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Free Lower Secondary Education and Gendered Labour Market Consequences
Evidence from Ghana
By Emma Whitelaw and Nicola Branson
Following substantial progress towards universal primary education, governments have increasingly shifted attention to reducing barriers at the secondary school level. Tertiary education participation remains rare across Sub-Saharan Africa, meaning secondary school is increasingly the final stage of education most young people will complete before entering the labour market. In this paper, we study the...
The Mental Health Dividend of Secondary Education for Ghanaian Women
Evidence from the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey
By Betty Baabo Adzah, Nicola Branson , and Emma Whitelaw
Removing Across sub-Saharan Africa, widening access to and completion of secondary education – especially for women – has become a central development priority. More schooling is associated with improved psychological wellbeing, but whether completing secondary school in particular is linked to better mental health among women in sub-Saharan Africa is not well understood. Using...
Dismissal Abolition and Student Dropout
Evidence from Benin, Using Difference in Differences Model
By Sénadé Innocent Adjahouto
In this paper, we assess the effect of a dismissal abolition policy on dropout rates in junior secondary schools in Benin. The policy, introduced in 2013, aimed to prevent students from being excluded from public school because of poor academic performance and thereby improve school retention. The study examines whether the policy affected dropout...
Free Secondary Education and Youth Transitions in Ghana
By Nicola Branson, Joana Deladem Kwawu, and Emma Whitelaw
Removing secondary-school fees can influence not only enrolment, but also young people’s subsequent education and labour-market pathways. This paper examines differences in education enrolment level, participation in paid work, or inactivity around the introduction of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy. Using four waves of the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey, we compare the...
Social Protection and Women’s Economic Empowerment
A Comparative Analysis of Formal, Informal, and Mixed Mechanisms in Cameroon
By Mawafo Kamdoum Vladimir Elsy, Karl-I-Bond Menfo Zembong, and Christian Lambert Nguena
As part of a vulnerable group, women need social protection to cope with risky situations. By enabling them to earn an income, social protection contributes to women’s empowerment. However, in Cameroon, social protection is limited to a tiny fraction of the population. This article assesses the effect of social protection on women’s empowerment in...
