Research & Learning Examining the effect of school development loans on education capacity and quality: evidence from Ghana and Uganda

'Examining the effect of school development loans on education capacity and quality: evidence from Ghana and Uganda', a dissertation by Scott Sheridan, Operations Director for Opportunity International EduFinance.

Increased investment in education to build capacity and quality is essential if the world is to meet its ambitious targets on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education. There are 258 million school aged children out of school, of which 98 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Low-income countries are experiencing dramatic growth in their populations and have severe limitations on their ability to fund the required infrastructure development. The financing gap is estimated to be US$ 1.8 trillion to achieve SDG goals (Education Commission, 2016). Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPS), accessible to children from poor families, are growing rapidly in SSA to fill this gap. This study is focused on the potential to increase the use of innovative financing to improve capacity and quality for LCPSs.