Unravelling the persistent school access gap in Cameroon: Which factors matter?

Abstract

This paper analyses inequalities in access to education in Cameroon with respect to area of residence, household wealth status and the child's gender. The data used are from the Fourth Cameroon Household Survey with a sample of 24,867 individuals aged 3–24. Using the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, the results show that a large percentage of the gap in school access in Cameroon is still due to unexplained and unobservable factors. However, raising the educational attainment of rural and poor household heads to the same level as urban and rich household heads reduces inequality in access to education by 21.7% and 29.6% respectively. Being biologically related to the household head reduces the gap in access to education between boys and girls by 49.8%. Immediate education policies aimed at increasing access to education should focus on educating parents through the media about the importance of education regardless of the child's biological link.