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<p>Drawing on the Capability Approach (Sen, 1999; Nussbaum, 2011), this study conceptualises student well-being as the expansion of students' real freedoms to achieve outcomes they value. Using a qualitative participatory approach, the study explores how school provisions support student well-being in Bangladesh. Forty secondary school students (grades 7–10; 18 boys, 22 girls) from urban and rural areas participated in semi-structured one-on-one and focus group interviews. Grounded theory analysis revealed that school meals alleviate hunger, enhance concentration, and foster social connection; uniforms promote equality, safety, and pride; and financial incentives—both stipends and scholarships—prevent dropout and cultivate competence and recognition. However, through a capabilities lens, the study also reveals unequal experiences: girls critiqued gendered uniforms restricting bodily integrity and mobility; religious minority students highlighted dietary insensitivities in meal programs constraining dignified participation; and boys articulated exclusion from need-based stipends, limiting their capability to pursue education without financial shame. These findings complicate the narrative of school provisions as straightforward well-being facilitators, revealing them as sites where capabilities for equality, dignity, and inclusion are actively enabled or constrained. The study offers implications for developing equitable, inclusive school policies that genuinely expand students' capabilities and well-being in Bangladesh.</p>

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How School Provisions Support Student Well-being in Bangladesh: A Capability Approach Perspective on School Meals, Uniforms, and Financial Incentives

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月29日

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  • Saira Hossain

摘要

Drawing on the Capability Approach (Sen, 1999; Nussbaum, 2011), this study conceptualises student well-being as the expansion of students' real freedoms to achieve outcomes they value. Using a qualitative participatory approach, the study explores how school provisions support student well-being in Bangladesh. Forty secondary school students (grades 7–10; 18 boys, 22 girls) from urban and rural areas participated in semi-structured one-on-one and focus group interviews. Grounded theory analysis revealed that school meals alleviate hunger, enhance concentration, and foster social connection; uniforms promote equality, safety, and pride; and financial incentives—both stipends and scholarships—prevent dropout and cultivate competence and recognition. However, through a capabilities lens, the study also reveals unequal experiences: girls critiqued gendered uniforms restricting bodily integrity and mobility; religious minority students highlighted dietary insensitivities in meal programs constraining dignified participation; and boys articulated exclusion from need-based stipends, limiting their capability to pursue education without financial shame. These findings complicate the narrative of school provisions as straightforward well-being facilitators, revealing them as sites where capabilities for equality, dignity, and inclusion are actively enabled or constrained. The study offers implications for developing equitable, inclusive school policies that genuinely expand students' capabilities and well-being in Bangladesh.