Gender equality has received widespread attention in recent development discourse. The gender equality has often been reduced to numerical parity at the behest of projecting donor’s aid effectiveness and successes of government’s political expediency. The present report contends that view, argues that gender equality is not coherently assimilated neither by the current theoretical trends in education nor by the practices of the formal and informal systems, and provides conceptual clarity.

Education by definition is a natural ally of equality, if its sole purpose is assumed that the realm of education is enriched the more knowledge is shared and does not exclude others from its possession. But there is a relational aspect to equity, which is shaped in each context by its history, resources, power and ideology. Gender equality in education incorporates in itself not only the notions of numerical parity in access and participation but also equality in terms of outcomes. Viewing that gender discrimination is an expression of a larger system of social injustice, the present volume, contends that any intervention must relate to men’s and women's abilities to utilise their capabilities to realise their self potential while recognising that men's and women's abilities to utilise their capabilities depend on access to resources, entitlements, accountability and equality of opportunities.

A gender responsive education, according to the report, must encompass a schooling system, the aim of which is the flourishing of the collective society, the community, as well as the flourishing of the individuals. The report in similar vain outlines an agenda for reform to scale up equality in education.

IFI Watch-Bangladesh contains fact-sheets, opinion pieces and summaries of research reports that scrutinise and monitor the activities of World Bank, IMF, WTO, ADB, with special focus on their roles in Bangladesh.

Bangla Version
IFI WATCH Vol. 3. No. 1 World Bank Immunity and Peoples’ Concerns
IFI WATCH Vol. 2, No. 2 WTO and Bangladesh Agriculture
IFI WATCH Vol. 2, No. 3 WTO and Non-Agricultural Market Access

For English version of IFI Watch please click here