This study aims to determine parental willingness to pay for BRAC’s non-formal education service in urban slums. Data were collected from 948 households in 22 urban areas where BRAC Education Programme (BEP) intended to open schools with financial assistance from The United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The bidding game version of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was adopted to predict community people’s willingness to pay. Household survey was the main method; however, some interviews with branch managers and parents were conducted. On average, three quarters of the interviewed parents were interested in sending their children to BRAC schools and 96% of them were willing to pay for the service. They, on average, agreed to pay BDT 126 as a monthly tuition fee for this. The mean of agreed tuition fees was found maximum in Rajshahi district (BDT 191) and minimum in Mongla district (BDT 82). Comparatively educated and well-off families were less willing to admit children to BPS. Free education services provided by the government and some NGOs played a vital role to effect inversely on community people’s willingness to pay for BRAC education services. The study concludes that BEP can think of differentiated tuition fees in terms of communities’ economic strengths and willingness to pay for primary education.
Authors: Babu, Rasel; Hossain, Mohammad Anwar
Type: Monograph
Year: 2018
