The Government of the People

Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education

Ministry of Education

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Program Monitoring Unit (PMU)

	TDP Draft
►	Environmental Assessment and Environmental Management Framework of Secondary Education Quality & Access Enhancement Project (Proposed)
►	The Nationwide Female Stipend Program : An Overview
►	Project and Bank Arrangements
►	Objectives of the Nationwide Female Stipend Program ( NFSP)
►	Eligibility Criteria for Getting Stipend
►	Stipend and Tuition Fee Rates
►	The Projects Under the Nation-wide Female Stipend Program at a Glance
►	Female Secondary School Assistance Project Phase : II (FSSAP-II)
►	Female Secondary Stipend Project (FSSP)
►	Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project (SESIP)
►	Female Secondary Education Stipend Project 2^nd Phase (FESP)
►	Higher Secondary Female Stipend Program (HSFSP)
►	Stipend Program for Metropolitan Cities
►	Pro-poor Targeting
►	Project wise District, Upazila & Institutions
►	Information on General and Madrasha Education at Junior Secondary & Secondary Level
►	Project Wise No of Girls and Institutions
►	Project Wise No of Stipend Recipients Girls
►	No of Girls and Institutions of Higher Secondary Level
►	Year Wise Stipend Recipient Girls Increasing Rate
►	Results of Secondary School Certificate
►	SSC Result of Stipend Recipients Girls
►	HSC Result of Girls Student for all over Bangladesh
►	Dropout Grils Student List of Secondary Level
►	Project Wise Stipend Disbursement Status
►	No. of Male & Female Teacher of Secondary Level
►	Percentage of Female Teachers
►	Boys and Girls Ratio of Secondary Level
►	Summary Data of all Female Stipend Projects at Secondary Level
►	Other special activities under FSSAPII
►	Other special activities under SESIP
►	Head/Asstt. Head of the Institutions Training by FSP at the Secondary Level
►	Subject Teacher Training by FSP at the Secondary Level
►	Providing Twin latrine and Tube well at Secondary Level institution
►	Stake holder Training at Secondary Level

►

THE NATIONWIDE FEMALE STIPEND PROGRAM : AN OVERVIEW

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Education is the basic need for the socio-economic transformation and the advancement of a country. It is the prime ingredient of human resource development. The Constitution of Bangladesh obligates the Government to adopt effective measures for establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such a stage as may be determined by law. It also obligates the Government to relate education to the needs of the society and producing properly trained and motivated citizens to serve the needs. It also obligates the Government for removing illiteracy within such times as may be determined by law.

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Bearing in mind the Constitutional obligation, the Government of Bangladesh has been trying its best to achieve impressive results in education sector. Although it may be mentioned that the educational development in Bangladesh has not yet been adequately geared to meet its human needs. However, having with around 133.4 million people (2003), the adult literacy rate (15 + age) of the country is about 54.8% wherein the female literacy rate is 48.9% and male 60.3%. The gap of literacy rates between the urban and the rural areas is also very wide.

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The Government of Bangladesh has already undertaken various reform measures for the quantitative and qualitative development of primary, secondary and tertiary education and perhaps the greatest strength of the Government in this regard is the consistent high level national commitment and consensus on the priority of female education. The Government has realized that the benefits of education should be experienced and shared equitably by both women and men. In fact, sustainable development of a nation is absolutely impossible without the participation of women in the mainstream of development activities.

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However, the Government of Bangladesh with some short term and long term objectives laid special emphasis in the Fourth Five Year Plan (FFYP) (1990-95) to raise female literacy rate from 16% to 25% and thereby ensure enhanced participation of females in all spheres of national life.

The objectives of the FFYP are stated below:

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Short term objectives

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To increase the number of enrollment of girls in grades 6-10.

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To assist them to pass their SSC examination so that they become qualified for employment as primary school teachers, agricultural extension agents health and family planning workers and NGO field workers etc; and

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To hold them in studies and thereby refrain them from early marriage.

