When Geography Decides a Child's Education 

Published on: July 17, 2026

Education is a fundamental human right and one of the strongest foundations of a nation’s development. Across the world and particularly in Bangladesh, education equality has become a central theme in policy discussions, academic conferences, seminars and media debates now a days. We often repeat that every child deserves the equal opportunity to learn. Yet an important question remains: Are we translating these ideals into reality? Or has educational quality become little more than a slogan?

As Bangladesh is moving through more than five decades of independence, the country has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education. According to the recent data of MoPME, DPE and IPEMIS 118607 primary schools have been established, enrolment rates have increased and primary education has become free. Nevertheless, my experience working in different parts of Bangladesh has shown me that equal access to education remains far from a reality. Children born within the same national border continue experience vastly different educational opportunities simply because of where they live. During my visits to some of the most remote communities in Bangladesh, I witnessed educational inequality in two very different geographical setting, the hill tracts and the coastal areas. Although these regions differ in culture, landscape and livelihood, the educational challenges faced by children are strikingly similar.

One child I met was and eight year old boy named Ramim from Thanchi Upazila in Bandarban. His village has no government primary school. According to the national school catchment policy by ministry, a primary school should ideally serve children within a reasonable distance which is 2 square kilometers in most cases. In many remote hilly communities, however the principle exists only on paper. Villages remain isolated by mountains, rivers and forests. During rainy season, many routes become inaccessible. There are no usable roads or bridges connecting communities to the nearest school. As a result, many children have no practical access to formal primary education. While several national and international NGOs have established learning centers in these remote areas, these centers often function under several limitations. Most consist of a single classroom serving children of different ages with only one community facilitator. In many cases, these teaching staffs have limited professional training and insufficient academic knowledge to deliver the national curriculum effectively. Though these learning centers play an important role in providing basic literacy and numeracy but they cannot fully replace formal primary education. Bangladesh’s national curriculum is designed to develop age specific competencies across different grades. Children who attend non-formal learning centers but aim to complete formal education frequently miss many of these learning outcomes, placing them at a disadvantage long before they enter adolescence.

This educational gap is not the fault of the children or their families. It reflects systemic inequalities that continue to exist despite national commitments to universal education. Because there is no accessible primary school near Ramim’s home, his parents enrolled him in a local madrasa. This observation should not be interpreted as criticism of madrasa education. Religious education has an important place in Bangladeshi society. However, in many remote areas, unregistered madrasas prioritize primarily on Quran memorization while providing only limited general education. Most of the teachers have strong religious backgrounds but not have received formal training or qualifications in general education. For many families, financial considerations also influence educational decisions. Although government primary education is officially free, parents often bear indirect expenses such as stationery, uniforms, examination fees, transportation and other educational materials. For families living below the poverty line, even these modest costs can become barriers. In this scenario local madrasas operating through Lillah Boarding systems provide food, accommodation and educational support, making them a more affordable option. During my visits to Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati in 2022 and again in 2026, I observed a noticeable increase in the number of such madrasas. While this observation is based on my field experience rather than a national statistical report, it reflects a broader reality that many families are choosing educational options based on accessibility and affordability rather than educational quality. Ramim’s story is not unique. It represents thousands of children growing up without access to formal primary education, despite living within the same country as children of an urban area who enjoy modern classrooms, trained teachers and digital learning resources.

A similar pattern emerges in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. During my work in the remote southern parts of Monpura Island in Bhola District, I met a girl named Saleha, who attended an NGO-operated primary school. Unlike Ramim, Saleha had access to a formal school building, fulltime teachers and free educational materials. Yet her learning outcome remained alarmingly poor. Many families in these fishing communities struggle with chronic poverty. Children frequently assist with household responsibilities or income generating activities, resulting in irregular attendance at the school. Although NGO schools often provide free textbooks, stationery, uniforms and close institutional monitoring, maintaining consistent student participation remains a significant challenge. Teachers are aware of this problem but often face difficult choices. Strict attendance policies may discourage already vulnerable families from sending their children to school, while relaxed attendance expectations reduce learning continuity. Consequently, many students progress from one grade to another despite significant learning gaps. Saleha was studying in Grade Four, yet she struggled to solve simple mathematics problems and could not read or write Bangla and English fluently. Her situation reflects a wider concern shared by many teachers working in remote coastal communities.

The challenges extend beyond the classroom. Poor transportation, frequent tidal flooding, cyclones, heavy rainfall and prolonged school disruptions all affect educational continuity. Economic realities also shape parental attitudes toward education. Saleha’s elder brother, who never completed formal schooling, earns a relatively good income working on a fishing boat. When teachers encourage parents to prioritize education, they are sometimes asked a difficult question, “If my uneducated son earns more than a primary school teacher, why should education matter?” This question cannot be dismissed lightly. It highlights the tension between immediate economic survival and long term human development. The answer, however, lies beyond monthly income. Education is not merely a pathway to employment. It equips individuals with critical thinking, problem solving abilities, adaptability, civic responsibility and lifelong learning skills. These competencies become increasingly important in a rapidly changing world where traditional livelihoods face growing environmental, technological and economic uncertainties.

NGOs have played an essential role in expanding educational opportunities in underserved regions of Bangladesh. Their contribution deserves recognition. However, ensuring educational quality cannot remain the responsibility of development organizations alone. It requires sustained government investment, stronger administrative systems and coordinated efforts across multiple sectors. Providing free textbooks and free school admission are not only the components of educational quality. True educational quality means ensuring that every child can physically reach a school, learn from qualified teachers, attend regularly and receive education that enables them to compete with their peers regardless of where they are born. This requires investments not only in schools but also in roads, bridge, coastal embankment, transportation, teacher deployment, community awareness, social protection, child safeguarding and targeted financial assistance for disadvantaged families. Scholarship programs and educational incentives should be designed with greater attention to geographical and socioeconomic disadvantage. Children living in remote hill tracts, coastal areas and other hard to reach communities often required additional support to overcome barriers that urban children rarely encounter.

As I write this, the contrast remains deeply unsettling. A primary school student in Dhaka or another major city may have access to trained teachers, digital technology, extracurricular activities and uninterrupted schooling. Meanwhile, another child of the same age, living within the same national border, continues to struggle against poverty, isolation, weak infrastructure, natural disaster and limited educational opportunities. If two children born in the same country begin their educational journey with such unequal conditions, can we truly claim that education is equally accessible to all? Educational equality is not achieved simply by declaring education free. It is achieved when every child, regardless of geography, ethnicity or socioeconomic background, has a genuine opportunity to learn, develop and realize their full potential. Until that vision becomes a reality, “Education for All” will remain an aspiration rather than an achievement.