Non-compliance and Non-response in Randomised School Meals Experiment: Evidence from Rural Senegal†

Abstract

School meals have been introduced as an important policy tool to improve education outcomes and pupil’s nutritional status. This study uses a unique and large-scale randomised field experiment to assess the effectiveness of such programmes on pupils’s performance (test scores in French, mathematics and the aggregate) and on the internal efficiency of schools (enrolment, promotion, repetition and dropout) in rural Senegal. We show that attrition and non-compliance occurred not at random in the experiment. Relying on the average treatment effect and the complier effects, we find that the programme has a positive and significant impact on pupils’ scores and on the enrolment rate. However, the repetition rate increased. The intervention has a marked gender effect. Cost-effectiveness analysis shows that deworming intervention is more cost-effective than school meals.

The Impact of School Meal Programs on Educational Outcomes in African Schoolchildren: A Systematic Review

“…Four of the nine studies included enrollment as an outcome [ 11 , 20 , 21 , 24 ]. Two of these compared SFP and THR interventions [ 11 , 20 ], one looked only at the effects of an SFP [ 21 ], and one looked only at the effects of a THR program [ 24 ].…”

“…Four of the nine studies included enrollment as an outcome [ 11 , 20 , 21 , 24 ]. Two of these compared SFP and THR interventions [ 11 , 20 ], one looked only at the effects of an SFP [ 21 ], and one looked only at the effects of a THR program [ 24 ]. In the randomized trial conducted in Burkina Faso, which compared the effects of an SFP and a THR on educational outcomes, enrollment increased by 4% for students in the SFP group and 4.8% for children in the THR group [ 11 ].…”

“…On the other hand, the THR program did not have any significant effect on the enrollment of children who were not enrolled in school at baseline [ 20 ]. Furthermore, an SFP intervention implemented in schools in four rural regions of Senegal found no significant effect of equipping schools with canteens on enrollment for the targeted population, which was second and fourth graders [ 21 ]. While there was a small increase in enrollment, it was not enough to be considered a valid outcome [ 21 ].…”

“…Furthermore, an SFP intervention implemented in schools in four rural regions of Senegal found no significant effect of equipping schools with canteens on enrollment for the targeted population, which was second and fourth graders [ 21 ]. While there was a small increase in enrollment, it was not enough to be considered a valid outcome [ 21 ]. It should be noted, however, that the school meal program in this rural Senegal study contained a high degree of heterogeneity, with some schools only providing meals two days a week and other schools providing meals up to five days a week [ 21 ].…”

“…While there was a small increase in enrollment, it was not enough to be considered a valid outcome [ 21 ]. It should be noted, however, that the school meal program in this rural Senegal study contained a high degree of heterogeneity, with some schools only providing meals two days a week and other schools providing meals up to five days a week [ 21 ]. Finally, in the fourth study, enrollment rates increased 3.2% for girls in Burkina Faso when they were provided a THR contingent on consistent attendance [ 24 ].…”