There is no alternative to enriching one’s knowledge than reading books. Although technology has made life easier to access and read books, the reading of books will always take precedence, said education minister Nurul Islam Nahid.
He made this statement at a reception recognising 71 authors of books published by University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) at its premises in the capital yesterday.
“The more improved our reading skills, the better we will be able to explain and communicate with others,” he added.
He also said that the act of writing books should be put in practice. Moreover, students should be encouraged to read books to gain comprehensive knowledge.
In his speech, the minister said: “The tradition for writing books should be maintained in the future. Books need to be read to a great extent to increase our knowledge. More and more research has to be carried out for writing books,” he added.
Educationists should be encouraged to write more books at the tertiary level using simple and lucid language. Students should be encouraged to practice knowledge, research and innovation.
In talking about the primary sector, Nurul Islam Nahid said: “At present, primary education sees 99% enrollment. But the big challenge is the dropout rate.”
“If we can ensure both male and female students are retained equally from the primary to tertiary level, we can overcome any challenge going forward,” he said.
To ensure standardised education, qualified teachers need to groom their students. He also underscored the need for modern, technical, Information Technology (IT)-based education to build a developed and digital Bangladesh by 2021.
To this the minister added that knowledge and skill development should be the main targets in education.
At the programme, UGC chairman Abdul Mannan urged the authors to write more textbooks with the financial support of the UGC. He assured the authors of extending necessary financial support and cooperation for writing books in the future.
