Does Free Primary Education Narrow Gender Differences in Schooling? Evidence from Kenya

We identify the impact of the 2003 Kenyan Free Primary Education (FPE) programme on gender imbalances in the number of students graduating from primary school and achievement on the primary school exit examination. Our identification strategy exploits temporal and spatial variations in the pre-progr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of African economies 2012-11, Vol.21 (5), p.691-722
Main Authors: Lucas, Adrienne M., Mbiti, Isaac M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement gaps
Access to education
Africa
Developing countries
Economic analysis
Economics of education
Education policy
Elementary school students
Experimental methods
Gender
Gender differentiation
Gender equity
Graduations & commencements
Kenya
LDCs
Primary education
Schooling
Social policy
Studies
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Summary:We identify the impact of the 2003 Kenyan Free Primary Education (FPE) programme on gender imbalances in the number of students graduating from primary school and achievement on the primary school exit examination. Our identification strategy exploits temporal and spatial variations in the pre-programme dropout rates between districts in a difference-in-differences strategy. We find that the programme boosted primary school completion rates of both boys and girls, but had a larger effect for boys, thereby increasing the gender gap in graduation. Additionally, the programme led to a widening of the achievement gap in government schools. Overall, FPE increased educational access, but did not close gender gaps, suggesting that complementary programmes that specifically target girls may be necessary to reduce these gaps.
ISSN:0963-8024
1464-3723
DOI:10.1093/jae/ejs021