Effects of an education reform on household poverty and inequality: A microsimulation analysis on the free Senior High School policy in Ghana

The level of income can be directly inferred from the level of education, making education an important variable as a key determinant of better livelihoods and poverty alleviation. However, in most developing countries education is not accessible to all. In Ghana—although basic education is largely free—for secondary education this was not the case until recently. Hence, the high tuition fees and other scholarly expenses continue to be a burden on parents and guardians. The problem was further compounded when government subsidies to upper secondary institutions were delayed.