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FOOD or cash for education programme, launched in 1993 by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party under the leadership of its chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, stands out as a landmark initiative that transformed the country’s educational landscape and social fabric. This pioneering programme, designed to combat poverty-induced school dropout and promote girls’ education, remains one of the most successful social policies in Bangladesh’s history. It not only empowered millions of children, particularly girls, but also laid the foundation for long-term demographic and economic benefits. Today, BNP’s recently announced 31-point agenda to repair the state draws heavily from the lessons of this ground-breaking initiative, signalling the party’s continued commitment to inclusive, evidence-based development.

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The genesis of a transformative programme

IN THE early 1990s, Bangladesh’s education sector was in crisis. Poverty, cultural barriers and entrenched gender discrimination kept millions of children, especially girls, out of school. This exclusion perpetuated cycles of early marriage, high fertility rates and low female literacy, undermining national development. To address these challenges, Begum Khaleda Zia’s government introduced the Food for Education (FFE) programme in 1993, which was later expanded to include Cash for Education. The programme offered poor families food grains or cash stipends conditional on their children’s regular school attendance, with a special focus on encouraging girls’ participation. By offsetting the opportunity cost of sending children to school instead of work, the programme became a powerful incentive for the poorest families to prioritise education.

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Political significance: BNP’s pro-poor development vision

THE political significance of the Food or Cash for Education programme was profound. It established the BNP’s identity as a party deeply committed to pro-poor, grassroots development. Unlike many policies that focused exclusively on macroeconomic growth, this programme directly touched the lives of ordinary citizens, especially in rural areas. Begum Khaleda Zia’s bold leadership in prioritising girls’ education through such an ambitious programme challenged patriarchal social norms and positioned the BNP as a progressive force in national politics. The success of the initiative reinforced public trust in the BNP’s capacity to deliver transformative social programmes and significantly enhanced the party’s national and international credibility. Today, the BNP’s 31-point reform agenda explicitly builds on this legacy, with a renewed focus on expanding education stipends, strengthening social safety nets and ensuring gender equity in access to education and employment.

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Economic impact: unlocking the demographic dividend

THE economic impact of the Food or Cash for Education programme has been extraordinary. Rigorous evaluations conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the World Bank, and other international organisations confirmed that the programme led to significant increases in school enrolment and retention, particularly for girls. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute studies, the programme increased girls’ years of schooling by 14 to 25 per cent. These gains contributed to Bangladesh’s rapid demographic transition. Female education has been closely linked to a sharp decline in total fertility rates — from more than six children per woman in the 1970s to approximately 2.1 today, which is near the replacement level. Educated women tend to marry later, have fewer children and invest more in their families’ health, nutrition and education, contributing to intergenerational improvements in human development.

One of the most visible outcomes of this demographic shift has been the growth of Bangladesh’s female labour force. By 2024, the female labour force participation had increased to 44.2 per cent, reflecting steady progress. The expansion of girls’ education fuelled this growth, particularly by providing young women with access to employment opportunities in the country’s thriving garment sector. These trends have played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s economic transformation, supporting the country’s rise from a low-income to a lower middle-income economy. By increasing educational attainment and reducing child labour, the programme enhanced human capital formation, improved productivity and strengthened the domestic labour pool, all of which contributed to sustained poverty reduction.

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Social transformation: changing norms and empowering women

BEYOND the economic dividends, the Food or Cash for Education programme brought about a profound social transformation. It challenged and gradually changed traditional attitudes that had once devalued girls’ education. Families that previously prioritised sons began to recognise the tangible benefits of educating their daughters, including delayed marriage, improved health outcomes and greater household income. As girls increasingly stayed in school, rates of child marriage declined. Although child marriage remains a challenge — with recent data indicating that approximately 29 per cent of girls marry before the age of 15 and 65 per cent before 18 — these rates have been steadily decreasing, in part due to educational interventions initiated under programmes like Food for Education. Educated women have gained greater social standing, political voice and access to leadership positions. Today, women in Bangladesh occupy significant roles in public decision-making, contributing to the country’s number one ranking in gender parity in South Asia.

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International legacy: a model for global replication

THE success of Bangladesh’s Food or Cash for Education programme has attracted international acclaim. It is now regarded as a global model for effective conditional transfer programmes that promote school attendance and address gender disparities. The International Food Policy Research Institute’s impact evaluations confirmed that the benefits of the programme — higher school attendance, delayed marriage, lower fertility and greater labour force participation — persisted long after its initial rollout. The programme’s influence extended beyond Bangladesh, inspiring similar initiatives in other low-income countries, including Nigeria, seeking to tackle educational exclusion and improve gender equity.

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BNP’s 31-point agenda: building on proven success

BUILDING on this enduring success, BNP’s 31-point reform agenda, incorporates a comprehensive set of proposals to further strengthen Bangladesh’s education and social protection systems. The new agenda explicitly draws on the lessons learned from the Food or Cash for Education programme, emphasising the need to increase education spending to at least 5 per cent of GDP, with a sharp focus on the primary, secondary and multi-faceted need-based education. It also commits to expanding conditional cash and food transfers, scaling up social assistance programmes for vulnerable families and ensuring that education stipends are reliably delivered and closely linked to school attendance and child nutrition. This integration of targeted social protection and nutrition improvement within BNP’s broader vision for state repair reflects a deep understanding that inclusive, equitable development is key to building a prosperous and stable Bangladesh.

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A blueprint for future transformation

IN CONCLUSION, the Food or Cash for Education programme remains one of Bangladesh’s most impactful social innovations, driving improvements in education, gender equity, economic growth and poverty reduction. Its influence is not confined to the past; it actively shapes Bangladesh’s current policy discourse and forms a critical pillar of BNP’s vision for the future. As the nation grapples with new challenges related to educational quality, job creation for its growing youth population, and rising inequality, it is timely and essential to revitalise and modernise the core principles of this pioneering programme. By building on this legacy and implementing the evidence-backed strategies embedded in its 31-point reform plan, BNP offers a clear and credible pathway to a more inclusive, empowered and prosperous Bangladesh. The story of the Food or Cash for Education programme is not just a chapter in Bangladesh’s history — it is a living blueprint for the country’s continued transformation.

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Dr Ziauddin Hyder, a former World Bank senior specialist in health and nutrition, is an adviser to the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.