Publication Date

1-2024

Subjects

Educational policy, Equal education, Citizen participation, Social change, Disadvantage, Program effectiveness, Advocacy, Case studies, Action research, Bangladesh

Abstract

The education system in Bangladesh has undergone significant change since the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. In 1973 the community-sponsored school system, in which communities felt a moral obligation to take an active role in schools, was transformed into a centralised national system. This caused a shift in the sense of ownership of the education system and a disconnect between community and school. This in turn led to the development of a system, which lacks accountability and community monitoring, and has left the system vulnerable to shocks that disproportionately affect already disadvantaged students. Nevertheless, there have been some notable achievements since the centralisation. For example, the primary net enrolment rate has increased from 60 percent in the mid-1980s to over 90 percent in 2020 and at the secondary level it has increased from 45 percent in 2000 to 67 percent in 2020. However, whilst access has improved, quality remains a concern. It is within this context the Institute of Informatics and Development (IID) and the e!quality project operate. IID was founded in 2013. It is a public policy institute in Bangladesh, which promotes informed public participation in the public policy process. It has a number of thematic areas it focuses on, including education and skills. Within education and skills, they conduct policy research, assessment, and advocacy work at the national level, and in their advocacy work. They also engage at the international level, being members of both the PAL Network and UNESCO’s Network on Education Quality and Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific. This case study is part of a larger body of work funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme. It explores the advocacy and policy influencing (API) activities of the Institute of Informatics and Development (IID), an organisation receiving funding from EOL, and the process, results and impact of action research project they conducted in partnership with MDF/ Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), an EOL ‘Global Learning Partner’ (GLP).

Place of Publication

København, Denmark

Publisher

Global Partnership for Education

Language

English

Geographic Subject

Bangladesh, South Asia

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