Child Equity Atlas - BIDS

Literacy, School Attendance and Educational Attainment
Table 3.5: Net attendance rate at secondary
school: Best and worst districts,
Bangladesh 2011
Figure 3.10: Educational attainment (in %) of
married and unmarried young women (15-24
years), Bangladesh 2011
Srl.
Best districts
Worst districts
District % District %
1. Jhalokati 69.6 Sunamganj 34.5
2. Magura 66.4 Bandarban 36.8
3.
Joypurhat ,
Panchagarh
64.8 Cox’s Bazar 37.2
4. Pirojpur 64.7 Habiganj 41.1
5. Satkhira 64.6 Bhola 44.9
Bangladesh: 54.3%
3.9 Marital Status versus Educational
Attainment of Female
% of female (15-24 yrs.)
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
16.7
29.5
Never to
school &
primary
incomplete
Unmarried
29.2
20.0
Primary
completed
Level of
Married
31.5
26.7
Secondary
incomplete
on
31.8
14.6
Secondary
completed &
more
3.9.1 The educational attainment levels vary
significantly between married and un-married
young women aged 15-24 years. Overall,
unmarried young women achieve higher levels
of education as compared to married young
women (Figure 3.10). While about one in three
unmarried young women are able to complete
secondary and higher education, only one in
seven married women are completing the same
level of learning. This indicates the adverse
consequence of marriage on educational
outcome of young women in Bangladesh. There
are extensive reports on the socioeconomic
consequences of early marriage for girls and
the economy, by UNICEF 14 , Save the Children 15
and several others 16 , to stimulate change, yet it
remains a slow changing social norm in many
countries including Bangladesh. The value of
promoting education as one of several means
to delay age of marriage is demonstrated by this
report (Figure 3.10).
14
UNICEF 2004, Early Marriage: A Harmful Traditional
Practice – A Statistical Exploration. http://www.unicef.org/
publications/files/Early_Marriage_12.lo.pdf
15
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/
b.6150521/k.1450/Bangladesh.htm
16
ICRW, 2007, How to End Child Marriage: Action Strategies
for Prevention and Protection. http://www.icrw.org/files/
publications/How-to-End-Child-Marriage-Action-Strategiesfor-Prevention-and-Protection-Brief.pdf
Photo : UNICEF /Haque
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