Population Briefs | June 2006, Vol. 12, No. 2 | Poverty and School Dropout in Pakistan

June 2006, Vol. 12, No. 2

Schooling
Poverty and School Dropout in Pakistan

What elements of schooling and home environments in rural Pakistan have the greatest influence on whether girls and boys start and remain in school? Is there a link between investments in children’s schooling and a mother’s reproductive behavior? Recent Population Council research provides unique longitudinal data that give insights into these questions. The analysis is based on two waves of panel data, collected in rural Punjab and North West Frontier Province in December 1997 and January 2004. A noteworthy feature of the study is the availability of data on the arrival of “unwanted” births between the two surveys—a shock to the household whose effects have rarely been investigated.

"A girl is expected to help out at home when there are extra domestic duties to perform."

The sample of communities was chosen to cover the range of schooling conditions prevalent in North West Frontier Province and Punjab. Twelve rural communities were selected from six districts, three from each province. The original participants were 731 married women aged 20–45 and their husbands. In the second round of data gathering, 81 percent of women were re-interviewed. Participants were asked in detail about the schooling of all their children and their household living circumstances. In addition to household data, researchers collected information on the primary schools attended by the children in the sample and on key features of each of the communities.

Over the course of six years, many of the sample communities experienced substantial improvements in schooling opportunities, community infrastructure, and the availability of basic health services and facilities. Only three communities showed no change in their infrastructure while a decline was witnessed in two. In addition to public health investment in sewerage, many communities had also established additional health facilities.

The researchers found that more girls are enrolling in school and more boys and girls are remaining in school for more years. However, communities with fewer new schools and lower levels of community development have largely preserved the gender disparities in enrollment and schooling attainment observed in 1997. In contrast, districts with higher levels of development and more new schools show little difference between the enrollment rates of girls and boys.

Economic shocks
Having experienced the birth of an “unwanted” sibling in the years between the two surveys (based on the mother’s expressed desire in 1997 for no more children) and having lived in a household that experienced a sudden loss in remittances in that time were two factors that increased the likelihood of school dropout.

For girls, the arrival in the family of an unwanted birth and enrollment in a government primary school—widely viewed as being of lower quality than private schools—significantly increased the likelihood of dropout. In contrast, the availability of postprimary schooling in the community, having a mother who had been to school, and living in a household with higher consumption levels reduced the probability of dropout.

For boys, a loss of remittances in the household significantly increased the likelihood of dropping out. Conversely, school quality—as measured by the percent of teachers in the primary school who reside in the community (which reduces teacher absenteeism)—and living in a more-developed community significantly reduced the probability of dropping out.

“Here we can see a clear division of labor between boys and girls,” explains Cynthia B. Lloyd of the Population Council, a lead researcher on the study. “Whereas boys are expected to contribute to cash income when a family experiences economic difficulty, a girl is expected to help out at home when there are extra domestic duties to perform.”

The researchers also investigated other links between children’s schooling and the reproductive behavior of their mothers. “Our initial analysis indicates a strong positive association between enrollment of girls, particularly older girls, and contraceptive prevalence rates among their mothers. No such association was seen with boys’ enrollment,” said Zeba A. Sathar, director of the Population Council’s Pakistan office and a lead researcher on this study.

Policy recommendations
The researchers conclude that better access to and improved quality of care in the delivery of family planning services to the rural poor could reduce unwanted births and have a major impact on grade progression rates, particularly for girls. Increased government investment in community development and new schools likely will pay dividends in the form of increased and more equitable schooling for girls and boys. Additionally, improving the quality of public schools and increasing their accountability to parents and the community might improve retention. Increasing the number of private schools in the absence of other changes is unlikely to be sufficient to achieve universal primary enrollment, the researchers conclude.

Sources
Lloyd, Cynthia B., Cem Mete, and Monica J. Grant. 2006. “The implications of changing educational and family circumstances for children’s grade progression in rural Pakistan: 1997–2004,” Policy Research Division Working Paper no. 209. New York: Population Council. (abstract) (PDF)

Sathar, Zeba A., Cynthia B. Lloyd, et al. 2006. Fewer and Better Children: Expanded Choices in Schooling and Fertility in Rural Pakistan. Islamabad: Population Council.

Outside funding
The Spencer Foundation and the United Kingdom Department for International Development

(Return to issue contents)