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This paper presents findings from a qualitative evaluation of Caritas' Essence of Learning programme, which provides educational and psychosocial support to children in exceptional living situations. We analyse approaches to community and teacher engagement for: (1) a pilot programme in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and (2) an established, government-partnered programme serving Roma children in Satu Mare, Romania. The results indicate that ongoing community engagement is a necessary condition. Moreover, local ownership and continuous staff mentorship are key to programme quality. The paper discusses practical approaches to community engagement and how findings can be applied to emergency education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers in this special issue describe evaluations of the scaling journey of five different education programmes operating in humanitarian crises. This introduction first presents the research context for these evaluations followed by a synthesis of the overarching barriers and facilitators to scaling across three domains: (1) context, (2) business model, and (3) advocacy and ownership based on a qualitative synthesis. The synthesis showed that implementers often started multiple pilot projects in different contexts rather than scaling-up in one context. We also present a summary of impacts on learning outcomes from impact evaluations of three of the five education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age gap between spouses has important implications for a range of outcomes—from fertility and longevity, to gender relationships, marital quality, and stability. This paper examines the age gap between spouses in 12 countries in South and Southeast Asia. The average age difference (husband's minus wife's age) is positive in all countries and ranges from 2.7 in Myanmar to 8.4 in Bangladesh. Age homogamous marriages accounted for 5% of all marriages in Bangladesh to close to half of all marriages in Thailand. The proportion of age hypogamous marriages was uniformly low in all the countries except for Myanmar where it reaches close to 10%. Men's marriage age has a stronger effect in determining the age gap. In general, the age gap for women with lower education was larger than for those with higher education. However, much of this effect was explained by the difference in marriage timing across educational groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial introduction to the Special Theme, Sacrifice, Suffering and Hope: Education, Aspiration and Young People's Affective Orientations to the Future, we discuss the key theoretical themes (aspiration, sacrifice and affect) that underpin the papers in this collection. With geographical focus on India, Indonesia, Kenya and Bangladesh, our aim is to contribute a more ethnographically-grounded understanding of the affective orientations that emerge or become visible in the context of young people's educational experiences, and that shape and give meaning to processes of aspiration formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although use of high-stakes tests is common across developing societies, very little is known about how these tests are designed, what principles and criteria guide test construction, and what factors influence this process. The present study investigates the development of the English Paper-1 test for the Higher Secondary Certificate examination in Bangladesh, drawing on curriculum policy and test documents, and particularly on the perspectives of test writers and moderators. The findings reveal a range of conservative, compliant and context-responsive approaches that ensure the perpetuation of problematic test design practices and processes. The authors argue that these responses encourage 'ritualistic' design practices which negate concerns about test reliability and validity, and which obscure the basis by which winners and losers are created through the education system. Importantly, social celebration of this ritual does not seem to question the test architecture itself. The article contributes to our understanding of testing across societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception, BRAC has combined emergency assistance with longer-term development interventions, grounding its approach in empowering local communities. Its experiences in navigating tensions across the humanitarian–development nexus and in debates around localising aid provide a useful perspective on the way in which these debates intersect, showcasing how prioritising a localised response is conducive of an approach that is "humanitarian in nature and developmental in solution". Through historical and contemporary perspectives, we explore how BRAC has adjusted its profile, adapted to new challenges, learned about new and changing settings, developed innovations, learned from mistakes, and dismantled boundaries to bridge humanitarian and developmental support in Bangladesh and beyond. These experiences highlight the importance of the "local" beyond geography, as evidenced by BRAC's engagement with the communities it serves and is part of, and its desire to move forward in an inclusive and socially just manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond the physical transmission of COVID-19, the pandemic has had far-reaching consequences in Bangladesh, including social and cultural implications. This review paper aimed at identifying and synthesizing the costs of COVID-19 on sociocultural issues in Bangladesh. