Education for all? Lessons from the Abolition of User Fees in the Gambia

Gambia has made a constitutional commitment to free basic level education for all. Basic education is defined as grades 1-9 and is divided between the lower basic level (grades 1-6) and the upper basic level (grades 7-9). Tuition fees for lower basic education were abolished in 1988 and this has all but eliminated the direct costs of education in grades 1-6. Upper basic education remains tuition fee paying. By assessing the magnitude, destination and use of school fees for primary education in Gambia, this study offers lessons regarding the relationship between user fees and access to quality education in the context of less developed countries. It also sheds light on critical issues for the planning and implementation process of user fee abolition for other countries, in particular in terms of finance and human resources.