How Universal is Universal Primary Education in Bangladesh: A Case Study of the Haor Area

The research paper on the Haor area of north-eastern part of Bangladesh tries to find explanations to the rather disappointing outcome of the National Universal Primary Education policy which is far from the universal coverage it aims for. The secondary data focuses on the educational policy documents and information on the conditions and demand for education in the Haor area. It revealed that the low coverage of universal primary education in the areas studied is due to a lack of consideration and understanding of the special geographic and climatic condition and the different livelihood that people pursue, reflecting in the policy and implementation process .. The author has arrived at the decision that it will be possible to give full coverage to universal primary education when the need of each child is taken into consideration in the policy and the full implementation of the policy is ensured. For ensunng universal coverage of pnmary education, along with providing educational services mentioned in the policy, special incentives for teachers and other education staff in the disadvantaged area, contextual and need based education curriculum, school based learning process, Go-NGO collaboration, proper media coverage need to be taken into account in the future.