Advancing girls' education in developing countries: issue brief

The IMAGINE project improved educational outcomes for primary school-age children in Niger - particularly girls - three years after program activities were completed, according to Mathematica Policy Research’s long-term impact study. The project, which was implemented by Plan International under the supervision of the United States Agency for International Development during 2008–2010, constructed new schools and conducted complementary activities whose goal was to increase girls’ education. Each school featured on-site housing for female teachers, a preschool, separate latrines for boys and girls, and a water source. Overall, the project raised primary school enrollment by 8.3 percentage points during the 2012–2013 school year, decreased absences of more than two consecutive weeks by 7.9 percentage points during the same school year, had a 0.13 standard deviation impact on math test scores, and had no impact on overall French test scores.