Sustainable Development Goal four (SDG4.1), requires that all boys and girls complete free and quality primary education by 2030. Although Eastern Africa’s primary education enrollment is above 90%, primary education completion rates are below 71 percent (World Bank, 2023). Additionally, the region grapples with low levels of electricity access (Hafner et al., 2020) and extreme vulnerabilities to the climate crisis (IPCC, 2023). Therefore, this research has examined the impact of electricity access, food insecurity, atmospheric temperature variations, and malaria prevalence on primary education completion rates. Anchored on the human capital development theory (Becker, 1964), a quantitative analysis of secondary data from the World Bank, UNESCO, and country-specific education reports was employed. Annual time series datasets for Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, and Tanzania were analyzed. Using the fixed effect panel model, a 1% increase in electricity access, improves education completion by 0.28% in the region. An average increase in temperature by 10C contributes to the reduction in education completion rates by 11.5%. Additionally, a 1% rise in moderate and severe food insecurities contributes to a 0.69 % reduction in education completion rates. Achieving equitable lifelong learning starts by attaining inclusive primary education completion for all. The research findings reveal the necessity for all-inclusive investments in electricity access, climate-resilient education systems to handle the impacts of increasing global temperatures and enhancing food security to attain higher completion rates. Based on the findings there is a need to align primary educational policies with the ongoing energy and climate change scenario to achieve SDG4.

Authors:
Samuel Kusasira, Makerere University Business School, Uganda
Olvar Bergland, Norwegian University of Life Science, Norway
Sheila Namagembe, Makerere University Business School, Uganda
Nicholas Mukisa, Makerere University Business School, Uganda

About the Presenter(s)
Samuel Kusasira is a Lecturer at Makerere University and a Ph.D. Student of Energy Economics and Governance. His research project is focused on understanding the impact of Electricity access and climate change vulnerabilities on education completions

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-kusasira-9b9bb9164/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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