Secondary School Madrasas in Bangladesh: Incidence, Quality, and Implications for Reform

This report presents findings from a comprehensive survey to determine the magnitude of madrasa institutions in Bangladesh and whether the quality of the education is on par with secular schools. Based on the outcome of the survey, the report highlights that while gender equality in access has been achieved in both schools and madrasas, girls systematically fare poorer in learning outcomes.

Key findings:

• despite the increase in girls' enrolment in registered secondary madrasa, there is a persistent gender gap in learning outcomes
• both the boys and girls scored lower in Mathematics and English tests than the students of publicly-funded non-government schools
• however, the performance of all rural schools in English and Mathematics was also low