Recently the results of SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and equivalent examinations were published. Girls in our country have almost consistently outperformed boys in the SSC and equivalent examinations.
Every year, newspapers publish jubilant photos of top-scoring female students, which makes us proud and reassured. But this year I found the heading of a news report rather startling.
That said that no student of two schools in Bhandaria upazila of Pirozpur could pass in the SSC and equivalent exams this year. The two schools are Jujkhola Sammeleta Girls’ High School, and Madhya Charail High School.
Jujkhola Sammeleta Girls’ High School’s headteacher Uttam Haldar said 12 students completed registration from the school this year. Five of them took the exams. All of them failed. He further said as all of the female students were married, they did not attend classes regularly. The news report is truly shocking.
Bangladesh was improving in terms of female literacy rate than some other countries of South Asia. According to the World Bank’s 2021 report, the rate of female literacy (15-24 years) in the country was 97 per cent. The report further said Bangladesh has achieved 93.3 per cent gender parity in education, which is a significant success.
Why such a situation has emerged now, especially when Bangladesh hopes to ensure primary and secondary education to all children, irrespective of their sexes, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. It is essential to know about another relevant data to know the answer to this question. Child marriage has been rising at an alarming rate in Bangladesh.
According to UNICEF, as many as 51.4 per cent girls are married off before turning 18. That means, over half of the adolescent girls are victims of child marriage. This is the highest rate in Asia and 8th highest across the world.
More intriguing is, the rate has been gradually rising instead of coming down. In 2020, the rate was 31.3 per cent, which has spiked to 41.6 in 2023. In 2025, the rate has skyrocketed to 51.4 per cent.
More intriguing is, the rate has been gradually rising instead of coming down. In 2020, the rate was 31.3 per cent, which has spiked to 41.6 in 2023. In 2025, the rate has skyrocketed to 51.4per cent. In 2020, the rate of marriage of girls below 15 years of age was 4.9, which increased to 8.2 per cent in 2023. This year the rate is 15 per cent. Are we going backward?
We all know, child marriage and education are two antithetical issues. Thousands of girls are dropping out from schools regularly because of child marriage. When a girl is married off, she leaves educational institutions for good. In this country, 24 per cent of girls give birth even before turning 18. They never come back to schools or educational institutions. But why have we started to regress while making progress?
According to the Child Marriage Act, 2017, the minimum age of marriage for girls in Bangladesh is 18 and for males 21. Although it is a punishable offence if marriage is arranged for boys and girls below this age, we know child marriage is a common phenomena in the country and no one is facing punishment for this. No active steps are also being taken to prevent such marriages. As if everyone has been considering this was normal. What is the reason?
According to research, there are at least four reasons for this fast growing rate of child marriage in Bangladesh
One, poverty. As many as 64 per cent of the female victims of child marriage are from poor families, who think marrying off a girl will lead to decrease in another mouth to feed. Besides, they can’t even bear the study expenses.
More than half of the country’s population are women. A nation cannot progress at all while keeping such a large section of its people uneducated and in the dark.
Two, dowry. The younger the bride, the “demand” is higher. This is because, the older the bride is, parents need to pay more dowry. At the same time, it is tough to find a “suitable” bridegroom if the bride is older. All of these factors are leading to parents’ increasing interest to marry off their girls at a young age.
Three, gender inequality. Girls are generally less cherished than boys in the society. Girls are often considered as a burden or an extra responsibility for the family. A study reveals that seven out of 10 parents believe that marriage is the only way for a girl to gain true identity and respect in society. Until a girl is married, she struggles to attain a dignified social standing.
Four, Lack of security. This is a crucial factor. In recent times, the rates of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse have risen alarmingly in the country. As a result, parents of young girls live in constant fear.
According to the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, incidents of rape and sexual violence have nearly doubled over the past decade.
There is growing insecurity for women in society, harassment, online or digital abuse, and efforts to demean girls in various ways have all increased. It is not just about the abuse; spreading videos or images of such incidents to dishonour and ostracise families has also been rising. Many parents now consider early marriage as the only solution. The culture of impunity regarding violence against women is further fuelling this trend.
More than half of the country’s population are women. A nation cannot progress at all while keeping such a large section of its people uneducated and in the dark. Recently, violence and negative attitudes towards women have risen to such a level that those are now pushing girls further back, both in society and within families.
The situation in the two schools in Pirojpur is deeply concerning and presents a bleak future for many girls across the country. Unfortunately, there seems to be little visible effort from either the government or private sector to change this reality.
The long-term impact of this neglect is not yet fully visible to us. If we want to increase female education rates and reduce dropout rates, ensuring the safety of girl children in society is the most urgent need of the moment.
* Tanjina Hossain is a physician and a writer