The paper examines the levels and trends in access to education
and educational outcomes across generations of
Egyptian youth. Examination of three cohorts of individuals
aged 21 to 24 (born between 1964 and 1967, 1974 and
1977, and 1982 and 1985) shows that access to education
has substantially improved during the last three decades.
Completion rates increased by more than 60 percent at the
preparatory level and 70 percent at the secondary level and
the college completion rate more than doubled. However,
significant inequities remain in access to education and educational
outcomes. The fraction of never enrolled among
the cohorts is still large, affecting more girls than boys, more
rural than urban areas, and more children of parents with
lower level of education and in elementary occupations,
such as subsistence agriculture. The analysis of test-scores
from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science
Study (TIMSS) and national examinations shows that more
than a quarter of learning outcome inequality is attributable
to circumstances beyond the control of a student, such as
parental education, socioeconomic background and place of
birth. In Egypt, inequality of opportunity in learning outcomes
emerges early and builds up progressively throughout
the education levels. Access to higher education continues
to remain significantly lower for children from rural areas
and for those whose parents have a low level of education
or are engaged in elementary occupations. Tracking into
vocational and general secondary schools, which depends
on a high-stakes national examination, and high and
unequal levels of household expenditures in private tutoring
substantially contribute to unequal learning outcomes