COUNTRY REPORT
ON
ACCELERATING PROGRESS ON
GIRLS’ EDUCATION in
BANGLADESH
Fourth Meeting of the Working Group on Education For All,
Paris, 22-23 July 2003
Presented by - Kazi Farid Ahammed
Joint Secretary, Development
Ministry of Primary & Mass Education
Bangladesh
1. Background
1971: On liberation of Bangladesh, literacy rate was
18 % with the female literacy rate of 11 %
1972: Constitution promulgated to ensure:
• Basic Human Rights to all citizen
• Equity, equality & parity
• Government’s obligation to adopt
effective measures for:
1) Establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system
for free compulsory basic education
2) Relating education to the needs of the society and producing
properly trained and motivated citizens to serve those needs;
and
3) Eradicating illiteracy
1973: - Nationalization of 36,165 primary schools &
- Declaration of 157,724 teachers as
governmental employee
1974: - Enactment of the Primary Education Act
- Accepted recommendations of BEC Report
which stressed Girls’ education
- Setting up adult education program (11-45
aged group) through GOB & NGOs
1990: - Enactment of the Compulsory Primary
Education Law
- Adoption of the Declaration of the EFA
as a signatory
2. Major achievements since 1973:
•First Five Year Plan (FYP) (1973-78)
-Girls enrollment: 2.7m (1973) – 3m (1978)
•Short Plan (1978-80)
-Literacy program for out-of-school children and
illiterate adults with focus on girls and women
•Second FYP (1980-85)
-Promotion of girls education through:
a) Establishment of the Directorate of Primary
Education in 1982
b) Free distribution of uniform in primary school
c) Creation of 500 posts for female teachers
d) Completion of school mapping
e) Creation of more infrastructural facility (e.g. 11,274
classrooms crated, 9,421 schools repaired, 6,242 tube well
installed, 5,745 toilets constructed)
f) Creation of about 2,000 posts of Assistant Upazila
Education Officers to supervise and inspect primary schools
•Third FYP (1985-90)
- Free distribution of textbooks in primary schools
-Renewal of curricula and syllabuses
-Further development of physical infrastructure
- Appointment of more teachers with focus on female teachers
•Fourth FYP (1990-95)
- Created separated Primary and Mass Education Division
(PMED) in 1992
- National Action of Plan (NPA-1) Finalized, adopted and
followed
- Initiation of the Food for Education project
- Introduction of secondary stipend program for 100% girl
children
•Fifth FYP (1995-2000)
- Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP –1): MACRO
Plan finalized
3. Major achievements in Primary
Education (1990 – 2002)
70
%
60
50
40
30
% of female
teachers
% of girl students
20
10
Dropout rate
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
0
• % of Female
teachers rose
from 20% to 38%
• % of girl students
increased to
nearly 50%
• Total dropout rate
lowered from
60% to 33%
4. Analysis and challenges
•
•
•
•
•
Access and attendance improved and exceeded the
national targets
Overall improvement in Primary GER and literacy rate
for boys and girls, yet disparities remain in favour of
boys in general (e.g. Youth literacy rate in 2000: 56.7%
for boys, 39.7% for girls)
Primary and mass education is given 50% of the national
budget out of the entire budget in education sector
At secondary school, enrollment rate of girls is higher
than that of boys in 1999/2000. (EFA Global Monitoring Report)
Public current expenditure on Primary Education as %
of GNP: 0.61% in 1999/2000 (EFA Global Monitoring Report)
5. Main innovative GOB&NGOs programmes:
a) Dhaka Ahsania Mission : Alternative Primary School
Program : Offers 27 months course assorted in 3 grades of 9
months each. Target group is 8-10 year old.
b) UCEP School : For under-privileged children of the age
group 6-14 years. Duration is 7 years consisting both general
and technical education.
c) Proshika NFE Program : For 8-11 years old children 3 year
course equivalent to 5 years formal primary claimed.
d) The BRAC : Two types of NFE program. One is a 3 year
NFE schools for 8-11 years old children and 2 year
adolescent schools for 11-14 years old.
e) GOB : Stipend program for poor children, stipend program
for all girls’ in HSS, PLCEHD Projects, CEC, URC, ETC.
6. Future plans to reach EFA Goals through
DFA to attain gender equality
1) To introduce “baby class” to primary school with one additional
teacher for ECCE.
2) To promote a holistic approach for both formal and non-formal
education by linking to other sectors such as health, nutrition,
water and sanitation and poverty reduction.
3) To strengthen C-in-Education program by updating its curricula
and modules
4) To enhance capacity of the Upazila educational personnel and
Upazila Resource Centers (URC)
5) To increase capacity of the National Academy for Primary
Education and National Curriculum and Text Board
6) Creation of more schools and classrooms
7) Ensuring the smooth implementation of stipend program for
40% poor primary children and that for secondary education
(???) for ensuring 85% attendance
8) To sustain the policy of employing 60% of female teachers
at primary schools
9) Enhancement of non-formal education for basic literacy and
PLCE to be more relevant to job market demands and
economic development
Thank you All