Bangladesh Primary Education and Stipend Project : a descriptive analysis

The Primary Education Stipend Project (PESP) aims to increase the educational participation-enrollment, attendance, persistence, and performance--of primary school-aged children from poor families throughout Bangladesh by providing cash payments to targeted households. Initiated by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) in July 2002, the Primary Education Stipend Project began its first official year of operation in January 2003, with the goal of supporting more than 5 million pupils. This report primarily provides descriptive and anecdotal information about the PESP, as well as raises some issues that will require further investigation and analysis once the program has experienced an annual cycle and data become available. Data for this report were collected mainly through a series of interviews with the national PESP director and headquarters staff and review of existing documentation. The analysis also draws on several studies that have assessed similar programs or examined related issues as references. Additional perspective was gained through discussion with various Dhaka-based actors in the education sector in Bangladesh. The report is organized into five sections. Following this Introduction, Background and Context provides a brief description of the status of primary schooling in Bangladesh and precursor programs. Overview and Current Status of PESP describes the PESP and summarizes its progress so far. PESP Component Discussion and Analysis examines key components of the PESP, provides more descriptive information, presents issues of concern, and makes some preliminary recommendations. The Conclusions section reviews the preliminary findings and summarizes concerns.