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Long term objectives

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To enhance the number of educated women capable of participating in economic and social development activities of the country;

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To enhance the social status of the female in the community and thereby reduce the gender gap from every sphere of life;

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To create a positive impact on population growth; and

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to provide occupational skills training to school leaving girls interested in entering the labor market as self-employed workers, semi-skilled and skilled workers.

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To achieve these objectives, the Government launched a program from January 1990 that aimed at exempting girls living outside the metropolitan areas from paying tuition fees from grades 6-8. But this program was not sufficient for continuing their education upto 10. As a result it was necessary to launch a broad-based program for achieving the targets of FFYP. However, it is to be noted that , a pilot project for providing financial support to secondary female students of one Thana was taken-up in early eighties with the financial help of USAID. On close monitoring and evaluation of the program, it was revealed that the by providing financial support it was possible in bringing and retaining the girls at secondary level.

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However, in order to achieve the targets of FFYP more effectively, the Government had decided to undertake the Nation Wide Female Stipend Program (NFSP) for awarding stipend and tuition grant to the female students from grades 6 to 10 and also providing financial help for purchasing of books in grade IX and paying examination fees to SSC candidates. The NFSP was launched in January 1994 . Before undertaking the NFSP, a Baseline Survey was made in 1992 where the weakness of secondary education , particularly, the low participation of girls in secondary levels were determined including measures to be considered. On the basis of the survey report, the Government launched the NFSP by implementing 4 development project covering 461 upazillas. The detailed coverage of upazilla and source of financing under NFSP is furnished below:

Project and Bank Arrangements

Name of The project	Name of Bank to distribute stipends	Financing source	Coverage
Female Secondary School Assistance Project (FSSAP)	Agrani Bank	IDA & GOB	119 Upazillas
Female Secondary Stipend Project (FSSP)	Agrani, Janata and Rupali Bank	GOB	270 +19 (only madrsha) Upazillas
Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project (SESIP)	Rupali Bank	ADB & GOB	53 Upazillas
Female Education Stipend Project (FESP)	Agrani Bank	NORAD	19 (only schools) Upazillas

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♦ Objectives of the Nationwide Female Stipend Program ( NFSP)

During launching of the NFSP , the participation of female students in the secondary level was only 33 percent and out of which only 05 percent could pass the SSC examination. It is indeed to be noted that poverty, early marriage, socio-economic conditions and social prejudice etc. are the common impediments for low rate of female participation and passing SSC examination. To overcome the impediments the NFSP has been framed with the following objectives :

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Short term objectives

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To increase the number of girls’ enrollment in grades 6-10.

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To assist the girls to pass SSC examination so that they can make themselves qualified for employment as primary school teachers, agriculture extension agents, health and family planning workers, NGO filed workers etc. and

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To hold girls in studies and make them refrain from early marriage;

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To aware the community for sending their daughters to the schools for obtaining education.

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The long-term objectives are:

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To enlarge the number of educated women capable of participating in the economic and social development of the country,

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To increase the social status of the female in the community and reduce gender disparity;

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To create a positive impact on population growth.

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Eligibility Criteria for Getting Stipend

Under NFSP, the female students at the secondary level are getting stipends under the following criteria:

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The girl students must attend at least 75% of the classes in an academic year;

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They must obtain, on an average 45% marks at the half yearly/annual examination;

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They must unmarried until passing the SSC examination. Students violating any one of the above criteria will not be eligible for getting stipends and tuition fees.

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Stipend and Tuition Fee Rates

Under NFSP, the amount provided to the female students of grades 6-10 as stipend, subsidy to the institutions against tuition fees and other fees is stated below:

(Amount in Taka)

Class	Type of institution	First installment: Jan-June				Second installment: July-Dec.				Annual total	Monthly stipend	Monthly tuition
Class	Type of institution	Stipend	Tuition	Books	Total	Stipend	Tuition	Exam. Fees	Total	Annual total	Monthly stipend	Monthly tuition
6	Govt.	150	60	-	210	150	60	-	210	420	25	10
6	Non-Govt	150	90	-	240	150	90	-	240	480	25	15
7	Govt.	180	72	-	252	180	72	-	252	504	30	12
7	Non-Govt	180	90	-	270	180	90	-	270	540	30	15
8	Govt.	210	72	-	282	210	72	-	282	564	35	12
8	Non-Govt	210	90	-	300	210	90	-	300	600	35	15
9	Govt.	360	90	250	700	360	90	-	450	1150	60	15
9	Non-Govt	360	120	250	730	360	120	-	480	1210	60	20
10	Govt.	360	90	-	450	540	135	550	1225	1675	60	15
10	Non-Govt	360	120	-	480	540	180	550	1270	1750	60	20

