View in EDS

Variations in Pre-Primary Education Infrastructure within and across Administrative Sectors in Rwanda. EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1103

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Variations in Pre-Primary Education Infrastructure within and across Administrative Sectors in Rwanda. EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1103
Language: English
Authors: Remy Pages, Gilbert Munyemana, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2024.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 42
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Child Caregivers, Child Care Centers, Child Care, Socioeconomic Status, Educational Environment, Physical Environment, Educational Finance, Educational Facilities, Community Education, Economic Factors, Social Influences, Rural Areas, Urban Areas, Educational Quality, Comparative Analysis
Geographic Terms: Rwanda
Abstract: This study investigates disparities in the quality of pre-primary education settings in Rwanda, focusing on differences across setting types--centre-based, community-based, and home-based--and examining the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) at the sector level. Using a dataset of 4,875 settings across 91 administrative sectors within seven districts, multilevel modeling estimates within- and between-sector variation in infrastructure quality from three latent factors: physical facilities, access to public infrastructure, and operational quality. Sector-level SES was operationalized as average years of schooling, providing an area-based measure of socioeconomic conditions. Findings reveal that centre-based settings, concentrated in higher-SES urban areas, consistently demonstrate higher infrastructure quality and are better equipped with physical facilities, access to public infrastructure, and operational resources compared to home-based settings. Home-based settings, prevalent in rural and lower-SES areas and often dependent on informal funding, lack essential resources, with quality deficits of 0.73 and 0.85 standard deviations (SD) in physical and operational quality, relative to centre-based settings. While SES is significantly associated with access to infrastructure across sectors, operational disparities remain largely tied to setting type. These results underscore structural disparities in Rwanda's pre-primary education landscape, with implications for policy interventions targeting equitable access to quality early childhood education through expanded support for home-based caregivers, funding innovations, and regulatory oversight. [Funding was provided by a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED665355
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study investigates disparities in the quality of pre-primary education settings in Rwanda, focusing on differences across setting types--centre-based, community-based, and home-based--and examining the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) at the sector level. Using a dataset of 4,875 settings across 91 administrative sectors within seven districts, multilevel modeling estimates within- and between-sector variation in infrastructure quality from three latent factors: physical facilities, access to public infrastructure, and operational quality. Sector-level SES was operationalized as average years of schooling, providing an area-based measure of socioeconomic conditions. Findings reveal that centre-based settings, concentrated in higher-SES urban areas, consistently demonstrate higher infrastructure quality and are better equipped with physical facilities, access to public infrastructure, and operational resources compared to home-based settings. Home-based settings, prevalent in rural and lower-SES areas and often dependent on informal funding, lack essential resources, with quality deficits of 0.73 and 0.85 standard deviations (SD) in physical and operational quality, relative to centre-based settings. While SES is significantly associated with access to infrastructure across sectors, operational disparities remain largely tied to setting type. These results underscore structural disparities in Rwanda's pre-primary education landscape, with implications for policy interventions targeting equitable access to quality early childhood education through expanded support for home-based caregivers, funding innovations, and regulatory oversight. [Funding was provided by a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship.]