Global Action Week (GAW) was observed across Bangladesh in coordination with CAMPE amidst great enthusiasm and commitment towards achieving Education For All (EFA) particularly to promote girls education. Campaign materials like posters, leaflets and Booklets produced by CAMPE were provided to all campaign partners for dissemination among local participants. The events drew attention of local administration, elected people's representatives, media, local community leaders, teachers, SMC's, parents', students and other stakeholders. The importance of girls’ education was reiterated at every stage. School environment, social security and accessibility to schools were given emphasis. People at every level demanded increase in national budget allocation for education and expansion of the existing coverage of stipend for girls.
 

Special importance to girls' education in the forthcoming Primary Education Development Program (PEDP III) was also demanded by the campaigners. All of them urged the government to start implementation of the National Education Policy-2010 immediately even if it has to be done in phases.

GAW week, coordinated by CAMPE, was observed in Bangladesh across 50 districts with 50 partner NGOs and Teacher Associations (for details see Annex-1). Some organizations proactively observed the week in solidarity with the campaign. (for details see the Annex-2). A Total of 343489 people were mobilized through different programs including story telling, rally, human chain, discussion meetings, courtyard meetings, cultural events, seminars, etc.

Story Telling Across the Country
More than 220,000 people have participated in the "Big Story" events organized on 4 of May 2011. Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) members and partners (grassroots level NGOs, national and INGOs, Teacher Unions) mobilized students, communities, teacher union representatives, education administrators, teachers, parents, school management committee (SMC) members and others across the country. CAMPE provided a publication with selected real life stories collected from the partners. The focused campaign was arranged in 30 districts under the core program of CAMPE, Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF) also contributed in covering 20 additional districts.

Women from different socio-economic strata who have succeeded in distinguishing themselves through education shared their own challenges and success stories with students, teachers, representatives of women’s group, NGO leaders, human rights activists, civil society members and media in The Story Telling programs. A number of organizations awarded crests to honor women from the local communities who have become successful role models in the society through their hard and inspiring efforts for education.

The speakers of the story telling programs urged all to take position against child marriage and ensure girls’ right to education. They reiterated the importance of education for empowerment of women and appealed to the policy makers for pro-women policies supported by appropriate strategies and adequate resources.
 

National Level (at Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh)
CAMPE concluded the GAW 2011 in Bangladesh by organizing a round table on ÔRight to Education: Ensuring Access with Equity & Quality at the national level to draw attention of policy makers to critical issues which can be identified from recent discourse in the civil society and to highlight the need for firmly establishing Right to Education through enactment of Right to Education Act in Bangladesh. The roundtable was held on Saturday, 07 May at The Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka and jointly organized by CAMPE, CREATE (BRAC University and University of Sussex, UK) and CSEF.
 

Media Advocacy
CAMPE and its partners developed a set of demands/policy asks to ensure Girls’ Education in Bangladesh which was disseminated through 6 national Daily newspapers. The detail of media advocacy is as below:
 

The major Demands, inter alia are the following:
 

• Remove all kinds of discrimination in education.

• Ensure adequate financing for women and girls’ education.

• Develop gender sensitive contents for textbooks.

• Provide special training for teachers and education administrators on gender issues.

• Create provision for gender audit.

• Raise awareness among public representatives, teachers, education officers, parents and School Managing Committee (SMC) members.

• Motivate females to take up teaching as a profession.

• Take social and administrative measures to prevent physical and sexual humiliation of girls.

• Increase number of female Head Teachers and SMC members.

• Give due importance to gender sensitivity in the major public sector program on education e.g. Third Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-III).

Publication and Dissemination of Materials
CAMPE produced posters, leaflets and booklets with demands and inspiring stories of successful women who have changed their life through education. These materials were distributed among the mass people through the partner/members of CAMPE throughout the country. Details of the published materials are as below:

 

Programs Arranged by Partner NGOs and Teacher Associations at the Local/Sub-National Level
Different programs were organized across the country by Partner NGOs and Teachers Associations to observe the GAW 2011. These programs ranged from Press Conference to Rally, Human Chain, Meeting with Union Parishad members, Guardians, Parents and Teachers, Discussion meetings with indigenous groups, disabled people and ethnic groups, Courtyard meetings with mothers and children, Art and Debate competition and Cultural events. Supplements were also published in the Local Newspapers with the demands to address the theme of GAW 2011.

An art competition was arranged for sight challenged students on the theme of women and girls education at Jhalokathi district.

Bureau of Non-formal Education (BNFE) of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Bangladesh organized a seminar on technical and vocational education focasing on girls jointly with CAMPE at Jessore district. Director General of BNFE was present in the seminar.

Organizations also published supplements in the local newspapers highlighting the challenges of women and girls education in their respective communities..

Cultural shows consisted of local genre (like Gambhira, Pot Gaan, Bhawaia, etc) were presented with the message to promote women and girls education in most of the districts (sub national levels).
 

Details of the programs are as below:

Approximate Ratio Analysis of Participation:

GAW 2011 Materials:

Click here to see Pictures of the GAW 2011 Events in Bangladesh