Education

Educational background often varies considerably among the members of a single household. In many households, a single member may be highly educated while others have never gone to school. Even within wealthier households with high educational attainment, it is likely that some household members have received no formal education. While educational attainment is positively correlated with income, this heterogeneity within households points to the hazards of generalization. There are also gendered dimensions: data shows that having more-educated female members is positively correlated with higher household income, and that women from households that say they have enough to eat have significantly higher educational attainment. Overall, the average level of educational attainment per household is 5.4 years of schooling. In 18 percent of households, no member has attended an academic school and 3 percent of households have a member who passed the Myanmar matriculation exam taken at the end of high school, which qualifies students for university admission. Among the 82 percent of households in which at least one member attended academic school, the average highest level of schooling reached is 6.2 years. Excluding the most highly educated group, those who passed the matriculation exam or attended university, the average household educational attainment is five years of schooling. Among the 18 percent of households with no formal education, 88 percent have one or more members who received religious education. Overall, 98 percent of households have family members who received religious education.