Faheem Hussain		Fabiha Naumi

When people in the Western world think of Bangladesh, they often think of poverty, flooding, and corruption. A country of 153 million living on a landmass similar in size to the state of Iowa, Bangladesh has endured more than its fair share of natural calamities and the economic and political uncertainties that accompany them. But the nation is quickly changing its image. In recent years, Bangladesh maintained more than 6 percent economic growth despite the global recession, became the fourth largest garment exporter in the world (Dhume 2010), drastically reduced its rate of population growth, and positioned itself as a global role model in reducing poverty through gender empowerment. Women’s and girls’ education is a strategic priority in these reforms, but the country continues to face major challenges in this area.

Current Situation

Bangladeshi policymakers have identified gender empowerment through education as an essential element of overall development. At present, the national literacy rate among people age fifteen and over is 47.9 percent, with male literacy rates significantly higher than female (54 percent versus 41.4) (Central Intelligence Agency 2009). Even though these numbers are quite low in comparison with those of the developed world, they are encouraging, as they represent steady growth.

Education in Bangladesh is predominantly conducted in Bengali, the national language, and follows secular principles. Primary education requires five years of schooling, while secondary education consists of seven years with three sublevels: junior secondary education (grades six to eight), secondary education (grades nine to ten), and higher secondary education (grades eleven to twelve) (Akhter 2005). Islamic education (the Madrassah system) includes religious studies in addition to the content typically covered in secular education. Nonformal education conducted by different nongovernmental organizations (the foremost of which is BRAC, found online at www.brac.net) is another important part of the Bangladeshi system. After completing their secondary educations in one of these three systems, students can enroll in various universities to study engineering, arts, sciences, commerce, and social sciences; pursue advanced degrees in Islamic education; or enroll in a technical, vocational, or professional program (BANBEIS 2010).

Female Participation in Education

Immediately following independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh’s literacy rate was 18 percent, with female literacy at only 11 percent (Ahammed 2003). With the help of local and international development agencies, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) formulated a long-term plan to eradicate illiteracy and to ensure gender parity in education. The principal thrust was on improving the primary education sector, to be followed by development in the secondary, tertiary, and higher levels. In seeking reforms, the GoB nationalized most primary schools, enacted new education policies, and involved NGOs in the education sector.

In the early 1990s, primary school attendance among children increased significantly due to compulsory primary education and Bangladesh’s participation in Education for All, a global initiative to eradicate illiteracy. As part of these initiatives, the GoB provided free primary education and supplies (including books and uniforms) and began developing basic infrastructure (such as school buildings and wells) to create better learning environment. The GoB also focused on increasing female representation among primary teachers as an indirect way of increasing the female student population. The Female Stipend Program, which offered scholarships for female secondary students up to grade 10, supplemented the GoB’s free education for primary school students and slowly but steadily helped increase female participation in education.

As a result of these initiatives, at the start of the new millennium, girls comprised more than 50 percent of total secondary enrollment in Bangladesh (Raynor, Wesson, and Keynes 2006). In the primary education sector, a similar balance appeared around 2005 (BANBEIS 2010). Unfortunately, at the university and technical or vocational levels, the female population at best represents a quarter of the total student body, although women’s participation is higher in professional education due to the existence of several nursing schools. Figure 1 shows the trend of female student enrollments in primary, secondary, tertiary, and professional schools from 1980 to 2008 (analysis based on data from BANBEIS 2010).

Figure 1.

NGOs, Madrassahs, and Female Education

NGOs have played a vital role in achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education. More than four hundred NGOs are involved in the country’s education sector, and NGO schools, located mainly at the primary level, are approximately 9 percent of the total Bangladeshi school system (Ardt et al. 2005). These NGO schools (76 percent of which are managed by BRAC) are widely popular due to their innovative approach to nonformal education (NFE) (Ardt et al. 2005; Hussain 2005). NGO schools are well resourced, with a network that extends to the remotest parts of the country. These schools facilitate the integration of students from economically and socially vulnerable communities, operate at times that are suitable for students (many of whom work during the day or at specific times of the year), offer small class size (with teacher–student ratios of one to thirty), and ensure an interactive learning environment. Female involvement in the NFE sector is very high. In BRAC schools (which follow a “One Teacher, One School” policy), 98 percent of teachers are women, and most of these are only grade 12 graduates—meaning they are not qualified to work in the GoB-managed primary education system, which requires the teachers to have university diploma. In addition to having extensive preservice training, they complete inservice training on a regular basis. These supports have helped NGO schools outperform traditional public schools in many areas (Ardt et al. 2005).

In contrast, GoB-run schools, which depend primarily on public funding, follow a more traditional curricular path. These schools do not have special facilities for students returning after dropping out or of nontraditional age, and they often lack the flexibility to address the needs of the localities they serve. Female representation among teachers in public primary and secondary schools is also quite low (41 percent and 23 percent, respectively) (BANBEIS 2010).

