Bangladesh Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, has directed revival assessment of the historic stipend scheme from Class VI to graduation to boost retention, cut child marriage and support nutrition amid persistent secondary dropout challenges.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed officials to assess the feasibility of restoring universal stipends for girls from Class VI through to the degree level, with the explicit goals of reducing school dropouts and discouraging child marriage. The instruction came during a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust.

Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Hossain Shadhin said the meeting reviewed the Trust’s ongoing work in providing financial assistance to keep students in education. Officials also examined the record of the original universal stipend programme for girls, introduced during the tenure of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. That programme was widely credited with raising girls’ school attendance, improving retention and helping delay early marriage.

Against that backdrop, the Prime Minister called for a detailed proposal covering estimated costs, the number of potential beneficiaries, implementation mechanisms and the expected social and educational returns. The discussion also touched on merit-based stipends for boys and the importance of nutrition and health measures alongside financial support.

Roots of a Landmark Programme

Bangladesh’s Female Secondary School Stipend and Assistance Programme, launched nationally in 1994 after earlier pilots, remains one of the country’s most studied education interventions. Rural girls in secondary school received tuition support and cash stipends on condition that they maintained at least 75 per cent attendance, scored a minimum of 45 per cent in class tests and remained unmarried until completing the Secondary School Certificate examination.

The scheme produced rapid results. Girls’ secondary enrolment grew far faster than boys’, eventually reversing the historic gender gap. Long-term evaluations have shown that eligible girls completed more years of schooling, married later, had fewer children and gained greater household decision-making power. Intergenerational effects have also been documented, including improved child health outcomes and cognitive gains among the next generation.

Development partners and researchers have calculated that the programme’s social returns exceeded its costs by a wide margin, making it a reference point for conditional cash transfers in other countries.

Persistent Challenges of Dropout and Early Marriage

Despite these gains, dropout remains a serious concern, particularly at the secondary and higher secondary stages. Recent education statistics show higher dropout rates among girls than boys at secondary level. Child marriage continues to be cited by educators and researchers as one of the primary reasons girls leave school. Poverty, household financial pressure, safety concerns on the way to school and limited perceived returns to education also contribute.

Over time the original universal model evolved into more targeted and harmonised stipend schemes administered through the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust and related programmes. While these continue to reach millions of students, delays in disbursement and operational issues have periodically disrupted support. Education advocates note that the shift away from near-universal coverage for girls reduced the programme’s visibility and reach among the poorest households.

What a Revival Would Require

Any restoration of universal stipends from Class VI to graduation would demand careful fiscal and administrative planning. Officials have been asked to estimate the total cost, project the number of beneficiaries and design a transparent delivery system – most likely through mobile financial services already used for existing stipends. Conditions similar to the original programme, such as attendance, academic performance and remaining unmarried, are likely to feature in any new design.

The meeting also signalled interest in complementary measures. Merit- and need-based support for boys was discussed as a way to maintain balance and encourage male retention. Equal weight was given to students’ nutrition and health, with references to school meal programmes that improve both attendance and learning outcomes. Pilot initiatives for mid-day meals in selected districts have already been under consideration.

Broader Educational and Social Dividends

Evidence from the original stipend programme suggests that financial incentives work best when paired with efforts to improve school quality, safety and relevance. Families respond to the reduced cost of educating daughters, but sustained gains depend on classrooms that deliver meaningful skills and on communities that value delayed marriage.

International research has highlighted Bangladesh’s experience as a rare large-scale success in raising female secondary enrolment through modest conditional transfers. Restoring a broader version of the scheme could help reverse recent pressures on retention, particularly in rural and low-income areas where the opportunity cost of keeping adolescent girls in school remains high.

Implementation challenges will include accurate targeting, timely digital payments, monitoring of conditions and coordination across education directorates. Past evaluations have also noted occasional leakage and administrative friction; any new design will need robust safeguards.

Signature Programme

The Prime Minister’s directive places the Education Assistance Trust and relevant ministries under clear instructions to produce a concrete proposal. Whether the government ultimately opts for a full universal revival or a phased expansion of existing schemes will depend on the cost-benefit analysis now under way.

What is already clear is the political and social recognition that keeping girls in school through secondary and tertiary levels delivers returns that extend far beyond individual classrooms – into delayed marriage, healthier families, higher female labour-force participation and stronger intergenerational mobility.

As Bangladesh continues to expand access while wrestling with quality and completion rates, the possible return of a signature programme that once transformed the country’s education landscape has become a live policy option once more.