Access to Education and Employment: Implications for Poverty

The paper explores the linkages between ‘Education’ and ‘Poverty’ and the possibility of poverty reduction through better employment opportunities. The paper proceeds with the understanding that poverty acts as both cause and effect of a lack of education. In particular, the paper examines whether education is contributing to poverty reduction among rural households in Bangladesh, based on a school level survey as well as household survey conducted under the Programme for Research on Chronic Poverty (PRCPB) Phase-II. The study addresses the question regarding the access of poor and non-poor to primary and secondary levels of education by looking at the impact of poverty on the enrolment rates. Links between poverty and the rate of SSC completion and the success rate of SSC are also analyzed. The empirical evidence suggests high differentials between the poor and non-poor groups, the variations increasing along the continuum of education levels from primary to secondary to SSC completion. [PRCPB Working Paper No. 14] URL: [http://www.chronicpoverty.org/uploads/publication_files/PRCPB_WP_14.pdf]