In 2019, participants in Room to Read's Girls' Education Program in Bangladesh secured significant success in both Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams. The pass rate in SSC among our Program participants was 96.11% with the national rate being 82.20%. In HSC, our pass rate was 79.53% - higher than the national rate 73.93%.
Prevalence of child marriage remains a challenge to girls' education initiatives in Bangladesh. In Natore, secondary schools organized a community-level conference and girls led discussions that engaged their parents, local leaders and teachers, and secured commitments to stop child marriage. In 2019, Room to Read Bangladesh supported the cessation of 97 cases of child marriage and the prevention of 383 cases of dropout.