ABSTRACT
The aspirations of the people of Bangladesh to develop the nation as Sonar Bangla (the Golden Bengal) grew throughout the struggle for Independence. The basics of this are building a nation which is free from all kinds of exploitation and to ensure equity at all levels of society. People’s aspiration was articulated through various plan documents including the national constitution. The expansion of education during the past 44 years of Bangladesh’s life has been huge. During this period, it has made impressive progress in various aspects of education including gender parity. This chapter examines how education policies in Bangladesh have enhanced girls’ and women’s participation at various levels and for all aspects of education during the first 44 years. Women-friendly policies, affirmative action and targeted development goals were identified as key to present development. Some policy gaps and the challenges that Bangladesh is facing in its fifth decade were also identified. A number of plausible solutions are suggested to foster women’s role in education.
