Determinants of Child School Choice in Punjab: Policy Implications
Contributor Name:
Kavita
Encouraging parents’ participation in children’s education
Parents in Pakistan were increasingly responding to perceived inadequate public education by enrolling their children in private schools. Decisions about primary schooling are primarily dependent on parents’ choice.
The authors analyzed socio-economic factors affecting parents’ decision towards school choice for their children. Data from Household Income Expenditure Survey was used for the analysis. Findings include:
- Quality of education generated sufficient incentives for parents to invest in better education for their children;
- According to parents’ response, higher enrolment in private schools was due to better quality of education;
- Lower cost of schooling was the dominant factor to increase the enrolment in public schools;
- Parents’ education and income positively and strongly influenced private school enrolment;
- Age of the child, distance from school, family size and cost of schooling were negatively related to private school enrolment.