Low household expenditure on education compromises the learning and future labor
market prospects of children. This study provides an empirical framework for determining the
criteria that South Asian policymakers can use for assisting households with educational
expenditure. A case study of urban Bangladesh using tobit and hurdle regression models indicate
that households in the bottom two per-capita quartiles should receive priority as recipients of
policy assistance. Other criteria include households with parents who have not completed
primary schooling, and households with boys, older children, and multiple children of schoolgoing
age.