Textbooks in primary school (Africa)

Using a within-student analysis on eleven Sub-Saharan African countries, we find no average impact of textbook access (whether via ownership or sharing) on the achievement of primary school students. Instead, it is only for students with high socioeconomic standing that one form of textbook access – sharing – has a positive impact.

From the new publishes article "When do textbooks matter for achievement? Evidence from African primary schools" by Kuecken & Valfort (Economic Letters, June 2013).

More than a conclusive answer the findings of the paper raise many questions.