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic search in MEDLINE, PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar up to August 2021. Studies related to the costs of COVID-19 were identified, tabulated, analyzed, and synthesized by using a thematic approach. Our final synthesis of 19 studies resulted in five analytical themes: (i) disruption in education, (ii) loss of everyday social interaction, (iii) increase of "new poor" and suicide, (iv) rise of violence against women, and (v) worsening the life of refugees. Our findings showed that the costs of disruption in education, loss of everyday social interaction, and increase of "new poor" and suicide were more evident. Finally, we recommend the government and the community to adopt some integrated actions and policies to combat the problems in improving Bangladeshi sociocultural situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protagonists of the present article are Florence-based Bangladeshi children who face the challenges of transnationality along with their families. In light of this condition, their destiny is linked to a gamut of possible solutions: emigrating, staying, re-emigrating, or even going back to Bangladesh. These very options frame the purposes of the article, namely exploring: (a) the perceptions and feelings experienced by Bangladeshi children in relation to migration strategies adopted by their parents, and (b) the implications that transnational mobility may have for their education. To achieve these goals, the paper builds upon the results of a qualitative study, largely supported by micro-narratives gathered during fieldwork conducted with Bangladeshi pupils attending Italian schools in Florence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In connection to food insecurity, adaptation of new techniques or alteration of regular behavior is executed that translates to coping strategies. This paper has used data from food security and nutrition surveillance project (FSNSP), which collects information from a nationally representative sample in Bangladesh on coping behaviors associated with household food insecurity. To complement the current understanding of different coping strategies implemented by the Bangladeshi households, the objective of this paper has been set to examine the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the food insecure households which define their propensity towards adaptation of different types of coping strategies. Methodology: FSNSP follows a repeated cross-sectional survey design. Information of 23,374 food insecure households available from February 2011 to November 2013 was selected for the analyses. Coping strategies were categorized as financial, food compromised and both. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to draw inference. Results: Majority of the households were significantly more inclined to adopt both multiple financial and food compromisation coping strategies. Post-aman season, educational status of the household head and household women, occupation of the household’s main earner, household income, food insecurity status, asset, size and possession of agricultural land were found to be independently and significantly associated with adaptation of both financial and food compromisation coping strategies relative to only financial coping strategies. The relative risk ratio of adopting food compromisation coping relative to financial coping strategies when compared to mildly food insecure households, was 4.54 times higher for households with moderate food insecurity but 0.3 times lower when the households were severely food insecure. Whereas, households were 8.04 times and 4.98 times more likely to adopt both food compromisation and financial relative to only financial coping strategies if moderately and severely food insecure respectively when compared to being mildly food insecure. Conclusion: Households suffering from moderate and severe food insecurity, are more likely to adopt both financial and food compromisation coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an outcome of an empirical research conducted in Bangladesh. I argue in this paper that the Biharis in Bangladesh can constitute an effective human capital with their knowledge, ability, and experience. However, this prospective human capital is not counted in the national development of Bangladesh. The findings of the research demonstrate that under the Bangladesh citizenship law the Biharis arede jurecitizens. Nevertheless, they are still de facto stateless, because their citizenship is ineffective. I conclude that the “political will” of the Government of Bangladesh can make a breakthrough to overcome all invisible barriers on the way of effective citizenship of the Biharis. This will lead to their transition from de facto stateless persons to effective citizens or human capital and ultimately, this will contribute to the development of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make a contribution to the study of history and evolution of English in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a young country, twice-split once from India as a part of Pakistan and then from Pakistan as an independent nation. Therefore, to look at the history, we have to look at the history of English education first in India upto 1947, then in Pakistan (1947-1971) and then only in Bangladesh (since 1971 onwards). The paper begins with how English was brought into Bangladesh; language policy and use in Bangladesh; medium of instruction and also shed lights on the current status of English in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of chronic poverty many people in South Asia experience poor quality schooling, interrupted schooling, or no schooling at all. People affected by poverty face multiple constraints on wellbeing, which typically include informal employment, low wages and poor health. In such contexts the benefits and, more specifically, the 'returns' to education are not easily observed. Standard measures of educational attainment (such as primary school completion, years of schooling, literacy rates) are ill-suited to capture and understand such benefits. Similarly, data on income from formal employment is likely to be unsuitable. The paper argues that concepts of educational benefit and mobility have to be re-thought in contexts of chronic poverty to capture the 'marginal returns' in situations of constraint and vulnerability. The paper illustrates this argument with ethnographic vignettes of uses of literacy by non-schooled adults in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether migrants from Bangladesh choose the destination that offers them the highest earnings