people and planet

10
FIGURE 10.3:
Over-age attendance especially affects girls and the poor in some countries
a. Percentage of over-age children, by grade and sex,
Ghana 2011 and Malawi 2010
80 80
b. Percentage of over-age children, by grade and wealth,
Haiti 2012 and Swaziland 2010
Students at least two years older than official age for grade (%)
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
Male
Female
10 10
Students at least two years older than official age for grade (%)
Poorest 60%
Richest 40%
0
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Ghana
Malawi
Haiti
Swaziland
Note: Children are defined as over-age if they are at least two years older than the official age for the grade.
Source: GEM Report team analysis using DHS and MICS results.
COMPLETION
Target 4.1 emphasizes completion of primary and
secondary education. But consistent information across
countries on graduation from the various education
levels is lacking. Administrative data focus on the gross
intake rate into last grade, i.e. the number of students
enrolled in the final grade as a percentage of the number
of people of graduation age for that education level.
Globally, the gross intake rate into the final grade of
primary school was 90% in 2014. There was a low of
67% in low income countries, ranging up to 98% in high
income countries. The rate exceeded 90% in all regions
except sub-Saharan Africa, where it was 69%. The gross
intake rate into the final grade of lower secondary
school was 75% globally in 2014 and ranged from 38% in
low income countries to 92% in high income countries.
Again the lowest value, 42%, was in sub-Saharan Africa.
No data are reported at the upper secondary level. It is
important to note that the gross intake rate can exceed
100% because the numerator (students in final grade)
and denominator (people of graduation age) come from
different sources and may be inconsistent. Indeed, the
value exceeded 100% in 54 of the 157 countries with data
in primary education.
Completion indicators based on household survey data
can help address this issue. Parents and guardians are
directly asked whether each child has completed a given
education level. Comparing administrative and survey
data from the same country suggests that intake rates
tend to overestimate completion. For example, among
80 low and middle income countries, the median value
of the gross intake rate into the final grade of lower
secondary exceeded the completion rate at that level by
11 percentage points.
In 2008–2014, the primary completion rate was 51%
in low income countries, 84% in lower middle income
countries and 92% in upper middle income countries.
There were major gaps between the poorest and richest:
28% of the poorest children but 77% of the richest
completed primary school in low income countries. This
disparity is exacerbated when comparing boys and girls.
The primary completion rate among the poorest girls is
25% in low income countries (Table 10.3).
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CHAPTER 10 | TARGET 4.1 – PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION