Primary education finance for equity and quality: an analysis of past success and future options in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is at a critical juncture in the development of its education system. In 2013 the government decided to nationalize more than 26,000 nongovernment schools (about 25 percent of all primary schools) in an attempt to fulfill the vision laid out in its National Education Plan to “create unhindered and equal opportunities of education for all.” This includes “access of all sections of children to primary education irrespective of ethnicity, socioeconomic conditions, physical or mental challenges and geographical differences.” This report assesses how Bangladesh is faring and how it is allocating its financial resources to achieve this vision of universal primary education.