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Determinants of School Choice: Evidence from Rural Punjab, Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Hamna Ahmed

    (Assistant Professor, Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, Pakistan.)

  • Sahar Amjad Sheikh

    (Teaching Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to understand why parents in rural areas of Punjab, Pakistan, choose to send their children to private schools when free public schools are available. The study utilizes the Privatization in Education Research Initiative (PERI) school choice dataset compiled by the Lahore School of Economics in collaboration with the Punjab Bureau of Statistics. These data provide rich information on parents’ perception of their child’s school relative to alternative schools he or she could have attended. The findings suggest that parents’ perceptions play an important role in school choice. In particular, their perceptions of school quality and employment opportunities emerge as key determinants of private school choice. Additionally, expenditure on and access to private schooling relative to public schooling as well as the socioeconomic status of the household have a significant impact on parents’ probability of choosing a private school for their child.

Suggested Citation

  • Hamna Ahmed & Sahar Amjad Sheikh, 2014. "Determinants of School Choice: Evidence from Rural Punjab, Pakistan," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 19(1), pages 1-30, Jan-June.
    • Handle: RePEc:lje:journl:v:19:y:2014:i:1:p:1-30
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Harold Alderman & Peter F. Orazem & Elizabeth M. Paterno, 2001. "School Quality, School Cost, and the Public/Private School Choices of Low-Income Households in Pakistan," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 36(2), pages 304-326.
    2. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, 2007. "The progress of school education in India," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 23(2), pages 168-195, Summer.
    3. Khattak, Naeem Ur Rehman Khattak & Khan, Jangraiz & Tariq, Muhammad & Tasleem, Sajjad, 2010. "Determinants of Parents’ Choice in Selection of Private Schools for Their Children in District Peshawar of Khyber Pakhunkhwa Province," MPRA Paper 55995, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 03 Jul 2010.
    4. James Tooley, 2004. "Private Education And ‘Education For All’," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 4-7, December.
    5. Andrabi, Tahir & Das, Jishnu & Khwaja, Asim Ijaz, 2006. "A dime a day : the possibilities and limits of private schooling in Pakistan," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4066, The World Bank.
    6. Ali Cheema & Lyyla Khalid & Manasa Patnam, 2008. "The Geography of Poverty: Evidence from the Punjab," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 13(Special E), pages 163-188, September.
    7. Lloyd, Cynthia B & Mete, Cem & Sathar, Zeba A, 2005. "The Effect of Gender Differences in Primary School Access, Type, and Quality on the Decision to Enroll in Rural Pakistan," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(3), pages 685-710, April.
    8. Psacharopoulos, George & Arieira, Carlos R. & Mattson, Robert, 1997. "Private education in a poor country: The case of urban Bolivia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 395-406, October.
    9. Zeba A. Sathar & Cynthia B. Lloyd, 1994. "Who Gets Primary Schooling in Pakistan: Inequalities among and within Families," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 103-134.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Saima Nawaz & Nasir Iqbal, 2016. "Education Poverty in Pakistan: A Spatial Analysis at District Level," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 10(2), pages 270-287, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    School choice; public vs private; rural Punjab; Pakistan. markets; forecasting; exchange rate volatility; Pakistan.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A19 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Other
    • H13 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Economics of Eminent Domain; Expropriation; Nationalization
    • R20 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - General

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