As recently as 1991, the educational attainment of Bangladeshi women was
among the lowest in the world. 80% were illiterate. Equipped with few skills and
ignorant about health care, family planning and nutrition, they were trapped in
a cycle of dependency.
Bangladeshi culture once seemed to guarantee that girls would marry young and
receive little education. But times are changing. Economic pressures including
the departure of many men for employment abroad coupled with the influence of
dynamic NGOs engaged in social mobilization have created a new climate of social
change.
Cost is the Main Obstacle to Secondary Education. Secondary education requires
tuition fees in Bangladesh. Transportation, uniforms, sports, school supplies
and examination fees are additional. Bangladesh is so poor that even for those
with so-called middle incomes, one child's tuition can consume as much as half
of the family's disposable income.
