% of 6–18-year-old PRS children were enrolled in school in 2014. Informed by ecological systems theory, we examined the role of parental characteristics in determining school enrollment among PRS children following displacement into Lebanon. Utilizing data from the 2014 UNRWA Vulnerability Assessment (N = 12,378 6–18-year-old children), we specified crude and adjusted logistic regression models to predict child school non-enrollment including a set of variables on head of family characteristics (gender, age, education, and presence/absence of chronic disease) and post-displacement household characteristics (crowding, wealth, camp residence, region, and type of dwelling). The results show that, adjusting for household characteristics, a child living in a family whose head has secondary education or higher is more likely to be enrolled in school compared to one living in a family headed by someone with less than secondary education. Parental education remains the strongest predictor of child school enrollment despite displacement-related household disadvantage. To break the cycle of intergenerational educational disadvantage, it is critical for UNRWA to proactively design school retention programs for PRS children living in families whose head had limited access to education.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12134-020-00793-y.

Regional Wealth Disparity and Its Impact on Urban and Rural Child Schooling in Developing Economies: A Case of Punjab (Pakistan)

Objective: The purpose of this study is to check how regional wealth disparity affects urban and rural schooling in Punjab. It is an effort to explore the influence of wealth disparity between the districts of Punjab on school enrolment of children 3-4 and 5-9 years age group using micro data-sets of cluster survey in 2007-08, 2011 and 2014 in Pakistan.&#x0D; Methodology: This study uses the probit model and the principal component analysis to check district wealth disparity in Punjab, Pakistan.&#x0D; Findings: The principal variable i.e., socioeconomic disparity influences the school attendance severely in Punjab, however it affects more the rural areas.&#x0D; Practical Implications: The sliding down the disparity desires equivalent distribution of funds from government of Punjab to the districts. The policy objective is to highlight the development of the districts of Punjab.&#x0D; Originality: This study creates the district wealth disparity index with various formula and principal component analysis to check how regional wealth disparities affect schooling.