over the time. From 2012 to 2015, the boys‟ dropout rate is higher than girls. In 2012, the girls and boys dropout rate was 24.20 percent and 28.30 percent and it reduced to 17 percent and 23.90 percent in 2015 respectively and in 2016 dropout rate has declined to 19.2% for both boys (22.3% and girls 16.1%) 75. There are few reasons for dropout from primary schools, of which 30 % girls were dropout because they could not afford and 43 % of boys who were dropout were not just interested. Further, net attendance for both boys and girls is still extremely low. In poorer areas, girls are more likely than boys to attend, due to the monthly governmental 100-taka stipend76. In cities where education costs are much higher and girls have alternative employment opportunities in the garments industry or as domestic workers there is a much lower rate of school attendance. 77 High drop-outs contribute to low participation at the higher level of formal education; as a result only 25% of the total students at the tertiary level are women. 78 In 2005, out of a total of 20,757,774 students in 74 universities (both public and private) only 24 per cent were women, and out of 10,339 teachers only 17.7 per cent were women. 79 65. Article 23 of the Constitution provides that the State shall adopt measures to conserve the cultural traditions and heritage of the people, and so to foster and improve the national language, literature and the arts that all sections of the people are afforded the opportunity to contribute towards and to participate in the enrichment of the national culture. Bangladesh adopted a National Cultural Policy, 2006 for the safeguard and promotion of the national culture as well as the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the country. Further, the Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institutions Act 2010 has been enacted which provides for establishment cultural institutions to collect, preserve and research on history, social and cultural heritage including language, literature, song, dance, handicrafts, rituals & customs of the ethnic groups. 66. The culture of Bangladesh encompasses the cultural diversity of the several social groups of Bangladesh. It is viewed that the birth of Bangladesh was largely a result of the people's struggle to preserve their own cultural identity. It has been seen that the preserve of cultural heritage is done by way of institution building. Bangladesh has a full-fledged ministry under the name of Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The mission and vision of the ministry is to enhance and enrich nation’s intellect through preservation, research, development and promotion of native culture, history, and heritage, spirit of liberation war and contemporary arts and literature. Several institutions including National Museum, Bangla Academy, Shilpokola Academy, Nazrul Institute have been established to collect, preserve and display the antiquities, works of art, ethnological specimens, relics connected with the liberation struggle of Bangladesh, products of intellectual activities, audio-visual documentary evidence, and such other objects and items related to the cultural and natural heritage of Bangladesh; to organise exhibitions, conferences, lectures, seminars and 75http://dpe.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/dpe.portal.gov.bd/publications/b490814d_522e_4f81_b0a0_8f8727feab27/Final %20APSC%202016,%2029%20December%202016.pdf 76 A Perspective of Gender Equality in Bangladesh, UNICEF Bangladesh, September 2011, page 28: https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/knowledgecentre_7312.htm 77 A Perspective of Gender Equality in Bangladesh, UNICEF Bangladesh, September 2011, Executive Summary, page 28: https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/knowledgecentre_7312.htm 78 Supra at 15 79 Ibid 21