and whether the relative stock of the skilled migrants in a destination increases with the earnings differences between the skilled and the unskilled. Design/methodology/approach – Using a nationally representative sample of both stayers and migrants from Bangladesh to all destinations and correcting for self-selection bias in earnings using a semi-parametric method developed by Dahl (2002), the author tests whether selection and sorting of Bangladeshi migrants depend on cross-country differences in the rewards to skills as suggested by the Roy (1951) model of comparative advantage. Findings – Migrants from Bangladesh not only choose the destinations that offer the highest earnings but also the destination that offers the highest earnings relative to the skill level of the migrants. Research limitations/implications – Due to the unavailability of data on recruiting agencies, we cannot investigate the role played by recruiting agencies in the migrant’s decision. Social implications – Policy-makers in both the sending and destination countries need to know how migrants choose their destinations in order to formulate effective and welfare-enhancing migration policies. Originality/value – This paper is the first to study how skill composition and earnings shape migration from Bangladesh using micro-level data. It is also the first to study sorting behavior of migrants from any South Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze rural household children's school enrollment decisions in a post-conflict setting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. The innovation of the paper lies in the fact that we employ information about current subjective perceptions regarding the possibility of violence in the future and past actual experiences of violence to explain household economic decision-making. Preferences are endogenous in line with behavioral economics. Regression results show that heightened subjective perceptions of future violence and past actual experiences of conflict can increase child enrollment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical policy analysis and network ethnography of Teach for Bangladesh (TfB). We demonstrate that TfB is a localised version of a global teacher education policy - Teach for All/America (TfAll/A). Santos, Boaventura De Sousa [2002. The Processes of Globalisation. Translated by Sheena Caldmell. Eurozine: Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais and Eurozine, August, 1-48] has written about the ways some national policies travel globally. He calls these ‘globalised localisms’. When they touch down and are taken up in another national context, he calls this a ‘localised globalism’. We see TfB as a ‘localised globalism’. This paper is focused on documenting and analysing the policy network that has enabled a globalised localism, TfAll/A, to be taken up as a localised globalism in Bangladesh through TfB. We see this as the emergence of network governance in a developing world primary schooling context. The analysis shows how pivotal to TfB is the boundary spanning networking of its founder, who connects the global to the local, the private to the public, and the provision of social services to philanthropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the area of second/foreign language learning, learner demotivation is a relatively recent issue, and less investigated individual difference compared to learner motivation. This paper reports a study attempted to identify the sources of demotivation experienced at higher secondary (HS) level in the context of Bangladeshi education, and the impacts of those demotivators on their subsequent academic performance at university level. To collect qualitative data an interview guide was developed based on the L2 demotivation factors listed by Dӧrnyei (2001). The original set of items, however, was modified in order to adjust with Bangladeshi context of education. A total of 36 students from three different universities were interviewed to understand the underlying sources of demotivation. From the analysis seven factors were indicated, in descending order: Teachers, Students’ past experiences, Private tutors, Attitude of group members, School facilities, Textbooks, and Students’ and their family members’ attitude towards English study. Among these factors, teachers and students’ past experiences were found to affect students’ performance in academic activities at tertiary level more strongly than the other factors. Finally, this paper discusses some recommendations based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The situation of rights of children of tea garden workers in Bangladesh is bad, giving the children relatively vulnerable and disadvantageous social position compared to their counterparts in the mainstream community. Children in the tea gardens are found to be deprived of their rights as human being due to multifarious reasons underlying the socio-economic conditions of the family, limited human right facilities in terms of available education, health, hygiene and nutrition, work, and social services provided for the promotion of their lives. Moreover, some structural factors associated to the management system of the tea companies are largely considered responsible for the deprivation of basic rights of children in the garden. Social work is a professional practice that particularly works for ensuring human rights and social justice in the society. Therefore, this paper comes up with some policy recommendations for protection of child rights from social work perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an attempt is made to show the impact of education and media on contraceptive use and also to identify the factors that associated with the current use of contraception and continuing of contraception. To reach our goal, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey ( BDHS 2007) data were used. Findings of this study reveal that education, age of the respondents, religion, media exposure, area of residence and if they belong to any of the non-governmental organizations ( Grameen Bank, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, ASA, Mother's club, etc.) have significant contribution to current use of contraception and continuing of contraception. Media, particularly TV, and education play the leading role regarding this issue, whereas the others have an indirect relationship. Multivariate analyses showed that contraceptive use were higher among educated women and those women who watch TV at least once a week as compared with their respective counterpart. The results indicate urgent need to give emphasis on education, ensuring electronic media exposure, head-to-head communication programme, institutional-based family planning education and necessary information to learn about the impact of overpopulation for the people all over the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to examine the socio economic factors influencing the women infertility in India and Bangladesh. