Improving Learning, Reducing Inequality, and Increasing Legitimacy through Community-Based Education

• In Event: Reducing gender inequality, increasing government legitimacy: Recent findings from research on community-based education in Afghanistan

Proposal

This presentation examines effects of teacher recruitment and community participation and support for education on out of school children’s attendance and learning. It discusses the outcomes for the first phase of the Assessment of Learning Outcomes and Social Effects (ALSE) project in Afghanistan. ALSE is a comprehensive multi-year impact evaluation that aims to expand and deepen our understanding of ways (1) to maximize primary school learning and access for out of school children through community-based education (CBE), and (2) to sustain these gains in learning and access into the future. Phase One focuses on questions related to the first theme, studying the impact of CBE models that vary in teacher recruitment criteria and the extent of parent and community-level mobilization to support children’s education. This presentation presents these results, as well as results that describe the effect of CBE classes on community members’ perspectives of government legitimacy.

As noted by the MoE, a trade-off frequently exists between hiring a teacher familiar to the community, who often has lower qualifications, or hiring a teacher who meets the MoE’s minimum qualifications (i.e. a 12th grade education). It is unclear, however, whether parents are actually less comfortable sending their children to study with a teacher they do not know, and it also unclear whether a less qualified teacher actually produces lower levels of learning. We examine this trade-off, finding that recruiting on the basis of MoE requirements may slightly increase attendance and learning on average, although this finding is not statistically significant.

The presentation also examines the impact that implementing an enhanced package of community engagement activities has in terms of boosting children’s learning (Qur’anic messages emphasizing the importance of education and adult reading groups intended to build parents’ capacity to support their children’s learning). We find no statistically significant effect on either access or learning. It is possible that the interventions examine do not address the reasons why some parents do not send their children to school, or that the activities were not implemented at a strong enough “dosage” to be effective.

Finally, this presentation evaluates the effect of CBE on community members’ trust in the government. We find that household members living in communities with CBE classes are significantly more likely to trust all service providers, including the NGOs and the government, and to find them legitimate. These findings suggest that sustaining equal access to education may be an important vehicle for improving or national stability.

Author

• Mohammad Amin Sadiqi, New York University