Access to and exclusion from primary education in slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s urban population is rising fast. In the capital, Dhaka, some 4 million people live in slums. They are lacking in wealth, power and social connections; probably under-counted in national surveys; and under-served by both government and non-government organisations, many of whom still see poverty as a rural issue or see the urban poor as less deserving of help. Drawing on CREATE research from 2008, this paper highlights the extent of educational exclusion in Dhaka’s slums. The results suggest that the number of children not enrolled and drop-out rates are as bad in slums as in some of the poorest rural areas of Bangladesh. Neither government nor NGOs are addressing the needs of the urban poor as fully as they should.