School Life Expectancy and Urbanization Implications for Adult Literacy Rates in Sub-Saharan Africa

• In Event: Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Adult Education and Adult Literacy Practice

Abstract

Because literacy contributes to the economic condition, it is important to examine the role of urbanization, government and school life expectancy on adult literacy. By school life expectancy we mean the years of schooling a child is expected to have. Using cross-sectional data of 46 sub-Saharan African countries, this paper examines: (a) the impact of school life expectancy on adult literacy, (b) the influence of urban population on adult literacy, and (c) the effectiveness of government educational expenditure on adult literacy. Using OLS regression analysis, percentage of the population residing in urban centers and the school life expectancy were positively significant at 5 percent level. Government expenditure as a percentage of GDP was also positively significant at 1 percent level.

Authors

• Amon Okey Okpala, Fayetteville State University

• Comfort O. Okpala, North Carolina A&T State University