Research in Islamic schools informs DfID programme

Dr Bano, ESRC Research Fellow at the Oxford Department of International Development, was filmed discussing her work at Wolfson College in a video that was aired at a major ESRC event in London titled 'Celebrating the Social Sciences' on 3 November 2011. The event was attended by David Willetts MP, Minister for Science and Universities, the BBC News Home Editor Mark Easton, and over 100 academics.

In the video, Dr Bano explains her research in Islamic schools or Madrasas, which provide access to education for women with little or no basic literacy or numeracy. She describes the programme she has designed for the UK Department for International Development, and demonstrates the importance of building bridges between Islam and the Western world by overcoming a lack of understanding.

On 21st November, Dr Bano's work on the political economy of madrasa reform programmes in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh was also featured in OpenDemocracy, a website dedicated to publishing high quality news analysis, debates and blogs about the world and the way we govern ourselves.