The impossible choice: Access, quality, and equity-the case of secondary education expansion

Abstract

As more and more countries are getting close to achieving universal primary education and are enrolling greater and greater proportions of their school-age population, pressure is being felt at secondary level to increase learning opportunities for primary school leavers. Much pressure is put on ministries of education in South Asia and Africa in particular to open more secondary schools and to create more places in existing secondary schools. This constitutes a real challenge as governments do not necessarily have the resources to provide free primary education for all, improve learning achievements, and still open up access to secondary schools. Temptation may be high for governments and politicians to open a large number of secondary schools where the pressure is felt the most, i.e. in urban areas, and to give priority to access (quantity) over quality and equity. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.