Suchergebnisse

This Note presents results from a series of simulations that aim to capture the impacts that school closures in Bangladesh might have on the learning levels, enrollment and future earnings of children and students using a methodological tool developed by the Education Global Practice of the World Bank . We find that overall loss in learning for every child enrolled in school even in the most optimistic scenario is expected to be substantial and the economic implications of the learning losses are huge. Available data also indicates that remote learning requires to be made more effective. It is hoped that the insights from this note will be useful for the government, non-government, private sector and civil society engaged in education service delivery as they are attempting to forge effective partnerships during and after the crisis. There is an urgent need to substantially reduce additional dropouts and absenteeism through stipends and safe school opening and communication campaigns.

Bangladesh has continued to improve access to education and educational attainment. Gains have been equitable, reducing disparities by gender, wealth, and geography. Yet progress is still needed at higher education levels, and there are still persistent gaps between the poor and rich and across districts. Gains are partly the result of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) efforts to improve education outcomes, but also reflect increased private spending by households. GoB education spending is still low compared to other countries in the region and presents large variation across the territory, which is not correlated with education outcomes and internal efficiency indicators. Only when public spending translates into lower student-to-teacher ratios do outcomes seem to improve, but those ratios remain inadequate compared to other countries and unevenly distributed across districts. Focusing on higher quality spending rather than increasing overall budgets will be a priority for further progress. Stipend programmes help with the progressivity of the system at the primary level. However, at the secondary level, there is still significant room to improve the progressivity of these benefits. Finally, addressing norms and expectations around the benefits of schooling can be an important avenue to increase school attendance. About four in ten secondary school-age children out of school report lack of interest or being too old to go back as their main reasons for not attending school; three in ten females cite family chores and marriage as reasons for not attending.

Bangladesh is recognized globally for its remarkable track record of socioeconomic development and potential for becoming an economic powerhouse in the region. The economy has sustained impressive economic growth over the past three decades despite incidences of political conflict, natural calamities, and financial shocks. The country met the Millennium Development Goals ahead of time and reduced the poverty level substantially over the past decades. Progress in human development, education, and health has been equally impressive and produced a healthier and better-educated working population. More women are joining the workforce while gender gaps in pay are gradually narrowing. Moving forward, the country aspires to reach the stage of a developed economy in the next two decades. Bangladesh needs to prepare its workforce for the emerging challenges for a dynamic economy in an increasingly globalized world. The economy is undergoing structural changes on several fronts. First, Bangladesh has transitioned from a largely traditional, agriculture-based economy to an industry and service-driven economy. Industry sector has been the main driving force for economic growth. Second, more recently, technological progress is rapidly changing the production and service modality. Firms need to not only constantly adjust their business and production modality with these technological changes but also have highly skilled manpower who can enable such change processes. Third, a growing and youthful workforce in Bangladesh provides a window of opportunity to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth. Equipping the young generation with the skills needed for jobs remains crucial. On one hand, employers are demanding higher-skilled professionals for technical and managerial positions to support the growing industry and service sectors. On the other hand, tertiary education institutes (TEIs) are struggling to produce employable graduates for the job market. Unemployment rates are consistently high among tertiary graduates, causing prolonged and frustrating joblessness for many. At the same time, the culture and practice of collaborative research to promote industry competitiveness and innovation has been largely missing in the country's tertiary education landscape, undermining Bangladesh's competitiveness ranking in the global knowledge economy. There is urgent need to identify and address the challenges in the sector and orient tertiary education toward the demands of the economy and labor market to help realize Bangladesh's full economic development potential. On one hand, employers are demanding higher-skilled professionals for technical and managerial positions to support the growing industry and service sectors. On the other hand, tertiary education institutes (TEIs) are struggling to produce employable graduates for the job market. Unemployment rates are consistently high among tertiary graduates, causing prolonged and frustrating joblessness for many. At the same time, the culture and practice of collaborative research to promote industry competitiveness and innovation has been largely missing in the country's tertiary education landscape, undermining Bangladesh's competitiveness ranking in the global knowledge economy. There is urgent need to identify and address the challenges in the sector and orient tertiary education toward the demands of the economy and labor market to help realize Bangladesh's full economic development potential.

Adequate investment in human capital development is critical for enabling Bangladesh to reach its goal of becoming an upper middle-income country. Bangladesh, currently a lower-middle country with an annual per capita gross national income (GNI) of USD 1,470 (WDI 2019), aims to attain upper-middle income status by 2021 and eliminate poverty by 2030. Recognizing the importance of investing in education for building its human capital base, the government of Bangladesh (GoB) has been allocating a large portion of the national budget to the education sector each year during the past two decades. Effective utilization and equitable distribution of allocated public spending is important for ensuring adequate progress in education outcomes. This report analyzes major spending and outcomes trends in the overall education sector in recent years, with a focus on primary and secondary education. Responding to the recommendation of the 2015 Bangladesh Public Expenditure Review Update for more analytical work on public spending in different sectors, including education, the current study analyzes the trends in major education expenditures, access to education, quality of education, and disparities in education outcomes in the past two decades. It also looks at the composition of education expenditure, consistency between budget allocations and actual expenditures, equity in education spending, and potential links between spending and key educational outcomes. Because of data limitations, this report focuses mainly on primary and secondary education. It is expected that this analysis will add to the literature on investments in the Bangladesh education sector and inform discussions on identifying policy priorities and making resource allocation decisions in the sector.