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of socio economic factors on infertile women across India and Bangladesh. Quantitative study was carried out by taking the data from NFHS-4 health survey. Infertile women were selected based on the assumptions. Binary logistic regression was done to find the association between the economic variables and infertility. On contrary to Bangladesh, Wealth index, residence and education were largely influenced by a infertile women in India. The study pays way for further study by gathering information through direct discussion with infertile women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of social networks on contraceptive adoption in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 430 couples; the age of men was between 15 and 49 years. χ2 test was applied to test the association between independent variables and current contraceptive use. Binary logistic regression was applied to examine the effects of social network on contraceptive use, and multinomial logistic regression was applied to examine the effect of social network on the choice of method. Findings: Results from binary logistic regression reveal that social networks of both men (OR=2.71, 95% CI=1.371−5.354) and women (OR= 3.597, 95% CI=1.754−7.380) had a strong positive effect on current contraceptive use. The result from multinomial logistic regression also shows that men's social network (OR= 2.74, 95% CI= 1.356−5.548) and women's social network (OR=4.165,95% CI=1.958−8.860) were also associated with choosing a modern contraceptive method. Originality/value: Social networks have a significant effect on current contraceptive use and modern method choice in Bangladesh. A social network approach should be included in family planning program in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the most important public English examination (matriculation exam) that students take at the end of their secondary education in Bangladesh. The examination is known as the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), which is taken at the end of Grade 10 in the mainstream education in the country. The score of SSC English examination is used as the gatekeeper at the higher secondary (2 years of higher secondary education after matriculation and before tertiary education) and university admission tests. Even though the significance of this English examination is huge from Bangladeshi social, cultural, or economic perspectives, it is highly criticized by the stakeholders and academicians alike. The exam is alleged to fall short to measure the communicative English proficiency of the test users. Accordingly, the reliability of the exam is questionable. However, there is almost no publication or academic paper evaluating the characteristics of the examination which could expand our understanding of the existing problems related to the test. Hence, this review of the SSC English examination examines and describes the features of the examination as it is used in the context from a scholarly point of view, which would constructively pave the way for future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the educational and migrational pathways which a number of middle-class women from Bangladesh took as they grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. It draws on qualitative research, conducted between July and November 2011, with highly educated Bangladeshi women who migrated to Britain in the early 2000s. French Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's critique of education, as a means of middle-class social reproduction [Bourdieu, P., and Jean-C. Passeron. ([1977] 1990).Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. 2nd ed. Translated from the French by Richard Nice. London: Sage], and his notion of ‘academic capital’ [Bourdieu, P. 1984.Distinction: A social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Translated from the French by Richard Nice. London: Routledge; Bourdieu, P. 1986. “The Forms of Capital.” InHandbook of Theory and Research For the Sociology of Education, edited by J. G. Richardson, 241–258. New York: Greenwood] are applied to this empirical data. While the participants’ experiences of early education confirms Bourdieu's arguments, in terms of the centrality of the family's educational and cultural capital in making a qualitative difference to their children's academic achievements, the analysis of the participants’ higher education complicates this picture. Here, the paper calls Bourdieu's umbrella term ‘academic capital’ into question. The author suggests that three categories of academic capital were needed to explain the different and unequal ‘value’ of the participants’ academic qualifications before and after migration. These are – elite, standard and general. Through this exploration of these women's educational and migrational pathways, and the classed and gendered nature which many of them took, this paper seeks to further the feminist project of making Bourdieu's theories ‘useful’ in understanding contemporary issues which affect women's lives (Adkins, L. 2004. “Introduction.” InFeminism After Bourdieu, edited by L. Adkins and B. Skeggs, 110–128. Oxford: Blackwell, 3). