Educational Prospects for Children from Marginalized Groups – Quality Education, Safe Schools, Active Civil Society (SATIRTHO)

Project Period:01.01.2024 – 31.12.2027

Private German executing agency: NETZ Partnership for Development and Justice e.V.

Implementation areas: Kushtia districts

Implementing Partners: Anandalok Trust

Institutional objectives:

Overall objective: Teachers, civil society and public authorities are strengthened to ensure the Right to Education for children from marginalised groups in three remote districts of Bangladesh.

Background of the project:

The planned programme focuses on women and girls as well as members of minority groups. It systemati-cally promotes their equal political, economic, social and cultural participation and specifically strengthens their rights, resources and representation. The programme thus makes an important contribution to the realisation of gender equality, the central cornerstone of a feminist development policy. In 2021, more than 60% of teachers in government primary and pre-schools in Bangladesh were female (Directorate of Primary Education, 2022), but according to the experiences of partner NGOs, only 30% on average are rep-resented in leadership positions. In dialogue with public authorities and ministries and through joint ac-tion, school boards, parents and teachers advocate for the rights of women and girls and ensure that girls are targeted for enrolment and receive state school scholarships to which they are entitled, and that child marriages, which increasingly affect girls, are prevented. The programme encourages women to take up key positions on school boards. In addition, local school authorities are encouraged to give preference to female applicants when appointing new school heads. Public events and family visits by Education Support Organisers raise awareness of the specific importance of education for women and girls.