Child Labour and Education in Bangladesh - Bangladesh Online ...

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60 Bangladesh Education JournalThe issue of child labour and high dropout, low transition to secondary education and lowcompetency levels will persist if the conditions and the incentives that favour work overeducation for children cannot be removed. Successful measures will require a large degree ofpartnership, collaboration and co-operation and commitment by key stakeholders. Thiscoalition of forces can be solidified through knowledge sharing, mobilizing and utilizingtechnical and financial support and capacity-building of key actors in different areas of work.Recommendations for key stakeholdersThe key stakeholders including the government, employers and trade unions, NGOs andcivil society and the mass media have to do their share to combat directly and contribute tocreating the conditions for combating the complex and persistent phenomenon of childlabour.Government actionsMeasures that the government needs to take includes those that falls in the domain of theMinistry of Labour and Employment, the two Ministries of Education ( Primary and MassEducation and Secondary and Higher Education), and those that are inter-sectoral.The Ministry of Labour and Employment needs to approve the National Policy on ChildLabour under consideration by the government and initiate the implementation of the TBPto eliminate Worst Forms of Child Labour in Bangladesh.The Minsitry of Laobour and Employment needs to take the lead in the formation of an apexbody or a national taskforce on Child Labour and Education which can guide policydevelopment, monitoring of policy implementation, co-ordination among international andnational partners, and accountability for actions and budgets.Interministerial co-ordination between MOLE, MoPME and MOWCA should bestrengthened to avoid incongruous and inconsistent policy-making between differentministry. The focus of this coordination should be mainstreaming elimination of child labourinto sectoral plans, national development plans such as PRSPs, five year plans, and nationalinitiatives on Education for All.Government commitment and actions should be strengthened for strict enforcement oflabour laws relating to child work in hazardous conditions, including in the informal sector.The education authorities have to enhance the efforts towards achieving the EFA goals.Specific steps that have to be given priority includes: increasing primary and secondaryeducation budgets to improve the quality of teaching, facilities and resources; makingTechnical and Vocational Education and Training more effective; and looking at incometransfer/micro-credit programs as well as skills training for poor parents to offsetopportunity and direct costs.
Bangladesh Education Journal 61Role of NGOs, private sector, workers’ organisations and civil societyNGOs and Community organizations can promote awareness on issues of child labour andeducation within their communities. They can also build community monitoring systems toverify the incidence of child labour, dropout and never-enrolled children in their areas. Theycan also help directly with elimination of child labour by providing or supporting adultliteracy schemes, adult skills training, micro-credit programs and transitional educationalprogrammes.Private sector, employer groups and trade unions can play their role by strengthing theircooperation to help in the direct elimination of child labour through strict enforcement andmonitoring of labour regulations, campaign and advocacy work and sector-based projects.They also have a role in strengthening public-private partnerships between governmentagencies and institutions and non-government providers and training instututions. The aimwould be to identify needs of the labour market; help training institutions develop modularcompetence-based courses and their accreditation, and develop job placementmechanisms. They also can help in developing safety nets, codes of conduct andprocurement policies which will protect children from being engaged in hazardous activitiesMedia and civil society also need to help in raising awareness and mobilizing citizens toform public opinion and create a national movement against child labour. They can helpform campaign and advocacy group at local level, help in the monitoring and reporting ofchild labour issues, and help in lobbying international and national leaders, bodies andgroups for popular and political support.BibliographyAckerman, P., Thormann, M.S. & Huq, S (2005). Assessment of Educational Needs ofDisabled Children in Bangladesh. Dhaka: USAIDAhmad et al.(2007). Financing primary and secondary education in Bangladesh. CAMPE:Bangladesh.Ahmed et al (2007). Access to Education In Bangladesh: Country Analytic Review ofPrimary and Secondary Education. Dhaka, Bangladesh, Institute of EducationalDevelopment, BRAC University(2005) Quality with Equity. The Primary Education Agenda. Dhaka: CAMPE.Ahmed, M., Ali, K.S. & Khan, K.K. (2005). Bangladesh: Education Sector Mapping:Dhaka, Institute of Educational Development, BRAC Univesity.Anam, N. (2002). The feminine dimension of disability. Dhaka: CSID.Assad, R., Levison, D. & Zibani, N. (2001). The effect of child work on school enrollment inEgypt. Retrieved on April 10, 2006 from www.erf.org.eg/html/Ragui_Assaad.pdf
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