An assessment of determinants of access to education among children aged 6 to 18 years: a case study of Kasubi and Namungoona, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Access to education remains a major development concern despite government interventions such as Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE). Many children, particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged households continue to experience barriers to educational access. This study assessed the determinants of access to education among children aged 6 to 18 years in Kasubi and Namungoona, Kampala, Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the influence of demographic factors, household characteristics, social factors and child poverty on children's access to education. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was adopted. Primary data were collected from 392 household heads or guardians using a structured questionnaire administered through Kobo Collect. Data were analyzed using STATA version 16. Background statistics were used to summarize the data while Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were employed to determine factors associated with access to education at a 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that 54.34% of the children had access to education. Logistic regression results showed that age of household head, employment status of household head and child poverty were significant determinants of access to education. Children from households headed by individuals aged 30 - 45 years (OR = 3.591, p = 0.000) and 46 - 59 years (OR = 2.223, p = 0.044) were significantly more likely to access education than those from households headed by individuals aged 18 - 29 years. Children from households with informally employed heads were 68% less likely to access education (OR = 0.320, p = 0.000), while children classified as moderately poor (OR = 0.526, p = 0.020) and poor (OR = 0.243, p = 0.000) had significantly lower odds of accessing education than rich children. The study concluded that household economic stability and child poverty are key determinants of children's access to education in Kasubi and Namungoona. It recommends strengthening employment creation initiatives for household heads, expanding poverty reduction and social protection programs and increasing targeted educational support for vulnerable households to improve access to education.