Female Stipend Program

The Female Stipend Program (FSP) was created in 1982 in Bangladesh with an objective to maximize the number of attendance of girls in secondary education. The objective was to reduce dependency of girls on their parents and establish their rights in the decision making process in their family. Secondary education is a stage of education following primary education and is a very important chapter of a child’s life crycle. It provides knowledge on global economy, civil skills and social cohesion. The program maximized access to more number of girls in secondary education and thus be more dependent, counter social exclusion as traditional gender responsibilities have kept them from full economic and social participation. Educational attainment for women in Bangladesh was once among the lowest in the world. The 1991 census indicated that only 20% of women were literate, with a rate of 14% in rural areas. The enrollment rate in primary schools for girls was 64% in 1990 compared to 74% for boys. The gender disparity was even greyer in secondary education, in which only 33% of enrolled students and 29% of graduates were girls. FSP had an objective to give incentives to girls of tk 25 entering in class 6 and tk 60 entering in class 10 in-order to educate girls and encourage their family to let them study. Thus they could contribute to their family expenses and reduce the cost of household living, rather than living as a burden to their family. The program was highly successful as the enrollment of girls in primary and secondary education in 2002/3 increased by 86% than that of 1996. If the figures were correct this program ensured equal admission of girls and boys at primary and secondary level. As the girls remained in school these cut down early marriage rates significantly. Parents couldn’t marry their under-age daughters illegally as the legal age of girls to marry in the stipend program was 18 years old. Moreover the FSP influenced population growth as education and