Abstract
This paper documents the regional divide in
educational facilities between East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
and West Pakistan between 1947 and 1971.
During this period, the total number of primary schools in East
Pakistan declined, leading to overcrowding of existing schools and
classrooms. On the other hand, despite being endowed with fewer schools, West
Pakistan surpassed East Pakistan in the total
number of primary schools, and in teacher–student ratios. This evident
educational disparity, we argue, cannot be attributed to regional differences in
school age population, school types, the quality and unit cost of schooling.
Rather, this problem is examined in terms of the hypothesis of ‘discrimination’
as an alternate explanation.
Keywords: Economic History; Federalism; Bangladesh;, Pakistan
JEL Classification: I20, N35, N950