‘Social capital’ and the socioeconomic barriers of the Santal children in the mainstream schools of northern Bangladesh.

In order to boost enrolment and ensure attendance, the Bangladeshi Government has taken a variety of actions, such as waiving secondary school costs for ethnic minority children and female students. Still, there remains a high school dropout rate in Bangladesh; for native Santal children, the situation is far worse. The purpose of this study is to look at the factors that contribute to the high school dropout rate in Rajshahi, a district in northern Bangladesh, with a focus on the Santal community. This article is the outcome of a qualitative field study I did at the Ghipara village in the Rajshahi district between November and December 2020 and July and October 2021 while I was visiting a relative's home in Rajshahi for a short stay. In addition to my own observations, field data, and statistical information from the Government and the school, this research also contains the testimonies of the instructors, parents, and students. This study examines if the Santal children's lack of social capital in their family, community, and school has an impact on their academic success based on the concept of social capital. It finds that multiple socio-economic factors such as poverty, unavailability of educational facilities in Santal language, mainstream attitude towards local Santal people, lack of cultural capital at home and schools, loss of trust on state apparatuses and many others are responsible for disinterest in schooling among most Santal children. The article recommends that not only a more decentralized schooling system and inclusion of culture appropriate education policies are needed, but bilingual education facilities are also necessary to decrease the school dropout rate of the Santal children at the mainstream schools.