Education Policy and the Pursuit of SDG 4 in South Asia: A Comparative Study of Bangladesh and Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper compares the education policy in Bangladesh and Afghanistan in terms of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4: Quality Education). The study uses five analytical frameworks: human capital theory, the capability approach, the political economy analysis, gender and intersectionality, and new institutionalism to question the role of governance structures, ideological orientations, and aid architectures in mediating educational outcomes. Bangladesh is showing quantifiable access improvements and continuing quality gaps, but Afghanistan has been experiencing a disastrous backsliding after the Taliban returned in 2021, which has been endemic in blocking access to education by girls.