SANEI: Education Research Initiative: Abstract

A Study of Secondary Education In Bangladesh and West Bengal

The aim of our project is to study the appropriate methods of funding secondary education in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India.
Specifically, we propose to examine - in the context of the two countries-

1. the determinants of school performance like
   1. teacher and student resources,
   2. infrastructure like rooms, library and other facilities,
   3. ownership and organization such as government, religious, private, NGO etc.
2. the prospects of supplementary funding through tuitions, endowments and aid

We propose to choose 35-40 various types of schools in the chosen regions in each of the two countries - eg rural/urban, government/aided/private, of different religious denominations and mediums of instruction. We plan to collect data regarding their performance, human resources and infrastructure as well as on background and progression of a sample of students.

We then propose to apply standard statistical tools to examine:

1. the mean performance of different categories of schools,
2. the determinants of school performance,
3. determinants of individual student performance
4. factors underlying students' willingness to pay and choice of schools

Finally we aim to study the connections between the policies pursued by the governments with the performance of the students at the secondary level.