Abstract
Most children in the Yeople's Republic of Bangladesh now have access to primary education, since figures for 2002 show that school enrollment has reached 97.49%. In statistical terms at least, therefore, the country may be said to have attained the global standards outlined in the Education for All declaration of 1990. This study takes the perspective of an internal comparative analysis to examine the acceptance of primary education system in rural Bangladesh. The findings are based on the analysis of data collected and research conducted on and off since 1999 in the course of fieldwork in rural parts of the country.
Bangladesh is separated physically by the River Ganges into western and eastern parts but there are numerous other features that reinforce this division such as natural environment, agricultural crops, social structure, lifestyle and religion. This study focuses in particular on the ‘people's religious mind’. Data suggests that the eastern part of the country is characterized by strong Islamic faith, as the lifestyle of the Muslim population there closely reflects the teachings of the Koran. In the western part of the country Islamic faith is considered weaker as the Muslim population lives amongst people of other religions such as Hindus and Christians.
