Intersecting Inequalities and Educational Access: Insights from Urban Slum Households

Compulsory education is a foundation for equitable development, yet many children in urban slums remain excluded. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, this exclusion challenges the assumption that cities naturally provide better educational opportunities. This study aimed to identify the social and economic factors influencing access to compulsory education among slum households. A mixed-methods design was applied using multistage sampling. Quantitative data were collected through surveys of 410 households across four large slums in Dhaka, and qualitative insights were drawn from 15 household interviews. Statistical tests, including Chi-square and one-way ANOVA, were used to examine associations between school dropout and socioeconomic variables. The results indicate that both social and economic conditions affect school dropout rates. Social influences include early marriage, child labor, drug use, low parental education, and household responsibilities that reduce time for schooling. Economic barriers include low family income, schooling costs, and dependence on child earnings. These constraints reduce the real opportunities children have to remain in school, which helps explain why exclusion continues despite compulsory education policies. Coordinated policy action is needed, including simplified school admission procedures, expanded mobile documentation services, and conditional stipends to offset incidental schooling costs. Adult literacy initiatives, stronger enforcement of child marriage and child labor laws, and practical training for school staff to work with slum communities are also important. These measures would support more consistent access to compulsory education for children living in Dhaka’s slums.