Investigating Educational Inequality in Bangladesh: A Decomposition Analysis

This study aims to assess the current educational inequality in Bangladesh and identify the key contributing factors to this inequality. The study reveals that although educational inequality as measured by educational Gini is declining in Bangladesh, it is still quite high. It indicates that despite substantial progress in the country's education sector, the inequality in educational attainment remains across gender, location, socioeconomic status, and age. The decomposition result reveals that among the different factors, income contributes the overall inequality most, which suggests that enhancing educational opportunities for poor people could reduce overall educational inequality. The study also finds that age is the second most important factor and that its contribution has grown over time, while gender and administrative division contribute little and the rural-urban divide makes a smaller but persistent contribution. Finally, the study suggests focusing on the educational needs of old-age people, and disadvantaged groups ensuring balanced educational opportunities.