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the factors affecting women's knowledge about food and nutrition in selected areas of rural Bangladesh. Respondents of the study included women who had participated in the BRAC Health Nutrition and Population Programme in the study region of Bangladesh in 2017. The findings revealed that women had a good level of knowledge about food and nutrition. Family size, annual income, and degree of education have significant effects on rural women's understanding of food and nutrition. We recommend developing an integrated approach by the government, extension department, and NGOs to work in collaboration within the rural contexts so that the country meets the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: achieving food security and improved nutrition. This research will help policymakers in Bangladesh to devise effective strategies for addressing the country's current challenges of nutrition and associated health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to education is usually found to be highly correlated with household income and wealth. This correlation often instigates an expectation that increasing income of the poor households will lead to greater human capital accumulation. This paper exploits randomized roll-out of a large-scale livelihood development programme for the ultra-poor in Bangladesh to measure the effect of asset transfer and livelihood supports on children's schooling. We find limited impact on enrolment although this programme has been extremely successful in transforming the economic lives of the ultra-poor and causing substantial increases in their income and productive assets. The beneficiary households are also found to have increased their expenditures on education. This increase in educational investment, however, has not affected educational attainment during the evaluation period. We also find that the programme increased the extent of child labour immediately after asset transfers. The level of this impact on children's work declines two years after the interventions ended. The increases in child labour are concentrated in activities related to livestock rearing, which is the primary type of asset transferred in this programme. However, we do not find evidence indicating a trade-off between children's enrolment and work. The evidence suggests that asset transfer programmes can be more effective by including additional components focusing on improvement in educational outcomes instead of relying primarily on spillover effects through income gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper's aim is to inspect the influence of trust, motivation and rewards on knowledge-sharing attitudes among secondary and higher secondary students in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach -- A sample of 200 Bangladeshi students from secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions in Dhaka city participated in this study. Data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling techniques. Findings -- The findings suggested that trust variables play a significant role in encouraging knowledge-sharing behaviour among the students. Practical Implications -- This research also provides a guideline to teachers and policymakers on enhancing a knowledge-sharing environment among secondary and higher secondary-level students. Originality -- This paper is a pioneer in understanding knowledge-sharing patterns among secondary and higher secondary students in a developing country such as Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The old project of modernizing madrasas has acquired a new zeal in South Asia after September 2011, whereby madrasa reform programmes became an acknowledged soft tactic of the war on terror. With 9000 Aliya (reformed) madrasas, the Bangladesh madrasa modernization programme has been identified as a potentially useful model for the neighbouring states of Pakistan and India who have made slower progress in implementing similar programmes. In this paper I argue that, although the Aliya madrasa system in Bangladesh has succeeded in integrating secular subjects in the madrasa curriculum, in reality this modernization project has failed in its underlying ambition to generate a ‘modern discourse’ on Islam—a discourse that is compatible with the demands of western modernity. The right to speak for Islam is still primarily exercised by the ‘ulama and graduates of the Qoumi (unreformed) madrasas. Aliya madrasas today compete with the secular schools not with Qoumi madrasas. The growth of the Aliya madrasa system in Bangladesh, instead of bearing testimony to the popular appeal of the modernization agenda, demonstrates the preference of Muslim parents for increased Islamic content in the school curriculum [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Any policy reform in education is highly effective when it is planned and implemented ‘holistically’ and yet, it is the most challenging way forward. Many countries in Asia have reformed their English language policies and syllabi in the last two decades due to the increasing value of the language worldwide. Motivated by a ‘communicative approach’ to English language teaching, Bangladesh was one of the countries that launched such a reform in the 1990s. However, this reform has been criticised for imposing the changes on teachers without preparing them sufficiently. More importantly, there is limited evidence as to how much the secondary English language assessment system is aligned with the changes introduced in the curriculum. In order to explore this gap, a medium-scale study was conducted in 38 secondary schools in Bangladesh, following a mixed methods approach. The findings highlighted a ‘mismatch’ between the intended English language learning outcomes and current assessment practices, including the resulting challenges faced by the teachers. This paper argues that language education reform is likely to fail if the assessment system is not aligned with the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: In Bangladesh, a common science curriculum caters for all students at the junior secondary level. Since this