Author Name	Dhital, Purandhar
Graduate Program	Agricultural Education
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type	Dissertation
Date of Defense	2004-11-23
Committee	Joan S. Thomson, Committee Co-Chair Constance A. Flanagan, Committee Co-Chair Edgar P. Yoder, Committee Member Gordon F. De Jong, Committee Member
Availability	Open Access
Title	HOUSEHOLD HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL AND SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IN CHITWAN, NEPAL
Abstract	Nepal is among the least developed countries in the world. About 90% of its 21 million people lived in rural areas in 1996 (CBS/Nepal, 1997). Expansion of mass schooling remains a high priority on Nepal's development agenda. Since the conception of first scientific education plan in 1952, the Nepalese government has attempted to address the problem of low literacy by expanding access to primary and lower secondary education with various incentives to families. Despite these efforts a large majority of primary and lower secondary school age children are not enrolled in school. The primary objective of this study is to assess whether the collective human and social capital of a household might facilitate the educational enrollment of the children in a household. The data collected for the Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) project were used. Out of the total 1668 households included in the CVFS study, a total of 849 (50.9%) households were selected for primary school enrollment analysis and 605 (36.3%) households were selected for lower secondary school enrollment analysis. Logistic regression models were run to assess the likelihood of school enrollment of both primary and lower secondary school age children in a household. Significant relationships were found between children’s age and caste on school enrollment of primary school age children. For primary school age children, age of children (older children) and caste (upper caste Hindu household) increased the likelihood that children in the household would be enrolled. Human capital in the form of parental or other household adult’s education had no effect with caste and religion controlled. However, household social capital in the form of intra-household relationships (help received by parents from non-resident children) and mother’s attitudes towards daughter’s education significantly increased the likelihood of primary school enrollment. Community ties (increased parental participation in youth clubs) showed positive influence on primary school enrollment when demographic, financial and household education were controlled. For lower secondary school age children, while presence of greater number of school age children in households other than lower secondary age group decreased the likelihood of school enrollment, children from Hindu as well as upper caste Hindu households increased the likelihood of children being enrolled in school. Similarly, educated fathers as well other adults in a household influenced school enrollment of lower secondary school age children positively. Household social capital in the form of migration (recently migrated household), intra-household relationship (parents received help from non-resident children), parental residence (more years of parental presence with lower secondary school age children) and mother’s positive attitude towards daughter’s education) increased the likelihood of children’s school enrollment significantly. Policy planners frequently blame caste and religion for non-enrollments and school dropouts. The results of this study support that theory but add more information by focusing on human and social capital at the household level. The results suggest that educational programs that help foster congenial relationships within and outside family/households and cultivate positive attitudes towards daughter’s education could enhance primary as well as lower secondary school children’s enrollment.
Keywords	Household human capital household social capital primary school enrollment lower secondary school enrollment
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