Is equal access to higher education in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa achievable by 2030?

Abstract

This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Springer.

Higher education is back in the spotlight, with post-2015 sustainable development goals emphasising equality of access. In this paper, we highlight the long distance still to travel to achieve this goal, with a focus on poorer countries which tend to have lower levels of enrolment in higher education. Analysing Demographic and Health Survey data from 35 low- and middle- income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, we show wide wealth inequalities in particular, with few if any of the poorest gaining access to higher education in some countries. We further identify that wealth and gender inequalities interact, and tend to be wider in countries where levels of higher education are larger. This implies that expansion in access to higher education may predominantly benefit the rich, unless measures are taken to tackle inequalities. Our analysis further suggests that such measures need to tackle inequalities in access within a system-wide approach, focusing on the level of education at which inequalities initially manifest, alongside higher education.