Education of Disadvantaged Children in OIC:
The Key to Escape from Poverty
69
year olds). Comparing the DHS data from 2005 to 2015, except for the 6-11 year old attendance
rates, significant increases were experienced in the 3 other indicators.
Gender: Gender is not a major source of inequality in educational attainment in Senegal.
Attendance of 6-11 years old is very similar by gender, with a sluggish increase for both boys and
girls in attendances rates over the past 10 years (Se .
Table 4 Education outcomes by gender of the child
Gender of the child Attendance in
school
(6-11 year olds)
Attendance in
school
(12-15 year olds)
Finishing 5 years
of education
(12-15 year olds)
Finishing 8 years
of education
(16-18 year olds)
2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015
Female 53.1 55.7 48 64.3 26.5 45.4 14 35.4
Male 51.5 54.1 55 62.6 30 42.4 17.1 34.7
Note: Authors’ calculations using DHS 2005 and DHS 2015
Gender parity remains across the other indicators, slightly in favour of girls (2015: 64.3% vs
62.6% - 45.4% vs 42.4% - 34.5% vs 34.7%). Between 2005 and 2015, the slight advantage of boys
(55% vs 48%) in attendance for 12-15 year olds was reversed by 2015 giving a slight advantage
to girls.
The gender of the head of household is also impactful. According to the 2013 census, 50% of
children aged 7-16 residing in a male-headed household are "out-of-school" versus 35%when the
head of the household is a woman.
Location/Area of residence: Both in 2005 and in 2015, rural areas experienced lower schooling
access rates (both in terms of attendance rates and completion rates) (Se .
Table 5 Education outcomes by location of the household
Location of the household Attendance in
school
(6-11 year
olds)
Attendance in
school
(12-15 year
olds)
Finishing 5
years of
education
(12-15 year
olds)
Finishing 8
years of
education
(16-18 year
olds)
2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015
Rural 42.6 43.1 41.4 52.2 16 32.4 4.1 21.9
Urban 69.4 73.6 64.9 79.9 44.6 60.7 26.6 51.2
Difference(2015 minus 2005)
Rural 0.5 10.8 16.4 17.8
Urban 4.2 15 16.1 24.6
Difference (Urban minus Rural) 26.8 30.5 23.5 27.7 28.6 28.3 22.5 29.3
Note: Authors’ calculations using DHS 2005 and DHS 2015
Except for the 6-11 year old bracket, attendance and completion rates have improved between
2005 and 2015 for both rural and urban areas, with a steeper increase in urban centres. While
rates have generally increased in the last 10 years, the inequality between urban and rural access