Free education as a pathway out of poverty
- GSI
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
Education has long been regarded as a powerful lever in the battle against poverty, a conviction grounded not only in principle but also in empirical evidence.
Free education holds considerable potential to transform lives, though its effectiveness depends on careful execution. Without sufficient funding, proper alignment with labour markets, and quality infrastructure, such policies risk becoming symbolic rather than substantive.
Measurable gains from free education
The economic returns to schooling are notable. Cross-country reviews estimate a return of around 9 per cent per additional year of education, slightly higher than the 8.7 per cent recorded before 2000. In Tanzania, for example, each additional year of schooling translates to a 9–11 per cent increase in income.
In the United States, educational attainment significantly influences earnings. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn 59 per cent more than those with only a high school diploma, while master’s degree holders earn about 20 per cent more than bachelor’s degree holders. Over a lifetime, bachelor’s degrees increase median earnings by between €580,000 and €830,000 for women and men respectively. Postgraduate degrees raise this to approximately €1 million for women and €1.4 million for men.
On a broader scale, improvements in education, particularly in mathematics and sciences, are estimated to have contributed to three-quarters of global GDP growth between 1960 and 2000.
Social and developmental dividends
Beyond financial benefits, education provides significant social advantages. Maternal education, for instance, is strongly linked to reductions in under-five mortality: each additional year of maternal schooling reduces child mortality by around 3 per cent. Across 12 years of maternal schooling, this results in a 31 per cent reduction. Country-specific studies, such as those conducted in Malawi and Uganda, suggest reductions of around 10 per cent per year of maternal education. Historical analyses further indicate that between 1970 and 2009, increases in women’s education accounted for half of the decline in under-five mortality, saving more than four million lives.
However, the removal of school fees often exposes existing structural weaknesses. In sub-Saharan Africa, pupil-to-trained-teacher ratios remain critically high, averaging 58 pupils per trained teacher at primary level and 43 at secondary level. Such imbalances severely limit individual attention and undermine learning quality.
Financing is another significant challenge. Education in low-income countries can account for 15–20 per cent of national budgets, creating tensions with other vital sectors such as health and infrastructure.
Equally important is curriculum relevance. If education remains abstract and disconnected from local economies, even well-qualified graduates may face underemployment. Many experts argue that vocational training, digital literacy, and financial education should be integral to school programmes to ensure that students can effectively translate their credentials into sustainable livelihoods.
An integrated and strategic approach
Free education should not be viewed as a standalone solution to poverty. Poverty is multidimensional, encompassing income, health, housing, and opportunity. Education can serve as a powerful multiplier, but only if accompanied by investment in teacher training, infrastructure, social protection, and alignment with labour market demands.
The Sustainable Development Goal on quality education emphasises inclusivity and equity. Operationally, however, the central objective must be to guarantee not only access but access to transformative, high-quality learning.
Free education, a long-term investment in equity and growth
Free education is best understood not merely as a moral imperative but as a sound economic investment. Policymakers are urged to avoid framing it as a short-term electoral promise or quick-win policy. Instead, it should be approached as a long-term human capital investment, with measurable impacts on earnings, civic engagement, health, and intergenerational uplift. Implemented effectively, free education has the potential to dismantle structural cycles of poverty and serve as a sustained driver of equitable growth.
