Inclusive Education for Girls:Bangladesh Experience

Rayhana TaslimAssociate Professor in MathematicsGovernment Teachers’ Training College,

Dhaka, Bangladesh

17th UNESCO APEID International ConferenceBangkok, Thailand, 29-31 October 2014

The Context

Level Number of students

Female student

Pre-primary 2.5 m 1.3 m

Primary 20 m 10 m

Secondary and higher secondary

13 m 6.7 m

Post secondary & Tertiary

2.71 m 1.01 m

Context Types # of Institution # of teachers Female

teachers

Primary schools

106859 495000 60%

Secondary schools

19602 230000 24%

Colleges 3793 96765 22%

Madrasas 9336 108000 11%

Professional development

447 8185 19%

Technical and vocational

3766 27100 20%

Universities 111 23200 13%

Status of education for girls in Bangladesh

• Percentage of Children 3-5 years who are attending an

ECE program: Boys-13, Girls-14

• Percentage of children in first grade of primary school

who attended pre-school during the previous school

year: Boys- 43, Girls-44

• Primary School Net Enrolment Rate: Boys- 97 Girls- 99

• Percentage of children of Primary school age currently

attending primary school: Boys-71, Girls-76

• Primary school Completion Rate: Boys-74, Girls-86

• Transition Rate to Secondary school: Boys- 95, Girls-94

Status of education for girls in Bangladesh

• Secondary School Net Enrolment Rate:

Boys-56, Girls-66

• Percentage of children of secondary school age currently attending secondary school or higher:

Boys- 40, Girls-52

• Secondary school completion rate:

Boys-66, Girls-51

• Net enrollment rate at Higher Secondary level:

Boys-44, Girls-49

• Completion Rate at Higher Secondary level:

Boys-80. Girls-77

• Gross Enrolment Ratio at Tertiary Level:

Boys-14, Girls-11

Status of education for girls in Bangladesh

• Percentage of young women age 15-24 years who are able to read a short simple statement about everyday life or who attended secondary and higher education: 82

• Gender Parity Index ( Primary) : 1.07

• Gender Parity Index (Secondary): 1.30

Net Enrollment Rate for primary education: The journey from 1990

What government has done

• Prioritized Education For All in the national Agenda

• Revised policies, strategies and action for education focusing girls

• National Campaign for girl’s education

• Collaboration with NGOs and other actors

• Sector wide Approach for Primary education

• Allocate Resources

Some important interventions

• Food for Education (FFE) in 1993, covered 27% of poor children (12 kg rice per month per student)

• Primary Education Stipend (PES) 1993-2000 (BDT 25 per month per student)

• Primary Education Stipend Program (PESP) from 2002-2003

• Still continuing and covering 90% of poor children maintaining principle of geographical targeting

• 7.8 million Children of primary education getting benefit

• Stipend for girls in Secondary education.

Some important interventions

• Abolition of school fee for all in Primary and for girls in Secondary

• Free textbook up to Higher Secondary

• Construction of school building and classroom, 100000 new classrooms, 2006-2015, 3000 new schools

• Residential facilities for ethnic boys and girls

• Recruitment of female teacher 60% of total

Some important interventions

• School feeding

• Separate toilet facilities for girls

• Nationalize 23000 primary school in2013 (Total govt. primary school-63000)

• Increased number of children with disabilities ( 123000 children- 55% girls in 2013)

• Providing more teacher’s resource

Investment for teachers• Head Teacher’s status upgraded

• Salary of all primary teachers increased

• Certificate in Education: 80% teachers

• Diploma in Education initiated

Investment for teachers

• In service training strengthen

– Subject based training

– Sub-cluster training

– Special training ( Digital content, school health, inclusive education, pre-primary etc)

• Leadership training for Head teachers

Investment for teachers

Challenges

• Continuing education for girls in secondary and tertiary level

• Child marriage• Social protection• Infrastructural facilities at school• More female teachers and female at managerial and

supervisory position• Lack of technical and vocation education facilities and

residential facilities for girls for higher study• Focusing on gender sensitive teaching learning process• Lack of aspiration among girls

Napoleon said “Give me good mothers and I will give you a

good nation”Girls would became a mother,

Built a nation as well as a new world.So let’s do something for Girls.

So Finally