In recent years, private sector engagement in education, which includes a vibrant mix of non-profit, for-profit and faith-based organizations, has grown significantly around the world. In the last two decades, the percentage of students in low-income countries attending private primary schools doubled, from 11 percent to 22 percent. This growth in private provision is closely connected to the boom in access that has taken place in low-income countries over the same two decades: primary net enrolment increased from 55 percent to 80 percent between 1990 and 2010. SABER-EPS research in Bangladesh has found that access to primary education is nearly universal and that retention rates of students to the last grade of primary school have increased significantly. However, in 2012, only 48 percent of children enrolled in secondary school. At both the primary and secondary levels, quality and equity are challenges. The private sector plays a significant role in education at both levels. At the primary level, the range of school options is broad, with 24 different types of institutions. The private sector accounts for nearly a quarter of enrolments at this level. The rest of the report provides an overview of SABEREPS, followed by a description of the basic education system in Bangladesh with a focus on the private sector and government policies related to the private provision of education. The report then benchmarks Bangladesh's policy environment utilizing the SABER-EPS Framework and offers policy options to enhance access and learning for all children in primary and secondary school. This report presents an analysis of how effectively the current policies in Bangladesh engage the private sectorin basic (primary and secondary) education.