curriculum is for all students, its aims are both to build a strong foundation in science while still providing students with the opportunities to use science in everyday life – an aim consistent with the notion of scientific literacy. Purpose: This paper reports Bangladeshi science teachers’ perspectives and practices in regard to the promotion of scientific literacy. Sample: Six science teachers representing a range of geographical locations, school types with different class sizes, lengths of teaching experience and educational qualifications. Design and method: This study employed a case study approach. The six teachers and their associated science classes (including students) were considered as six cases. Data were gathered through observing the teachers’ science lessons, interviewing them twice – once before and once after the lesson observation, and interviewing their students in focus groups. Results: This study reveals that participating teachers held a range of perspectives on scientific literacy, including some naïve perspectives. In addition, their perspectives were often not seen to be realised in the classroom as for teachers the emphasis of learning science was more traditional in nature. Many of their teaching practices promoted a culture of academic science that resulted in students’ difficulty in finding connections between the science they study in school and their everyday lives. This research also identified the tension which teachers encountered between their religious values and science values while they were teaching science in a culture with a religious tradition. Conclusions: The professional development practice for science teachers in Bangladesh with its emphasis on developing science content knowledge may limit the scope for promoting the concepts of scientific literacy. Opportunities for developing pedagogic knowledge is also limited and consequently impacts on teachers’ ability to develop the concepts of scientific literacy and learn how to teach for its promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factor of tacit knowledge-sharing behavior among the academic staff of higher learning institutions.Design/methodology/approach A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed among the academic staff of higher learning institutions in Bangladesh. Collectively, 150 usable responses were returned. Apart from descriptive statistics, this research applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the measurement model and test the research hypotheses.Findings The findings from this empirical examination show that all the Big Five personality traits affect tacit knowledge-sharing behavior among the academic staff of higher learning institutions, except conscientiousness personality trait. However, the role of motivation, self-efficacy and mutual trust are also playing a significant role in tacit knowledge-sharing behavior. The CFA, SEM analysis confirmed the proposed conceptual model with a good model fit.Research limitations/implications The findings of this research contribute to the understanding of the role of personality traits and other antecedents which play a significant role for the academic staff tacit knowledge-sharing behavior which are interesting for policymakers and authorities of higher learning institutions. As there was no sampling frame, the researchers applied convenient sampling technique in choosing the respondents.Originality/value This research plays a pioneering role where it contributes to the growing literature on the relationships between personality traits and other factors to construct a model for the tacit knowledge behavior by considering academic staff of higher learning institutions from a developing country’s perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at discussing some socio-psychological barriers and linguistic challenges in teaching and learning English language especially reading and writing skills in Qawmi madrasas. The writer has used questionnaire, focused group discussion, and interview as data collection tools and the data has been analyzed following the quantitative and qualitative methods. After analyzing the data it is found that the linguistic challenges faced by the students of Qawmi madrasa include poor rate of fluency, learners' ignorance of phonetics and phonology, beliefs of teachers and learners about the nature of language and nature of learning, absence of any methodology in teaching and learning, and lack of effective interaction in the target language. The socio-psychological barriers include poor classroom environment, institutional obstacles for learners, perception of the society about Qawmi students, lack of qualified English teachers, and attitude towards the English language. Some recommendations are also made to overcome those barriers and challenges to bring the young learners into mainstream education in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted various facets of societal functioning, with the education sector facing unprecedented challenges. The sudden closure of schools and universities, coupled with the shift towards remote learning, created a dynamic educational environment. It significantly affected academic performance, psychological health, dropout rates, school closures, and even increased early marriage rates in Bangladesh. In 2021, the dropout rate stood at 14.15 percent. This study delves into the specific repercussions of the pandemic on the education landscape in Bangladesh. The research reveals the disparities in access to online education, shedding light on the socio-economic factors influencing digital learning engagement. Through a comprehensive analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, we explore the multifaceted effects on educational institutions, students, and educators. We present the impact of COVID-19 on education graphically using interpolation polynomials. Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector in Bangladesh necessitates a multifaceted approach that addresses various interconnected challenges. Moreover, prioritizing mental health support for students, teachers, and parents is paramount in navigating the emotional toll of the pandemic. Collaboration and partnerships with international organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and private sector entities are indispensable for mobilizing resources and expertise. Bangladesh can effectively manage the pandemic's complications and ensure the continued viability of its educational system by implementing such an all-encompassing approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equitable futures depend upon better employment outcomes for young women. We use a skills ecosystems approach to explore how youth skills development programs can maximise their impact in highly gendered societies and labour markets. While improving employment outcomes and incomes for young women, BRAC's STAR program cannot withstand Bangladesh's deep-rooted and socially restrictive norms and practices. Short-term successes are diluted as family pressures and commitments take precedent over young women's economic lives. Adding a temporal dimension to the concept of skills ecosystems, these findings highlight that maintaining these impacts requires constant renegotiation and advocacy to challenge the structural obstacles within households and labour markets and within national policies and investments that constrain their longer-term economic empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snakes are a natural form of pest control that play an essential role in the ecosystem's balance. Snakes can provide an ecological service to people by lowering insect populations that can spread disease and harm agricultural produce. Because snakes assist us in so many ways, they have long been the subject of torture and unfavorable views across cultures, and humans threaten many. However, little is known about how snake charmers in developing nations like Bangladesh are changing their attitudes and behavior toward snakes. This study aims to examine the snake charmer community in northern Bangladesh's changing attitudes and behavior toward snakes. Snake predictors must be better understood to improve conservation efforts. This study examined whether knowledge of mortality from snakebites, experience with snakebites, myth beliefs about snakes, and education level predict attitudes toward snakes in the northern area of Bangladesh. The results of the ordinal regression model revealed that beliefs in hatred, fear, and the myth that snakes are evil are related to less tolerance of snakes. We also examined attitudes that would predict the intended killing of snakes. Snake tolerance was linked to more frequent snake interactions and a lower level of education. Even after controlling for the influence of other psychological and experience-based variables, better snake tolerance and lower education were linked to a decreased risk of purposefully killing snakes. More education and sustainable wildlife management should be used to change people's attitudes and stop them from killing snakes on purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Bangladesh, a lot of changes have taken place in the field of English language teaching. Though there has been a significant shift in the curriculum, the role of the teacher has hardly shifted from the traditional Grammar Translation Method. As a result, the new methods of English Language Teaching have become ineffective to some extent. Based on an empirical study, this paper tries to identify what roles teachers are actually playing in the language classroom and why there exists a gap between theory and practice. It also focuses on teachers? beliefs and attitudes and how these clash with the expected roles of the teachers in the new methodology. Finally, it ends with some recommendations for teachers and administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of pre-school education on learning achievement at primary level in Bangladesh. Evidence from learning achievement test and household and school-related data were obtained from 7093 pupils attending 440 primary schools in Bangladesh. Findings suggest that a small proportion (15.3%) of primary school pupils attended pre-school. Pupils from educated parents and well-off families were more likely to attend. In principle, however, attendance at pre-school did not predict later learning achievement at primary level, but a range of socio-demographic, school-related and additional educational factors did have an impact. It is concluded that further research is warranted to examine the quality of pre-school provision offered in Bangladesh and the qualifications of professionals working with young children in these centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using detailed micro-data on social relations and networks from rural Bangladesh, this paper examines the social determinants of children's schooling in a developing country. We employ a comprehensive set of controls for parental sociability and NGO membership as proxies for family social capital. We find no evidence that parental sociability bolsters child outcomes as inputs in the educational production function or indirectly via boosting maternal social knowledge, which is an important predictor of children's educational status. On the other hand, the effect of maternal social knowledge prevails even when we additionally control for neighbourhood-level unobservables and maximum education level of the household. To be precise, we find no evidence to suggest that 'social' parents are 'better' parents: social knowledge endowment of mothers is not related to their sociability. Rather, educated parents and those with higher unobserved taste for child quality have better social knowledge irrespective of their sociability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Education Watch household survey database, this paper explores children's access to pre-school education in Bangladesh. Participation in pre-school education has been increasing in Bangladesh at the rate of 0.6% per year and the net enrolment rate was found to be 13.4% in 2005. Enrolment of over-aged children in pre-school education made the gross enrolment ratio as high as 