Child Equity Atlas - BIDS

Literacy, School Attendance and Educational Attainment
3.5.3 The literacy rates for males and females
show that female literacy is only higher up
to the age group 20-24 years, implying that
improvement of literacy levels among females is
a recent achievement. Comparing the differences
between female and male literacy rates for three
generations (Figure 3.7) shows an almost two-fold
increase in the female literacy rate every 20 years.
Figure 3.7: Literacy rates of three generations
(three age groups) by gender, Bangladesh
2011
Literacy rate (%)
82.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Female
15-19
75.6
Male
38.1
Female
49.6
Male
35-39
Age group (years)
3.6 School Attendance at Five
21.4
Female
55-59
46.1
Male
3.6.1 As reported above, the younger generations
of Bangladeshis, both males and more so females,
are getting educated faster compared to the older
generation but they are not starting early enough.
School attendance rate of children aged five years
is fairly low in Bangladesh. Only about two (21.6
per cent) out of 10 children attend pre-school at
the age of five years in the country. Although the
rate does not vary much between boys and girls, it
varies across divisions and upazilas. While Dhaka
division has the relatively highest pre-school
attendance of just 24.2 per cent, Rangpur has the
lowest of 15.3 per cent (Figure 3.8). Upazila-wise
pre-school attendance is presented in Map 3.9.
This low rate of pre-school attendance at five years
of age has rightly prompted the Government to
emphasize pre-primary education in the current
Third Primary Education Development Programme
(PEDP III).
School attendance at 5 yrs. (%)
Figure 3.8: Pre-school attendance rate
at five years by administrative divisions,
Bangladesh 2011
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
22.8
Barisal
23.7 24.2
Chiagong
Dhaka
21.3
khulna
19.1
Rajshahi
15.3
Rangpur
17.7
Sylhet
21.6
Total
Photo : Ibrahim Khan Moni
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