Out-of-School Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa : A Policy Perspective

Inoue, Keiko ; di Gropello, Emanuela ; Taylor, Yesim Sayin ; Gresham, James

Washington, DC:World Bank

关键词: ACADEMIC STANDARDS;    ACCESS TO SCHOOLING;    ADOLESCENTS;    ADULT EMPLOYMENT;    ADULT LITERACY;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-1-4648-0505-9
RP-ID  :  94741

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The economic and social prospects aredaunting for the 89 million out-of-school youth who comprisenearly half of all youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within thenext decade, when this cohort becomes the core of the labormarket, an estimated 40 million more youth will drop out,and will face an uncertain future with limited work and lifeskills. Furthermore, out-of-school youth often are policyorphans, positioned between sectors with little data, lowimplementation capacity, lack of interest in long-termsustainability of programs, insufficient funds, and littlecoordination across the different government agencies. Thisreport provides a diagnostic analysis of the state ofout-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the12- to 24-year-old cohort. This report also examines thedecision path youth take as they progress through theeducation system and the factors that explain youth'sschool and work choices. It finds that individual andhousehold characteristics, social norms, and characteristicsof the school system all matter in understanding why youthdrop out and remain out of school. In particular, six keyfactors characterize out-of-school youth: (i) mostout-of-school youth drop out before secondary school; (ii)early marriage for female youth and (iii) rural residenceincrease the likelihood of being out of school; (iv)parental education level and (v) the number of workingadults are important household factors; and (vi) lack ofschool access and low educational quality are bindingsupply-side constraints. Policy discussions on out-of-schoolyouth are framed by these six key factors along with threeentry points for intervention: retention, remediation, andintegration. This report also reviews policies and programsin place for out-of-school youth across the continent.Ultimately, this report aims to inform public discussion,policy formulation, and development practitioners'actions working with youth in Sub-Saharan Africa.