Bangladesh needs to strengthen its efforts in female education to attain the goal of gender equality by 2005 as about 1.5 million girl children still remained out of school, says a UNICEF report.

It says about three million children, half of them girls, are considered 'hard to reach group' who could not yet be enrolled in the primary education in addition to high rate of dropout despite efforts by the government and NGOs.

The report, titled 'The State of the World's Children 2004', revealed here simultaneously as elsewhere across the world yesterday.

Women and Children Affairs Minister Khurshid Jahan Haque attended the programme as chief guest and received the report that focused on girls, education and development.

Eminent female educationists who have great contributions in female education, NGO leaders, development partners, members of the diplomatic corps and a good number of girl children were present at the report launching ceremony.

The report says Bangladesh is one of the 25 countries that fulfilled one or more of five criteria, including low enrolment rates for girls, gender gap of more than 10 per cent in primary education, and the countries with more than one million girls out of school.

It also says these countries are hard hit by a range of crises that affect school opportunities for girls such as HIV/AIDS and conflict.

Other countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Central African Republic, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Yemen, Nepal, Malawi and Sudan.

As success stories, the report shows, Bangladesh managed to raise the enrolment of female students both at primary and secondary levels more than boys. The ratio of boys and girls at the primary level is 88 and 90 in 2000. But the ratio went down at the secondary level as it stood at 45 of male and 47 of female.

In adult literacy rate, only 30 per cent adult female had been literate in 2000 against 24 per cent in 1990. This dismal rate is also the same in the case of adult male with 44 per cent in 1990 and 49 per cent in 2000.

In her address, the minister said educating all members of a family could be ensured only through the expansion of education of girls.

She said only education could help girls acquire balance in society and ensure a sustainable development by removing curses like early marriage and polygamy.

"An educated woman ensures education to her children and proper care of their health, and empowers her through making financially solvent," the minister said.

Bangladesh like other countries in the world will have to attain the

goal of gender equality in education by 2005, a goal set 10 years ago to achieve the universal goal.

The United Nations considers

the goals of universal education, gender equality and empowering women hard to meet by 2015 by most of the nations. For this rea-

son, '2005 goals' have been taken as the first test of the world's commitment.

This year, the Unicef annual

report-2004 also presents data of world on girls' education considering it as one of the most crucial issues for the development community.

Launching the report, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Morten Giersing said despite success in enrolment only 8 per cent girls can complete secondary education.

He said to attain the millenium goals of 2015 set by the UN member countries, efforts should be made to reduce the dropout rate and improve the quality of education.

Begum Anwara Mansur, founder of Agrani Balika Bidyaloy, Noorjahan Begum, Editor of weekly Begum and Ismat Banu, headmistress of Anandamoyee Girls' School, the city's oldest girls school, shared their experiences on women education and empowerment at the function.

Recalling the contributions of Begum Rokeya in women emancipation, they emphasised the need for improving the standard of education at all stages, particularly the elementary level.

They said thousands of schools have sprung up across the country, but most of them have no qualified teachers.

Chief of Communication and Information of Unicef Naseem-ur-Rahman, BRAC Chairperson Fazle Hasan Abed and President of Jatiya Press Club Reazuddin Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.