IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION BANGLADESH – NORWAY AND SUPPORT TO FULFILMENT OF THE CRC’S GOAL OF FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION

Abstract: This study examines how Norway, through development cooperation with Bangladesh, complies with and implements the CRC’s article 28 and 29: The Right to Free Universal Education,. Examples are from cooperation with two NGOs in Bangladesh; the BRAC and YWCA of Bangladesh, which provides primary education programmes with support from Norway. I conducted fieldwork both in Bangladesh and in Norway, where interviewed representatives from the different levels and actors covering my research question. I followed the implementation of the CRC across the entire scale from the bilateral, via the national, to the local level, by use of theories on education, regimes and civil society. The results showed that the programmes I studied contribute to bring Bangladesh closer to fulfilling its commitment to the CRC. The NGOs represented different approaches. The BRAC addressed girls, ethnic minorities, disabled children and poor, reached one million children. The YWCA was a smaller organisation, focusing on providing quality education to the ultra poor children. Challenges still remain, although these two programmes represent success stories. More permanent success however, depends on continuity, and international actors have to be committed on equal level as the governments to ensure free universal education.