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Following the above rate schedule, Stipend Awarding Program under NFSP has been executing since January 1994 in the 461 Upazilla except 04 Metropolitan cities through the 04 projects mentioned earlier. The decision is expected to have far- reaching impact on education and empowerment of women and children as well as on overall socio-economic development of the country. Truly it can be said that Bangladesh has done much better than other countries in South Asia in enrolling girl students basically at Secondary level through implementing the Nation wide Female Stipend Program. Due to the implementation of the NFSP for the secondary level girls, the gross enrollment rate of girls in the year 2005 at secondary level comes to 53.43%.

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The Projects Under the Nation-wide Female Stipend Program at a Glance:

Being inspired by the success of the NFSP, the Government of Bangladesh has extended the duration of four stipend projects for five more years with own finance and financial assistance from donor agencies. The Government has laid special emphasis on improving the quality of secondary education along with increasing access and retention of girls through these projects designed in the new perspective. However the projects designed under NFSP are furnished below:

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FSSAP-II

The name of the Project : Female Secondary School Assistance Project Phase : II (FSSAP-II)

Implementation Period : July 2001 – June 2007

The total project cost : Total = Tk. 83187.94 lakh

Financing of the Project : GOB = Tk. 14141.95 lakh ; IDA = Tk. 69045.99 lakh

Objectives of the Project

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Improving the Quality of Secondary Education

Efficient teacher, good institution and supportive environment are essential for the qualitative development of secondary education. The concept of quality education is very much related to the development of female education as well as achievement of the high pass rate in the SSC examination. For this reason the project will provide assistance in management and supervision training for Head Teachers. It is also aimed at providing subject based training to the Assistant Teachers.

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Increasing Access and Retention of Girls

This component specially emphasizes to keep the trend of increasing of enrollment unabated and assist girls to pass the SSC examination

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Strengthening Management, Accountability and Monitoring

The objective of this component is to strengthen the management capacity of the NFSP in Bangladesh and thereby improve the quality, minimizing irregularities and wastages of NFS program.

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FSSP

The name of the Project : Female Secondary Stipend Project (FSSP)

Implementation Period : 1st Phase : Jan, 1994 to June, 2005

2nd Phase: July, 2005 to Dec, 2008

The total project cost : Total = Tk. 46662.40 lakh

Financing of the Project : GOB

Objectives of the Project : The main objectives of the project are as follows:

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To enhance and retain female students in the secondary stage and thereby promote female education;

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To reduce population growth by motivating the stipend clientele group to refrain from marriage till the completion of secondary school certificate examination or the attainment of 18 years of age;

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To increase the involvement of women in socio-economic development activities;

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To increase the scope of women’s self employment opportunity and thereby meet the poverty alleviation goals;

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To assist in improving the status of women in society; and

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To strengthen the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education through implementation support and capacity building at Upazila level all over the country.

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SESIP

The name of the Project : Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project (Revised)

Implementation Period : July 1999 – Dec. 2006

The total project cost : Tk. 59020.00 lakh

Financing of the Project : GOB = Tk. 14820.00 lakh ; ADB = Tk. 34200.00 lakh

Objectives of the Project

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Strengthening MOE’s institutional capacity to plan, manage and execute the secondary education system and to improve the use of scarce resources by providing assistance to Policy support and strategic planning by

Decentralization management

ii)

Developing performance-based management

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Strengthening school management and supervision

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To help build support systems for improved quality of secondary education by

Strengthening the capacity for curriculum development

ii)

Privatize secondary textbooks production

iii)

Reform student assessment and public examination