The doctoral work of Huafeng Zhang explores school enrollment and learning outcomes for children with disabilities in African countries, highlighting disparities and contextual influences.
This doctoral dissertation investigates school enrollment and learning outcomes for children with disabilities (CWD) in selected African countries, compared to children without disabilities (CWOD). Based on data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) conducted in 12 African countries and a project survey among schoolchildren in Ghana and Niger, this study analyzes disparities in school access and skill acquisition. The study further examines the influence of contextual factors, including gender, sibling roles, family socio-economic status, and a country's macro-level educational development.
The study shows that children with disabilities often have poorer access to school and lower learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of understanding the various challenges these children face. It emphasizes the need for targeted political measures and robust support systems to provide all children with equal opportunities for quality education. This is essential to ensure that children with disabilities receive the same educational opportunities as other children.
The study addresses the critical issue of educational inequality for children with disabilities, who are often overlooked in school systems. It provides important empirical evidence to identify trends and differences in education among children in African countries. High-quality quantitative data on learning outcomes for children with disabilities in African contexts are still rare, and this doctoral research represents a significant effort to address this critical gap in the field.