New evidence from Tanzania suggests that health interventions can lead to significant improvements in education. A national malaria eradication program boosted both academic performance and years of schooling.
Findings
- Malaria eradication significantly improves education: Tanzania’s 2004 national malaria eradication program increased test scores by 5.8% and added 2.4 years of schooling for children born post-intervention.
- Greater gains in arts/business subjects: Performance scores rose by 7.4% in arts/business subjects vs. 5.8% in science subjects (STEM), suggesting malaria reduction disproportionately benefits language/memory-based learning.
- Early exposure matters: School-aged children who participated in the intervention gained 0.58 additional years of education, but those born afterward benefited the most, highlighting the importance of early-life health.
Policy synergy: Integrated health and education interventions can amplify human capital development, especially in high-malaria regions.
Find out more about the research methods, findings, and policy recommendations in the following PEP publication:
Reports
Research team
Country
Tanzania, United Republic of
