Falling behind in school: Risk factors and effects of age-for-grade heterogeneity on schooling in Karonga district, northern Malawi

• In Event: Challenges and opportunities for education in Africa

Abstract

Age-for-grade heterogeneity is characterised by children of various ages studying in the same grade in school, on account of delays in enrolment and/or progression from one grade to another(Wils, UNESCO, Cameron 2005). In almost half of all countries surveyed by UIS in 2004, 20-60% of respondents reported being two or more years older for their current grade. The underlying assumption of this age-grade “distortion” (Psacharapoulos) is that learning takes place in stages and being at the official school age for a specific grade enables a structured process in teaching, learning and progressing from one stage to another. Wider age differences within each class effects student performance at each age and stage (Nonoyama-Tarumi), which further delays progression and results in greater age heterogeneity. This “peer effect” or interaction with older peers has also shown to influence sexual activity and pregnancy (Lam, 2009), which further contributes to school dropout. This paper examines the risk factors of age-for-grade heterogeneity and it’s effects on sexual behaviour, school progression and attainment in Karonga district in northern Malawi.

A global review of repetition and dropout in schools (UNESCO, 1998) observed that Sub-Saharan Africa reported the highest levels of repetition at 20%, compared to other regions which reported <10%. A study analysing DHS data from 22 countries concluded that repetition is highest in the lower grades while dropout is highest in the last grade of primary (EPDC 2011). Repetitions widen the age-heterogeneity in class which increases demands on teachers’ time and school resources to cater to the varying learning needs of a diverse age group.

In Malawi, the official age of entry into primary school is at age 6, which suggests that those who enter on time and progress uninterruptedly through each grade would complete primary school by the age of 14 years. Repetition is highest in the first and last grades (~30%) of primary schools with lower prevalence (25%) in interim grades (World Bank 2010). With late entry and frequent disruptions in school, students in Malawi take 23 student years to complete eight years of primary education (WB, 2010) . Understanding the prevalence and risk factors for age-grade heterogeneity thereby becomes critical to improve retention and the overall internal efficiency of schools, but to also support adolescents making decisions on making key transitions into adulthood.

Using cross-sectional demographic and socio-economic data from Karonga district in northern Malawi, this paper examines the prevalence and risk factors for age-heterogeneity, including individual, household and school level factors. The dataset for the analysis originates from a Demographic Surveillance System (DSS), collecting data on 33,287 individuals from 7,249 households in the rural district of Karonga in northern Malawi, since 2002. The DSS collects monthly data on births and deaths, with annual censuses to update migrations. Surveys following the census include detailed household and individual socio-economic, schooling, and demographic data, including observations on school participation, repetition and dropout. This analysis focuses on 16,033 respondents between the ages of 5 and 24 years, defined by the minimum age for survey participation and the WHO definition of “young people”, who are currently in school.

Respondents were asked about the age or year when they entered school. Over-age and under-age data were estimated using UNESCO definitions, wherein respondents were considered over-age if they were two or more years older, and under-age if they were one or more year younger than the official age for grade, respectively. For example, given the official age of entry in primary schools in Malawi is 6 years, those who are between 6-7yrs, >=8years and <=5years of age in Standard 1, are considered at age, over-age and under-age, respectively (UNESCO, 2004) . Age-for-Grade is defined as the number of years one is ahead/behind in school. It is measured as the “distance” between one’s current age and the official age for the grade currently enrolled in.

Preliminary results show that age-for-grade distributions are similar for both girls and boys in early stages but diverge at later stages, with girls being closer to their official age-for-grade than boys though boys stay in school for longer and at higher stages. Results confirm that delays in progression, especially at early stages and terminal years of school, contribute to being over-age at all stages, especially among boys (EPDC 2011); while socio-economic status influences delays in progression among girls, which may result in subsequent dropout.

Author

• Bindu Sunny, LSHTM