Factors affecting school enrolment and attendance for children with disabilities in Bangladesh: Evidence from a cross-sectional survey

In Bangladesh, many disabled children are not attending school. Despite the country’s special policies, laws, and services, most disabled children face a barrier to enrollment in school. To increase the school attendance of children, particularly disabled children, research on barriers to school attendance is essential. It will help to ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, receive an education. This paper will investigate the factors associated with children with disabilities missing school. This study will utilize data from a large sample based on Nationally representative multiple indicator cluster survey 2019 in Bangladesh. The study group included 5024 disabled children ranging in age from 6 to 17 years. To determine the significant covariates for the multivariate analysis, a bivariate analysis was performed. The findings indicate that age of the child, gender, household head sex, education of the household head, area (urban/rural), husband age, whether the husband has more wives, and disability types are all associated with disabled children being absent from school. Using these findings, the government of Bangladesh and other stakeholders should advocate for policies and programs that reduce barriers to education and ensure that all disabled children attend school.