Research Reports (1997): Social Studies, Vol – XVI

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10361/12847

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Trends and differentials in school enrollment in Bangladesh villages
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-09) Hadi, Abdullahel
Based on data from a nationally representative sample survey of children aged 6-15, the author concludes that the enrollment rate has been declining since 1995 particularly among the boys in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Most children begin their school at age 8. Regional variation in enrollment is very wide. Dropout rate has remained high particularly at the lower grades. ~early half of the students are enrolled in non-government institutions. The enrollment can be raised further if the education program provides special emphasis on younger children, low-enrolled communities and the children of illiterate parents.
The impact of BRAC's education programme on raising basic education levels for the children of rural Bangladesh
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997) Nath, Samir Ranjan
Status of Non Formal Primary Education (NFPE) at Chandina: a baseline survey
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-06) Haq, M Nazmul; Begum, Feroza; Akter, Shaheen
Prevalence and correlates of the risk of Sexual violence within marriage in Bangladesh
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997) Hadi, Abdullahel
Sexual violence against women has never been new in history. What is new is to discover that this kind of act is wrong and has direct impact on women's health. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 500 married women, this research attempts to improve our understanding about the prevalence and determinants of sexual violence within marriage in Bangladesh. The acts of sexual violence during pregnancy, neonatal period and menstruation are examined in rural settings where numerous non-government organisations have intensive credit-based development programmes for the poor. Findings reveal that the probability of a woman to be sexually abused will increase if she is young. illiterate and hails from a landless poor family. Historically, sexual violence within marriage has not been discouraged by the social values, religious beliefs and the legal system of the society. The gendered spousal relationship as well as the risks of sexual abuse has begun to change when women have started to make financial contributions to their families. The paper concludes that involving vulnerable women in productive activities will bring a significant reduction of the risk of sexual violence against them.
Impact of non-formal primary education on women's autonomy and socialisation in rural Bangladesh: evidence from BRAC villages
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-10) Kamal, Firoz M.; Hadi, Abdullahel; Chowdhury, A Mushtaque R.
This paper investigates the impact of non-formal primary education programme of BRAC on women's autonomy and socialisation. The study was conducted in 87 villages in Manikganj district of central Bangladesh. The data were collected in 1995 through a sample survey of 744 married women belonging to the following three categories: i. BRAC school graduates who completed full three years of education; ii. formal school students who completed third grade and discontinued; and iii. women with no schooling. Woman's autonomy was measured by the extent by which she exercised her rights in five different areas of family life, viz. i. decision making power on contraception, ii. schooling of children, iii. buying right of essential items, iv. provision of free expression of opinion in front of her husband, and v. husband's acceptance of such right for her wife. Socialisation is measured by woman's autonomy, adaptability in the family and the extent of her interaction with the surrounding environment. The multivariate analysis reveals that the nonformal primary education provided by BRAC is more contributive to women's autonomy and · socialisation than its cOunterpart who bad formal schooling (p<O.Ol). Women having exposure to non-formal education are more likely to have delayed marriage and associate with organisations like NGOs (p<O.Ol). The non-formal education has no positive impact on contraception. BRAC model of non-formal education provides a feasible and sustainable alternative paradigm for promoting women's autonomy and socialisation, along with its customary contribution to attaining universal primary education.
GQAL: from rhetoric to reality
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-07) Farashuddin, Fehmin; Khan, Mahmuda Rahman; Mannan, Manzurul; Akter, Shahnuz; Chowdhury, AMR
BRAC's Gender Quality Action Learning (GQAL) Progranune was initiated in 1994 to improve the quality of programmes with village women and to improve the quality of . gender relations within BR.AC. In its first year of intervention, GQAL covered 28 area offices of BRAC's Rural Development Programme and 8 area offices of the Health and Population Division. This short term process documentation of the GQAL programme aimed at finding out whether GQAL's operations have reflected its stated objectives; whether the gend~essages in GQAL 's documents have been reflected in its operations and what the Strel\:,oths and weaknesses of the programme are after its first year of operation. Information for the study was collected through re'\liew of GQAL documents, discussions with members of the Core Gender Team, participant observation of GQAL intervention sessions in area offices, group discussions and infonna.l interviews with area office staff participating in GQAL, and participant observation of GQAL facilitators' monthly meetings. Since this was not an evaluation of the programme, no recommendations have been made. However, several implications for future action have been identified, as follows: GQAL has created a forum for discussion but it needs to . specify whether this is solely a 'gender' forum and whether there are mechanisms for institutionalizing this forum. The GQAL manual provides many useful •gender' messages, but these messages should be made more specific to the context of BRAC. The GQAL programme is ideally a gender redistributive / transformative form of training. But can it bring about significant changes within the existing context of programme concern? In its :first year of interventions, GQAL focussed primarily on its second goal, that of improving gender relations within BRAC. It is now time for GQAL to address its first goal, that of improving quality of programme with village women and it needs to specify what measures will be undertaken to carry out this goal. Finally, GQAL needs to address the important issue of whether all issues are gender issues and whether GQAL is sufficient in itself to address all such issues.
Alternative agriculture in Bangladesh: a study of UBINIG, CDA, and PROSHIKA Programmes
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-12) Akter, Nasima
A survey on English linguistic ability of the government primary school children prior to introduction of Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) Programme
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-08) Khan, Kaisar A.
With the a£.f Directorate of Primary Education (DEP) of the government of Bangladesh, BRAC is introducing the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) programme on a pilot basis in 17 government primary schools. The primary objective of the programme is to teach English to the learners of grade two. This study aimed at assessing the basic level of English linguistic ability of the learners before the programme starts. It investigated the gender difference (if any) of the level of knowledge in basic English and examined relationship between such knowledge and parental socioeconomic background. ~ purpose, 320 learners ( 160 boys and 160 girls) were tested through a set of questionnaire and tools developed following the curriculum oft he IRI course. The learners scored 29.5 on average, out of 102. The boys scored insignificantly higher (30.3) than the girls (28.7). The study also found that the learners from rich families performed better in the test . IV indicates that aggregate educational level of families, occupation of parents, ages of the learners, and reputation of schools were the influential determinants not only for learning English but also in acquiring knowledge on other subjects .
Demographic and socio-cultural consequences of international migration in rural Bangladesh
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1997-10) Hadi, Abdullahel; Kamal, F. M.
This research examines demographic and socio-cultural consequences of south-north migration in the south at the family-level Using data from a nationally representative sample survey of 1,030 families in Bangladesh, the study argues that temporary migrants from the south to the north influence their left behind families by raising living standard and modifying the cultural behaviors through interacting northern ideas with the southern traditions. The demographic consequences of emigration are felt negligible when people keep moving in a wider span of time from a community. Findings reveal that financial and social aspects of international migration affect health behavior and mortality, nuptiality and practice of dowry, women's work and seclusion, living arrangement and decision-making role: The study concludes that south-north migration can be an important determinant of social change in the south when financial capacity and modem exposures work synergistically with the traditional values of the south.

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