Parents often have to pay for books, school supplies and uniforms. Add child's lost wages, and the costs of schooling are immensely high. Opportunity costs for girls may be even higher. They are required to work at home due to which girls drop out at an higher rate than boys. Children's education seems a poor investment for many parents.
Some children have to work almost full-time just in order to earn enough money to attend school.
Their schooling depends on their work, but the work may be so long and hard that the children are too tired to learn when in class. But if they stop working they can not go to school. In 1993 primary education was declared compulsory for the whole of Bangladesh. School attendance improved, but drop out rates are very high. Girls are less likely to attend or remain in school than boys.