Review of economic evaluations of inclusive education projects conducted in Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya

• In Event: Policy Approaches to Inclusive Education by Governments and Schools

Proposal

All children have the right to good-quality inclusive education from early childhood onwards. However, children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately likely to be either out of school or to receive a sub-standard education. This not only leads to poor educational outcomes for these children but prevents broader social inclusion.

There is a paucity of evidence on the cost and financing of inclusive education. Sightsavers is working in a number of countries to implement inclusive education pilots and projects. In parallel, Sightsavers has conducted cost studies in Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya to support the government planning and budgeting process for inclusive education.

The aim of the studies has been to improve knowledge and understanding on disability inclusion in education by investigating the costs of making schools inclusive for children with disability in Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya (for the period 2011-2016 in Senegal, 2017-2020 in Cameroon, 2021-2023 in Nigeria and Kenya).

Results show that expenditure for the inclusive education project activities at school and community level amounted to respectively XAF 13,420,678 (USD 23,354) per school per year and XAF 88,294 (USD 154) per child with disability per year on average in Cameroon and FCFA 21,604,503 (USD 42,217) per school and FCFA 765,617 (USD 1,505) per child with disability per year in Senegal. Data on the Nigeria and Kenya inclusive education project is currently being collected and would be presented in March 2024.

These studies highlight the costs of critical activities and the key cost drivers, thereby supporting future work in identifying possible cost savings in the provision of inclusive education. The costing analysis provides evidence and data to support the planning and budgeting process for strengthening inclusive education and support the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream government primary schools in Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya.

Authors

• Guillaume Alexandre Christophe Trotignon, Sightsavers

• Iain Jones, Sightsavers