Bangladesh makes significant progress in bridging gaps: World Bank country director

Bangladesh has made significant progress in bridging gaps between low and high-opportunity groups, particularly in the education sector, said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

"However, much remains to be done," he said at a conference on Tuesday, adding, "South Asian countries must continue to reduce socio-economic disparities as they lead to differences in access to jobs, earnings, consumption and welfare and impact overall growth."

The two-day conference, termed Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth, opened on Tuesday. It has been organised by the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and the World Bank.

The conference provides academics and researchers a platform to discuss South Asia's economic outlook, and how socio-economic disparities prevent the region from achieving its development goals.

According to the latest regional economic update of the World Bank, South Asia has suffered an unprecedented combination of shocks over the past three years, and moving from recovery to growth requires that ensuring economic development is inclusive.

Over the past two decades, sustained economic growth in South Asia has lifted some 250 million people out of extreme poverty and improved living standards. However, economic growth has not benefited all groups equally, and social progress remains elusive.

South Asia has among the world's highest inequality of opportunity. Between 40% and 60% of total inequality in the region is driven by circumstances out of an individual's control, such as place of birth, family background, caste, ethnicity, and gender.

Intergenerational mobility is also among the world's lowest - less than 9% of individuals whose parents have low levels of education reach education levels of the upper 25%, as per the report.

While the South Asian region as a whole experiences inequality, there is considerable variation between countries. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan have somewhat better mobility and equality of opportunity than their regional neighbours.

"Reducing inequality of opportunity and increasing economic mobility in South Asia is important because it is an essential part of broadening the tax base," said Hans Timmer, chief economist of the World Bank for South Asia.

"Therefore, eliminating obstacles to mobility is not merely a long-term agenda, but should be a central part of current reform programmes that aim to make the fiscal outlook more sustainable, and help South Asia achieve its full potential," he said.

Imran Matin, executive director of BIGD, said, "The high levels of inequality of opportunity and low intergenerational mobility in South Asia are not only unjust but also impede long-term economic growth."

He added, "Policies to address it will create a more equitable society and help unlock the region's full potential. We should remember that lack of social progress means lack of social justice."

Speaker of the national parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, "As a nation we have made great strides in tackling inequality, promoting gender equality and access to quality education for all. Our children now have a better chance of overcoming the disadvantage of their parent's socio-economic status."

"This progress has been possible due to the effective use of findings from research in shaping our policies and interventions, ensuring that our actions are grounded in data-driven insights," she said.

Parents in urban slums less interested in child education

Families residing in urban slums often have limited aspirations of sending their children to school. However, even those who wish to do so face challenges due to income and resource constraints, according to a research study, titled Impact of Parental Aspirations on Adolescent Education: A Qualitative Study Exploring Slums in Dhaka.

According to the research, presented at a session at the conference by Saklain A Mammun, researcher at BIGD, in urban slums, parents have gender-specific aspirations for their children's education. 

They often prioritise sending their sons to school in the hope that they will receive an education, earn a good income, and provide support to their parents, reads the research.

The research further found that as a result of the pandemic, many teenagers started working to help increase their family's income and did not return to their studies.

A total of 12 papers were presented at several sessions at the conference.

Dr Arijita Dutta, professor of Economics at Calcutta University, presented a paper on the Indian experience of inequality in maternal health care.

She said that India had achieved improvement in the human development index and maternal health. But the driver of the improvement is coverage rather than distribution.

Another paper, "Reproducing Inequalities: Impact of Social and Cultural Capital", presented by Dr Avinash Kumar, revealed that caste-based connections remain an important determinant of education, jobs and employment in India.