Inequality of Opportunity in Education and Sustainable Development: The Case of Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper examines how the sustainable development aspirations of an economy or country are impacted by unequal opportunities, especially in education, by employing balanced panel data from 2000 to 2020 of Bangladesh. Random effects, ordinary regression, general trends used to understand the impact of inequality in education on Sustainable development Goals (SDGs). The empirical study based on panel data, extensive literature review and qualitative analysis confirms that the agenda-2030, which Bangladesh would like to achieve along with other developing economies by 2030, is highly affected by long-prevailing unequal opportunities in access to quality education. The male-female, rural-urban, poor-non-poor disparity in enrolment, and literacy rate, low teacher-student ratio, low public spending on education as a percentage of GDP, higher individual out of pocket expenditure, and the significantly large drop-out rate among female and regional disparity simultaneously lead to learning poverty and unequal employment opportunities. The higher the level of education, the lower the incidence of poverty among people. Education is highly interlinked with most others SDGs; any shorts of inability to guarantee equal opportunities in education profoundly interfere with a nation's dream of ending poverty and promote a peaceful and just society. Without inclusive, equitable quality education, intergenerational inequality perpetuates by leaving the poor in the cohort of the poverty trap. Alternatively, ensuring fairness in achieving skill-based lifelong learning opportunities for people accelerates a country's vision to build an effective, prosperous and just planet. The study also shows a country's advancement in different socio-economic indicators may halt in the absence of equal access to quality education for all in the long run.

Keywords: Sustainable Development; Agenda-2030; Inequality of Opportunity (IoP); Bangladesh; Inclusive Quality Education; Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Expenditure

JEL Classification: DOI:10.9734/AJESS/2021/v19i430471