Patterns of Enrolment by Urban and Rural Location

Using Demographic and household survey data it is possible to gain some insight into how patterns of educational attainment have been changing over time. By exploring the highest level of education reached by different age groups a picture of participation over the last thirty years can be established. The charts shown this for a range of different countries. It should be noted that the patterns for the youngest age group underestimate participation since it is probable that some in the age group will attain more years of schooling before completing or dropping out.

All the countries show that there is a strong effect of urban residence on participation. Urban children are more likely to complete the lower grades and much more likely to reach the secondary grades. This effect appears very marked in Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Ghana and Mozambique. In Kenya the effect is mall in the lower grades and gradually increases. In Tanzania the urban rural gap has narrowed considerably and is not strongly related to grade.

In Zambia and Tanzania the effects of selection to secondary schools are evident with large reductions in participation especially amongst older age groups. Many secondary schools are urban or rural and residential with predominantly urban children attending.

These charts are indicative of continued gaps in access to education associated with rurality. But these have been changing and are generally smaller than in the past. These changes have been accompanied by changes in the proportion of the population that is rural as in all the countries urban migration is significant and can exceed 5% a year. This is generating large informal settlements around some cities e.g. in Capetown, Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa and in Nairobi in Kenya. In these areas schooling opportunity often lags population and generates urban out of school children. This is not visible in the existing data sets.

Urban Rural Attainment

Uganda

Tanzania

Malawi

Ghana

Kenya

Zambia

Ethiopia

Mozambique