Basic Infrastructure

Basic infrastructure is an important element of school quality. While having infrastructure does not lead to more learning, a lack of critical infrastructure is likely to reduce learning. Provision of safe drinking water at schools has been linked to lower student school absenteeism and higher learning across the developing world, due to significant reductions in the diarrheal disease burden (O’Reilly et al. 2008; Barde et al. 2013). Functioning toilets make the school more attractive to attend and likely reduce absence caused by illness. Electricity and classroom visibility are also likely to improve the ability of the teacher to teach and students to learn. And as with the school inputs, many stakeholders see these types of infrastructure as basic elements of a quality learning environment, making them important to track in a dashboard. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for inclusive and equitable quality education, with the aim of ensuring equal access to all levels of education for the vulnerable, including disabled children. Yet, a recent report by the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) found that in 19 developing countries, primary school completion for children with disabilities is just 48% (Male & Wodon 2017). The pervasiveness of this problem precipitates the need for governments to invest in adapting their infrastructure and materials for students with disabilities. For this reason, the dashboard captures the level of school and classroom accessibility to children with physical disabilities to shine a light on this important issue.