Summary
Key findings
- People who started primary school while the Programme d'Éducation Télévisuelle (PETV) was running (1975–1981 entrants) were about 10 percentage points (≈0.21 SD) less likely to attain lower-secondary education than those who started in 1982–1988, after it ended.
- There were no meaningful differences in upper-secondary or tertiary attainment.
- Exposure had no significant effect on later employment type: high-skill jobs, self-employment or government employment.
- Effects on educational attainment did not differ between men and women, and parents' exposure did not affect their own children's formal school attendance.
Methodology & context
- PETV (1971–1982) broadcast televised lessons, plus teacher-training programmes, into primary classrooms nationwide at a time of severe shortages of qualified teachers; it was ended in 1982 because of costs, reliance on foreign staff and political opposition, not because of evidence on its effects.
- Uses the 2018–2019 Living Standards Measurement Study (2,955 adults who were in primary school around 1982) and a regression discontinuity in time design based on the programme's abrupt nationwide end in 1982, comparing primary-school entrants of 1975–1981 (exposed) with those of 1982–1988 (not exposed).
- Estimates are intention-to-treat (not every school had a television) and hold with narrower bandwidths, placebo cutoffs and “donut” regressions; the author suggests PETV may not have prepared pupils for secondary-school entrance exams, so primary-level EdTech should be aligned with transition requirements and evaluated before scale-up.
Summary drafted with AI from the AFEP working paper and policy brief, and checked against them. See the full study for details.
Abstract
This research examines the long-term effect of Côte d'Ivoire's Programme d'Education Télévisuelle (PETV), a country-wide educational television program implemented between 1971 and 1982, on education and labour market outcomes. Using data from the 2018-2019 Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS), the research exploits the abrupt, nationwide termination of the program in 1982, to compare individuals exposed to the PETV program with those who were not. Individuals exposed to the PETV program are estimated to be 10 percentage points (approximately 0.21 standard deviations) less likely to attain lower secondary education, with no meaningful difference in upper secondary schooling and tertiary education. Heterogeneity analysis by gender reveals no differential effect on educational attainment. In the labour market, the research finds that PETV had no meaningful effect on different employment types considered. Overall, results suggest that substantial investments into the PETV program did not produce gains that stand out in comparison to traditional deliveries of education. The findings contribute to the literature on the long-term effect of educational technology in low- and middle-income countries, offering valuable insights for policymakers seeking to improve the quality of education and address educational disparities in resource-constrained environments.