Who gets what? Is improved access to basic education pro-poor in Sub-Saharan Africa?

This paper explores changing patterns of access to basic education in six Sub-Saharan Africa countries using data from Demographic and Health Surveys at two points in time. In general the analysis confirms that participation of children in schooling has increased over the last decade. However, access to education remains strongly associated with household wealth. In most countries the differences associated with urban and rural residence and sex are smaller than those associated with household wealth. Over time the wealth gradient related to access has deteriorated more often than it has improved in the countries in the sample. Disturbingly, the proportion of over age children has also risen rather than fallen more often than not, and the poorer the household the more likely children are to be over age. Increased numbers of over age children are indicative of internal inefficiencies, and make it unlikely that goals to universalise access and completion will be achieved. Education for All should be pro-poor and where it is not, it is failing.

► There is no single pattern of grade specific enrolment rates showing how enrolments evolve from low participation to near universal levels. ► Age-in-grade issues are central to the sustained achievement of universal access. Overage is persistent in many countries and it has increased over the last decade. ► Grade specific participation remains strongly correlated with household wealth and in many countries it has deteriorated over time. ► Progress on grade specific participation by gender has been generally positive, closing the gap between boys and girls. ► Differences in grade specific participation rates between urban and rural areas have remained unchanged over the last 10 years.