Analysis of Enrolment Patterns in Myanmar’s Primary Education by Socioeconomic Status

This chapter used longitudinal data to analyse individual enrolment patterns in children of different socioeconomic statuses (SES). Subsequently, by trying to extract knowledge that contributes to improving children’s educational situation and eliminating educational disparities between each SES group, this study proposed recommendations to achieve universal primary education in Myanmar. As a result, the following are highlighted: the lower the SES group, the greater the number of children who followed a complex process of schooling, with grade repetition and school dropout occurring at frequent times, and therefore, the type and number of enrolment patterns varied accordingly; the lower the SES group, the higher the repetition rate and the greater the frequency of individual repetition; the higher the SES group, the more likely they were to continue their studies in international or overseas schools after leaving the target school, thus achieving higher educational attainment. On the other hand, groups with lower SES are less likely to have continued their studies after leaving the target school due to family economic deprivation; for groups with lower SES, grades completed until leaving school by graduation or dropout were significantly shorter as the age of schooling increases.