Education and Welfare Systems
Senior 4 · General and Religious Studies
Education and Welfare Systems
Lesson 2 of 3
25 min
Every few years the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) visits thousands of households to measure how people live. Its 2023–24 survey (EICV7) found that 27.4% of Rwandans were living in poverty. It also asked how far the head of each household had gone in school.
The pattern is steep. In households whose head had not completed primary school, 30.9% of people were poor; where the head had completed upper secondary, 3.3%; where the head had been to university, none were poor. NISR adds that 78% of the poor lived in a household whose head had not finished primary education. Does education cause the difference? This lesson weighs the evidence.
Definition
Economic growth: an increase in the total output of goods and services in a country, usually measured by GDP. Economic development: a broader improvement in people's living standards: incomes, health, education, choices and security.
Human capital: the knowledge, skills and health that people build up during their lives, which make them productive (World Bank definition).
Productivity: the output produced per worker or per hour of work.
Education for all: the goal that every person can take part in quality education. Sustainable Development Goal 4 states it as: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."
Dropout: leaving school before completing a level. Repetition: staying in the same grade for another year.
Economists such as Theodore Schultz (1961) and Gary Becker (1964) argued that spending on education is an investment, like buying a machine: it costs money now and raises output later. This is human capital theory. Education contributes to development in several ways:
| Role | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Higher productivity and incomes | Skilled workers produce more per hour and earn more | A trained mechanic repairs three motorcycles a day instead of one |
| Innovation and technology | Educated people invent, adapt and use new tools | A farmer who can read follows instructions for improved seed and fertiliser |
| Entrepreneurship | Literacy and numeracy help people start and run businesses | Keeping accounts and applying for a loan |
| Health | Educated parents use health services and nutrition knowledge | Vaccinating children on time |
| Attracting investment | Firms locate where skilled workers are available | A technology company opens an office in Kigali |
| Social mobility and equality | Education lets children of poor families reach better jobs | A farmer's daughter becomes an engineer |
| Citizenship and good governance | Informed citizens take part and hold leaders to account | Reading a budget and asking questions at a village assembly |
Figure 2 shows a strong correlation. But a careful economist asks whether education causes the lower poverty, or whether richer families were simply able to keep their children in school longer. Both are true to some extent: poverty keeps children out of school, and lack of school keeps families poor. That two-way link is why breaking it, through free and inclusive schooling, matters so much. Also note that education is not a guarantee of a job: in 2025, NISR's Labour Force Survey found unemployment of 10.2% among university graduates and 16% among secondary school graduates, so the skills taught must match the work available.
| Challenge | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Poverty | Secondary school attendance was 21% for poor children against 40% for non-poor children (NISR, EICV7) |
| Repetition and late entry | Primary repetition rate 20.4% (2023–24); 52.7% of learners are over-age for their grade (MINEDUC, 2024–25) |
| Dropout | Dropout rate 4.9% in primary and 4.7% in secondary (2023–24) |
| Weak early learning | Pre-primary net enrolment 50.3%; only 48.0% of new P1 pupils had attended pre-primary (2024–25) |
| Crowded classes | 41 pupils per teacher in primary and 53 in pre-primary (2024–25) |
| Disability and other barriers | Inaccessible buildings and too few adapted materials (Lesson 1); distance; care work at home; early pregnancy |
Sources: Ministry of Education, 2024–2025 Education Statistical Yearbook; NISR, EICV7 Poverty Profile.
The challenge is not only to get children into school but to move them through it and make sure they learn. Rwanda's numbers improved on some measures in a single year: primary repetition fell from 29.7% to 20.4% and the share completing P6 within six years rose from 42.7% to 48.0%. Worldwide, UNESCO estimates that one in five children, adolescents and youth are entirely out of education.
Warning
Read rates carefully. A "gross enrolment rate" above 100% (primary was 144.8% in 2024–25) does not mean there are more pupils than children: it counts all pupils in primary, including over-age ones, divided by the number of children of primary age. High gross and lower net enrolment together are a sign of late entry and repetition.
Tip
Access, progress, learning, relevance. Use these four words to organise any answer on education for all: Can every child get access? Do they progress without repeating or dropping out? Do they actually learn? Is what they learn relevant to jobs and life?
Important
Discuss. If Rwanda could spend an extra 10 billion francs on education next year, should it spend it on pre-primary classes, on more secondary schools, or on technical and vocational training? Use at least two figures from this lesson to support your choice.
World Bank Group: "What is the World Bank's Human Capital Index?", about 3 minutes. Note what the index measures, and how it links years of school, the quality of learning and health to a country's future productivity.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: Figures 2 and 3, the tables, the analysis and the exercises.
Quick check
