Expanding access to secondary education: Evidence from a fee reduction and capacity expansion policy in kenya

Abstract

Abstract I investigate the Kenyan government’s 2008 public secondary school expansion policy which lowered school fees and increased capacity. This policy rapidly increased the proportion of students continuing from primary to secondary school, particularly from areas with low initial primary to secondary transition rates. Using this regional variation in exposure to the program together with birth-cohort variation, I show that the program increased female educational achievement, delayed childbirth and related demographic behaviors, and shifted employment away from agriculture towards skilled work.