This technical paper utilizes data from the DHS conducted in 15 countries and administrative data from three countries to improve our understanding of the completion rate as an effective indicator of country's progress towards universal primary education.
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EPDC Research
Pupil Performance and Age: A Study of Promotion, Repetition and Dropout Rates Among Pupils in Four Age Groups in 35 Countries
This working paper investigates the extent of under- and overage pupils in developing countries and the differences in school performance by age group. The study finds that in the lower grades of primary school, older pupils generally outperform younger ones and younger pupils are far more likely to repeat grades. In higher grades of primary school and in all grades of secondary school, older pupils under-perform; they are less likely to be promoted and more likely to drop out of school than younger pupils.
Reaching All: Patterns of Inequality in Mozambique
This working paper looks at sub-national trends of primary school entry in Mozambique, finding that all provinces show consistent and similar growth trends, but each region is at a different phase in these trends. The most urban province, Maputo City, is farthest ahead, while the remote Northern provinces, Niassa and Cabo Delgado, lag furthest behind.
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Regional Poverty Rates and School Attendance Differentials
This working paper analyzes attendance data and children's background characteristics and finds that the regional poverty rate in the aggregate is correlated with lower net attendance rates.
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Resources for EFA: Where will they come from?
This policy brief discusses three main sources for education funds in developing countries: public moneys from government, private household contributions, and donor contributions. In many countries these three sources together are insufficient, and public-private partnerships may be able to fill (part of) the gap.
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Retention: Just getting children into school is not enough
This policy brief finds that 2/3 of the gap to universal primary school completion is caused by early dropout; only 1/3 is from children never entering school. Further, the gap to universal secondary school completion is enormous in almost all developing countries. The brief suggests some strategies to retain children in school.
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Review and evaluation of selected education projection models in use in 2006
Education projections are an important part of education planning and strategy formulation. This working paper reviews four important education projection models that were in use around 2007, describing the components and the comparing strengths and weaknesses, as well as where users can obtain these models.
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School Attendance and Enrolment - Global trends and projections
This background paper collects the four studies commissioned by the Education for All Global Monitoring Report team to assist in drafting the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008 - Education for All by 2015: Will We Make It? Two of the studies are available as separate 2008 EPDC working papers.
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Seeing the reconstruction of primary education in Southern Sudan through EMIS 2006-2009
This commissioned background report for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011 looks at the reconstruction of primary education in Southern Sudan through EMIS 2006-2009 data.
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Sub-national Disparities in Learning
This working paper examines sub-national differences in student learning by in 25 developing countries. The study proposes criteria for selecting the best measure of learning disparity. It finds that sub-national learning score disparity correlates poorly to the pupil-teacher ratio differentials and best to attendance rate differentials.
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