[VIDEO] The Female Secondary Stipend and Assistance Program in Bangladesh: What did It Accomplish?

The Government of Bangladesh introduced the Female Secondary Stipend and Assistance Program (FSSAP) in 1994 with the support of development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, to increase female secondary school enrollment and completion, as well as discourage early marriage. The study, using longitudinal data at the household and individual level over 26 years, and based on with- and-without and before-and-after comparison, examines a range of outcomes of interest. Estimates suggest that FSSAP improved education outcomes in the short run, including boys’ education outcomes through sibling effects. In the long term, FSSAP was successful in delaying marriage, increasing the probability of self-employment and nonfarm employment among employed women, and increasing the probability of women marrying men who are more educated and employed more in the nonfarm sector, compared to women in the control group. It was also successful in enhancing contraceptive use, reducing fertility, and increasing preference for daughters. A conservative estimate shows that the development benefits of the stipend program outweigh its cost by more than 500%. The estimates of high returns to secondary education of women thus not only justify the investment but also present a win-win situation for families and society at large.