Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso

Purpose – This study aims to investigate regional disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso, focusing on rural-urban and socioeconomic inequalities and gender-based differentials. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative, non-experimental approach, the study analyzes nati...

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Main Author: Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald Publishing 2025-05-01
Series:Quality Education for All
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QEA-08-2024-0068/full/pdf
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author Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda
author_facet Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda
author_sort Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda
collection DOAJ
description Purpose – This study aims to investigate regional disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso, focusing on rural-urban and socioeconomic inequalities and gender-based differentials. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative, non-experimental approach, the study analyzes nationally representative secondary data using hierarchical linear modeling, binary logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) to assess correlational patterns in completion rates. Findings – The results indicate significant regional and urban-rural disparities in completion rates, with urban students showing markedly higher odds of completing primary education than their rural peers. Logistic regression results demonstrate that urban residence is positively associated with completion (OR = 1.107, 95% CI [1.103, 1.111]), while gender was not statistically significant after adjusting for covariates. PSM suggests that the observed disparities are primarily attributable to underlying socioeconomic factors rather than location alone. Hierarchical modeling reveals that most variation occurs at the individual level, although some regional-level variance remains. Research limitations/implications – These findings suggest that addressing socioeconomic inequalities and improving educational infrastructure in rural and underserved regions are essential to enhancing completion rates. The study offers context-sensitive policy recommendations grounded in empirical analysis and supported by comparative international examples. Practical implications – The study contributes to the broader discourse on educational equity, providing policymakers with actionable recommendations to enhance educational outcomes in Burkina Faso’s most vulnerable regions. Social implications – The disparity in academic achievement between the rural and the urban may hinder national development and attainment of related sustainable development goals. Originality/value – This study offers a novel, context-sensitive analysis of regional disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso by integrating multilevel modeling and localized qualitative insights. It departs from national-average approaches by quantifying rural-urban, gender and income-based differences and decomposing variance into regional and individual components. By embedding statistical findings within the country’s socio-political realities, especially conflict-affected regions, the study provides actionable insights and tailored policy recommendations rarely addressed in prior research on education in fragile sub-Saharan contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-6cf6183e41414c52a7b84aa1e250bd6d2025-08-20T03:29:26ZengEmerald PublishingQuality Education for All2976-93102025-05-012139741210.1108/QEA-08-2024-0068Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina FasoLazarus Obed Livingstone Banda0Department of Computer Education, Nalikule College of Education, Lilongwe, Malawi, and Department of Graduate Education, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, ChinaPurpose – This study aims to investigate regional disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso, focusing on rural-urban and socioeconomic inequalities and gender-based differentials. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative, non-experimental approach, the study analyzes nationally representative secondary data using hierarchical linear modeling, binary logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) to assess correlational patterns in completion rates. Findings – The results indicate significant regional and urban-rural disparities in completion rates, with urban students showing markedly higher odds of completing primary education than their rural peers. Logistic regression results demonstrate that urban residence is positively associated with completion (OR = 1.107, 95% CI [1.103, 1.111]), while gender was not statistically significant after adjusting for covariates. PSM suggests that the observed disparities are primarily attributable to underlying socioeconomic factors rather than location alone. Hierarchical modeling reveals that most variation occurs at the individual level, although some regional-level variance remains. Research limitations/implications – These findings suggest that addressing socioeconomic inequalities and improving educational infrastructure in rural and underserved regions are essential to enhancing completion rates. The study offers context-sensitive policy recommendations grounded in empirical analysis and supported by comparative international examples. Practical implications – The study contributes to the broader discourse on educational equity, providing policymakers with actionable recommendations to enhance educational outcomes in Burkina Faso’s most vulnerable regions. Social implications – The disparity in academic achievement between the rural and the urban may hinder national development and attainment of related sustainable development goals. Originality/value – This study offers a novel, context-sensitive analysis of regional disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso by integrating multilevel modeling and localized qualitative insights. It departs from national-average approaches by quantifying rural-urban, gender and income-based differences and decomposing variance into regional and individual components. By embedding statistical findings within the country’s socio-political realities, especially conflict-affected regions, the study provides actionable insights and tailored policy recommendations rarely addressed in prior research on education in fragile sub-Saharan contexts.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QEA-08-2024-0068/full/pdfBasic educationPrimary educationAccess to educationEducation completionEconomic developmentBurkina Faso
spellingShingle Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda
Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
Quality Education for All
Basic education
Primary education
Access to education
Education completion
Economic development
Burkina Faso
title Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
title_full Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
title_fullStr Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
title_full_unstemmed Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
title_short Socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in Burkina Faso
title_sort socioeconomic and locational disparities in primary education completion in burkina faso
topic Basic education
Primary education
Access to education
Education completion
Economic development
Burkina Faso
url https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QEA-08-2024-0068/full/pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT lazarusobedlivingstonebanda socioeconomicandlocationaldisparitiesinprimaryeducationcompletioninburkinafaso