ERIC Number: ED579667
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Oct
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Mobile Phones, Civic Engagement, and School Performance in Pakistan. CEPA Working Paper No. 16-17
Asim, Minahil; Dee, Thomas
Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis
The effective governance of local public services depends critically on the civic engagement of local citizens. However, recent efforts to promote effective citizen oversight of the public-sector services in developing countries have had mixed results. This study discusses and evaluates a uniquely designed, low-cost, scalable program designed to improve the governance and performance of primary and middle schools in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The School Council Mobilization Program (SCMP) used mobile-phone calls to provide sustained and targeted guidance to local school-council members on their responsibilities and authority. We examine the effects of the SCMP on school enrollment, student and teacher attendance, and school facilities using a "difference in difference in differences" (DDD) design based on the targeted implementation of the SCMP. We find that this initiative led to meaningful increases in primary-school enrollment, particularly for young girls (i.e., a 12.4 percent increase), as well as targeted improvements in teacher attendance and school facilities, most of which were sustained in the months after the program concluded.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Developing Nations, Handheld Devices, Telecommunications, Citizen Participation, Academic Achievement, Program Evaluation, Governance, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, School Councils, Guidance, Information Dissemination, Enrollment Trends, Teacher Attendance, Educational Facilities, Quasiexperimental Design, Regression (Statistics), Intervention
Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis. 520 Galvez Mall, CERAS Building, 5th Floor, Stanford, CA 94305. Tel: 650-736-1258; Fax: 650-723-9931; e-mail: contactcepa@stanford.edu; Web site: http://cepa.stanford.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford University
Identifiers - Location: Pakistan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A