DETERMINANTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUT AND GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to explore the determinants of school dropout at the completion of primary level and shed light on reasons behind gender gap in secondary education by using micro level data of Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement (PSLM) for the period 2013 to 14. Logit regression model is used to investigate the determinants of secondary school dropout while separate regression analysis is made for both boys and girls. The results show that age, household size and distance to the nearest school lead to school dropout while household income and parental education reduce the probability of school dropout with gender and place of residency also being important variables. Furthermore, girls as compared to boys are more likely to quit schooling after primary level. Similarly, a child belonging to rural areas is more likely to drop out. On the other hand, separate regression results for boys and girls reveal that distance to the nearest school matters only for girls, leaving us with conclusion that distance to the nearest secondary school is one the reasons which creates gender gap in education.