Early Childhood Education at Scale: Evidence From National Reform of Pre-Primary Education in Ethiopia

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Comparative Perspectives on Scaling Early Childhood

Abstract

Despite the large-scale and rapid expansion of access to pre-primary education in Ethiopia, there is limited evidence about its potential influence on child development. Leveraging two large, regionally representative datasets of the Early Grade Reading Assessment, this paper is the first to examine the changes in the relationship between preschool attendance and students’ academic achievement between 2010 and 2016. This corresponds with the period of reform when enrolment rates in pre-primary soared to nearly ten times. Results suggest that the wider access to preschool strengthens the role of preschool in predicting students’ outcomes, however, this could exacerbate learning inequality between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Directions for future research and policy implications related to early childhood education in Ethiopia are discussed.

Author

• Janice Heejin Kim, University of Cambridge