Government survey reveals a large number of secondary school drop-outs in Bangladesh.
While 84% of children in Bangladesh complete their primary education, only 63.9% complete their lower secondary education and an even lower 43.9% complete their secondary education, according to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025. This decline is a huge concern for young people in Bangladesh, due to the impact on their skills, knowledge and opportunities.
Key findings
Secondary education completion rates differ between different groups and regions. For example:
- Girls and children from low-income households are most likely to leave before completing secondary school. In fact, only 21% of children from poor families complete their secondary education.
- Boys are less likely to complete lower secondary education (63% compared to 76% of girls).
- More urban than rural students complete their secondary education (49% compared to 42%).
- Sylhet (city in Bangladesh) has the lowest completion rates in both lower and upper secondary school.
Why is this happening?
Education experts attributed the following factors:
- Socio-economic realities.
- Weakness in education structure.
- For girls, early marriage is a huge factor. Rashed K Choudhury explains, “many families, particularly outside Dhaka, prefer to marry off their daughters rather than keep them in school.”
- For boys in low-income families, affordability is a major factor. Families prioritise boys contributing to household income over continuing their education.
- Affordability is also an issue for girls, with families finding their education ‘more expensive’. Professor Siddiqur Rahman explains, “while a male student can walk, a female student often requires a rickshaw.”
Experts also questioned the quality of provision, given schools are privately managed.
Reference
- Habib, W.B and Adhikary, T.S (2025) ‘Less than half of children in Bangladesh go on to finish secondary education’. Available at: https://asianews.network/less-than-half-of-children-in-bangladesh-go-on-to-finish-secondary-education/ (Accessed: 19th November 2025)