30.5%. However, over half of the four to five year olds at school were actually enrolled in primary school and not in pre-school. Moreover, 71% of the four- to five-year group were out of school. Only a third of the four- to five-year-old children enrolled in schools had the opportunity to attend the English-medium kindergartens or NGO-run non-formal schools, both of which provide better quality pre-school education. Urban children, especially those with educated parents and from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds, were more likely to have access to pre-school education. The lack of a common pre-school curriculum seems to have created further inequity among children at this very early age. An educational policy targeting poor and socially disadvantaged children with support from both the state and current pre-school providers is urgently needed to provide four- to five-year-old children appropriate education for their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports labour market returns to education in Bangladesh using data from recent nationwide household survey. Returns are estimated separately for rural and urban samples, males, females and private‐sector employees. Substantial heterogeneity in returns is observed; for example, estimates are higher for urban (than rural sample) and female samples (compared with their male counterparts). Our ordinary least square estimates of returns to education are robust to control for types of schools attended by individuals and selection into waged work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bangladesh had one of the highest burdens of lymphatic filariasis (LF) at the start of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) with an estimated 70 million people at risk of infection across 34 districts. In total 19 districts required mass drug administration (MDA) to interrupt transmission, and 15 districts were considered low endemic. Since 2001, the National LF Programme has implemented MDA, reduced prevalence, and been able to scale up the WHO standard Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) across all endemic districts as part of its endgame surveillance strategy. This paper presents TAS results, highlighting the momentous geographical reduction in risk of LF and its contribution to the global elimination target of 2020. Methodology/Principal findings: The TAS assessed primary school children for the presence of LF antigenaemia in each district (known as an evaluation unit—EU), using a defined critical cut-off threshold (or ‘pass’) that indicates interruption of transmission. Since 2011, a total of 59 TAS have been conducted in 26 EUs across the 19 endemic MDA districts (99,148 students tested from 1,801 schools), and 22 TAS in the 15 low endemic non-MDA districts (36,932 students tested from 663 schools). All endemic MDA districts passed TAS, except in Rangpur which required two further rounds of MDA. In total 112 students (male n = 59; female n = 53), predominately from the northern region of the country were found to be antigenaemia positive, indicating a recent or current infection. However, the distribution was geographically sparse, with only two small focal areas showing potential evidence of persistent transmission. Conclusions/Significance: This is the largest scale up of TAS surveillance activities reported in any of the 73 LF endemic countries in the world. Bangladesh is now considered to have very low or no risk of LF infection after 15 years of programmatic activities, and is on track to meet elimination targets. However, it will be essential that the LF Programme continues to develop and maintain a comprehensive surveillance strategy that is integrated into the health infrastructure and ongoing programmes to ensure cost-effectiveness and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the highly competitive labour market of Bangladesh, workers are unable to find the right jobs and employers are also unable to find the right workers. Such skills mismatch is a manifestation that education alone cannot bridge the gaps in the labour market. Computer skills, which can complement education, are becoming increasingly important. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research regarding the potential benefit of possessing computer skills in the labour market of Bangladesh. This paper intends to fill in this knowledge gap by estimating the returns to computer use using a national labour force survey dataset. By utilising Heckman's two-step selection model, it was found that workers who could use computers earned 17% more than workers who could not use computers. Additionally, the returns to education and experience were estimated to be 3% and 2%, respectively. This implies that computer skills were as valuable as 5 years of education or 8 years of experience, assuming that the returns to all three were constant over time. The results of this study provide empirical evidence in favor of allocating government resources for computer training, and also advocate for individual investment towards learning computer skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All around the world, people are struggling for the rights and equality of women. In Bangladesh the struggle started two hundred years ago and still it is going on because the world does not meet the equality of women as they want. Though the Western countries have achieved their target mostly, we are still far behind the target. Though Nawab Faizunnesa (1834-1903) and Begum Rokeya (1880-1932) have straggled and shown the path, we have failed to understand their motto. Why women are lagged till now is not difficult to find out. We are not emphasizing the education for all to awaken men and women. Moreover, we have to think only education can remove the darkness of all and then men and women can contribute equally to develop the society. So, the paper emphasizes education for all as it is used as a tool of women's empowerment in Begum Rokeya's Sultana's Dream i.e. getting education and how women can enjoy their empowerment is going to be shown in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]