ABSTRACT
This study focuses on how rural people in Bangladesh utilised their school education career or certificates in their life courses through a comparative case study of two rural villages in the country. Educational development in contemporary Bangladesh has raised the nation’s level of education and has upgraded compared to that of previous generations. Furthermore, it seems that many people have obtained various certificates including Primary to Higher education. This tendency was evident even in remote rural areas. To identify and consider educational development in rural areas, the study conducted a comparative study comprising ten years of longitudinal research in two villages: one in a remote rural setting and the other in a semi-urban remote setting. Based on the results of the case studies, the following conclusions were drawn regarding the acceptance of the school education system in rural Bangladesh. Commonalities of both villages were found. One is that spurred by cash income pressure, the villagers prioritised that their children obtain education careers or certificates. Clear differences were observed between the remote rural setting, where it is difficult to utilise education career or certificates for market access, and the semi-urban rural setting, where this is comparatively easy.
