Working Paper 23. How Pro-poor is Ethiopia's Education Expansion? A benefit incident analysis of education since 1995/96.

Abstract

An important component of the Ethiopian government's poverty reduction strategy is investment in human capital. Using government audited accounts and Ministry of Education data, this paper presents the findings of a benefit incident analysis of the Ethiopian education sector, in order to assess how pro-poor public expenditure on education has been since 1995/96. Unlike prior benefit incident studies on Ethiopia, our results present a dynamic picture of changes in benefit accrued to different sub-populations over time (rural/urban location, regional states, girls and boys) at both the primary and secondary level. The paper finds that the Education Sector Development Policy has been pro-poor, pro-rural and has significantly narrowed the gender gap at the primary school level. However, in order to make further inroads into tackling wealth, gender, and regional disparities in educational access, the conclusion highlights a number of key policy challenges.

Citation

Tassew Woldehanna, Jones, N., Working Paper 23. How Pro-poor is Ethiopia’s Education Expansion? A benefit incident analysis of education since 1995/96, 2006, London, UK; Save the Children UK, 42 pp.

Working Paper 23. How Pro-poor is Ethiopia’s Education Expansion? A benefit incident analysis of education since 1995/96.

Published 1 January 2006