Private Early Childhood Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross-Country Descriptive Analysis

• In Event: Public and private early childhood education in sub-Saharan Africa

Proposal

In low-income countries, participation in early childhood education (ECE) is growing rapidly, and is expected to continue expanding over the next decade. Over the last ten years, enrollment growth in private ECE has outstripped public enrolment, and today, estimates suggest that 55% of all children enrolled in pre-primary education in low-income countries are served by private operators (UNESCO, 2015). However, there is much unknown about the quality of private ECE providers, about the potential equity impacts of an expanding private sector, and about the contributions of private ECE to universal enrollment overall. The objective of this research is to provide the first cross-country descriptive study on private early childhood education in Sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, the amount of scholarly research on so-called “low-cost private schools” at the primary level has greatly expanded (Ashley et al. 2014; Tooley and Longfield 2015; Srivastava 2013). However, notwithstanding higher levels of private ECE participation, the low-cost private sector at the early childhood level has yet to be empirically investigated. Far more attention is needed to uncover critical issues such as access, affordability, and demand for services, growth in provision, and cost efficiencies, among others. This paper will present results from some of the first such research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This study includes a two-fold research design as it attempts to examine the current terrain of the private sector in the provision of ECE to children in Sub-Saharan Africa towards the fulfillment of SDG target 4.2. First, we conduct a systematic review of all existing research on the intersection of private schooling and early childhood education in Sub-Saharan Africa. To identify studies in the existing literature on private ECE, we apply a three-step process: (1) perform systematic searches of online databases using an exhaustive set of search terms; (2) after eliminating irrelevant studies using inclusion and exclusion criteria, conduct a hand search of journals by identifying the top journals based on the sample studies; and (3) complete an ancestral search by reviewing the reference lists for the sample studies. This systematic search of the existing literature will be supplemented by conversations with contacts in the international education policy community, research organizations, and universities among others, to identify white papers, memos, and other reports on the topic of privatization of ECE in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Secondly, we comprehensively analyze household data on the rates and patterns of participation in private pre-schooling across Sub-Saharan Africa using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program. A comprehensive analysis of these datasets will provide descriptive statistics on participation that may not be captured by national administrative data. Results from this analysis will provide insight into the contours and shape of the current landscape of private sector efforts in the provision of ECE in Africa. Ultimately, it attempts to assist development endeavors of policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure access to inclusive and equitable ECE to children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Authors

• Jimmy Edward Hernandez, Brigham Young University

• Donald R. Baum, Brigham Young University