The Madrassah system offers another alternative for female education in Bangladesh. In the 1980s, female students comprised only 5 to 7 percent of the total Madrassah student population, but with increased government and international aid beginning in the 1990s, the scenario changed dramatically. During this time, the GoB included Madrassahs in its teacher and staff training and curriculum development programs, and extended public school incentives (such as free books and uniforms) to Madrassah students. Coupled with the social pressures to send children to religious schools, this mainstream assistance significantly boosted female student enrollment in Madrassahs. Now nearly 50 percent of the 5 million Madrassah students at the primary and secondary levels are female (BANBEIS 2010).

Key Challenges

The Bangladeshi education system faces a number of general challenges, including inflexibility, an insufficient number of schools and of skilled teachers, and poverty. In addition to these challenges, females face challenges of equity, access, and educational quality.

Recent studies show that girls are enrolled in primary schools at a net rate of 94 percent (BANBEIS 2010). But this data masks the rate at which girls drop out of school after enrollment. When it comes to education, the female population still faces socioeconomic and religiously based discrimination. In rural areas where resources are limited, boys receive preference for access over girls. In mostly rural and semiurban areas, girls are also expected to play an important role in household work—a burden boys do not share. A UNICEF study shows that almost 1.5 million primary school-age girls unenrolled themselves from primary education due to poverty, social pressure, poor access, health, and other issues (Ardt et al. 2005). On remote islands, in hilly areas, and among ethnic and religious minorities, local educational opportunities may not even exist.

The adverse impacts of these issues appear in tertiary, technical or vocational, and professional education as well. A significant portion of the female population marries between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, just as they would be finishing secondary school and entering higher education. This normative behavior hinders the aspirations of millions of girls in both rural and urban settings. And young women who do manage to enter higher education face social expectations that often lead them (and sometimes their male peers as well) to follow tracks other than the career paths they would prefer.

Bangladesh still bears the legacy of the colonial education system, where a student’s goal is to get good grades and land a secure job. The exciting process of learning through interactive and participatory teaching where anyone—regardless of color, race, or gender—can participate is absent. At primary and secondary levels, NGO initiatives have shown that the Bangladeshi people can achieve success through education. But the GoB has yet to eschew traditional mindsets about pedagogy and educational management, which have created a workforce that lacks proper knowledge, skills, and training.

Strategic Priorities

Bangladesh is working to brand itself as an emerging economy whose growth is tied to free-market policies, industrialization, and sustainable development. But to continue on the promising path it has started, Bangladesh should establish some strategic priorities that strengthen educational opportunities for women.

• Revamp the education sector, both ideologically and logistically. In order to ensure continuous economic growth as an emerging economy, the country needs to develop its educational infrastructure and make education available, accessible, and affordable for every citizen, particularly women living in rural and semiurban areas and among ethnic and religious minorities.
• Replicate successes in gender parity achieved at the primary and secondary levels within the higher education sector. The GoB, donor agencies, and NGOs should support and encourage female participation at the tertiary level, in all fields and without discrimination.
• Build support mechanisms to help girls enroll and succeed in education and the workforce. Support like reduced fees and microcredit can help increase female student enrollment in technical, vocational, and professional programs that lead to promising careers.

Efforts in development cannot fully succeed if women—who constitute roughly half the population—fall behind. By making education accessible for women and ensuring an environment conducive to learning, Bangladesh will create opportunities to reach its full potential.

References

Ahammed, Kazi Farid. 2003. “Country Report on Accelerating Progress on Girls’ Education in Bangladesh.” Forth Meeting of the Working Group on Education for All, Paris, July 22–23.

Akhter, Neelima. 2005. “Development Partners in Female Secondary Education System in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects.” Graduate School of Asia Pacific Study, Waseda University. www.sap.hokkyodai.ac.jp/otu/neelima-bangladesh.pdf.

Ardt, Kalene, Chas Hastings, Katie Hopkins, Robin Knebel, Jun Loh, and Rodney Woods. 2005. “Report on Primary Education in Bangladesh: Challenges and Successes.” Dhaka: Bangladesh Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. May 19.

BANBEIS (Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics). 2010. http://www.banbeis.gov.bd/index-2.html. Accessed October 5, 2010.

Central Intelligence Agency. 2009. “Bangladesh.” The World Fact Book 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bg.html.

Dhume, Sadanand. 2010. “Bangladesh, ‘Basket Case` No More.” The Wall Street Journal, September 29. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519330896471058.html.

Hussain, Faheem. 2005. “A Comparative Analysis of Different Technological Interventions for BRAC's In-Service Teacher Training Program.” PhD diss., Carnegie Mellon University.

Raynor, Janet, Kate Wesson, and Milton Keynes. 2006. “The Girls’ Stipend Program in Bangladesh.” Journal of Education for International Development 2 (2). http://www.equip123.net/JEID/articles/3/Bangladesh.pdf.