Roundtable Calls for Turning Girls’ Voices into Decisions and Action
Policymakers, educators, researchers and civil society representatives have called for greater opportunities for girls to express their voices, make choices and participate in decision-making, stressing the need for collective action to strengthen girls’ agency in Bangladesh. The call came at a recent roundtable discussion on girls’ agency organized by ECS-Education & Cultural Society at Hotel Sarina in Banani, Dhaka.
The event brought together parliamentarians, government officials, academics, educators, development practitioners, journalists, business leaders and youth representatives to discuss how families, educational institutions, communities and policymakers can create an enabling environment for girls.
Barrister Zahin Morshed welcomed the participants and presented a video highlighting ECS’s work and its Action Research under the Learning and Action Alliance for Girls’ Agency (LAAGA), conducted in Feni in collaboration with the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution. The discussion was moderated by Kazi Nasrin Siddiqa, Executive Director of ECS, Echidna Global Scholar of the Brookings Institution and Research Consultant of the LAAGA Action Research.
She said girls’ agency is shaped not only by individual choices but also by family, education, social norms, economic conditions, climate, migration and institutions. She stressed that the responsibility for ensuring girls’ agency cannot be placed on girls alone. Barrister Jahrat Adib Chowdhury MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was the key discussant. She expressed her commitment to working for the betterment of girls and extended her support for ECS’s initiatives.
Speakers highlighted the importance of girls’ education and empowerment, financial independence, STEM participation, skills development and greater employment opportunities. They also identified early marriage as a major factor behind school dropout, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. Young participants shared personal experiences of overcoming family and social barriers to continue their education and build their futures.
In her concluding remarks, Kazi Nasrin Siddiqa said girls’ agency is not a destination but a continuing process that enables girls to speak, choose, participate, influence and act. ECS said it will document the key recommendations from the discussion as part of its Knowledge-to-Action process and work to connect grassroots evidence with policy.
