The literacy rate in Bangladesh has increased by around 20% since 2009. The government aims to secure cent percent literacy in the country by the year 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the United Nations.
To achieve this goal, the Eighth Five Year Plan is also in place.
With such a goal having been set, International Literacy Day will be celebrated across the country today. This year the theme of the day is “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”.
According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the current literacy rate in the country is 75.6%. It was 74.66% in 2020.
However, according to the preliminary report of Census and Household Census 2022 published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in July this year, the literacy rate in the country stands at 74.66%. As such, 25.34% of the total population in the country is still illiterate.
The Awami League in its 2008 election manifesto pledged to eliminate illiteracy from the country by 2014. In 2010, the government announced the National Education Policy and set a target of reaching 100% literacy within the specified period.
Before the 11th general election in December 2018, the party again promised to eradicate illiteracy but could not meet the deadline.
In this regard, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain said that under the supervision of the ministry, through the Bureau of Non-Formal Education, work on preparing the future action plan of the bureau is currently going on.
The state minister was speaking at a press conference prior to International Literacy Day in the capital on Wednesday.
Educationists suggest using tools available in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in order to truly eradicate illiteracy in the country.
Current Picture
According to Unesco, literacy refers to the ability to read, understand, interpret orally and in writing, communicate and calculate in the mother tongue.
Although education has been considered a priority sector since 1991, successive governments in the country have not been able to eradicate illiteracy completely.
Experts blame the lack of a long-term master plan and the absence of a large budget allocation for the failure.
Officials at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education admitted that due lack of a budget many measures taken in this regard have failed till date.
Kazi Khaliquzzman Ahmad, co-chairman of the National Education Policy Formulation Committee, told this correspondent that the country is making progress in terms of literacy, but the rate is not promising.
He thinks that those who implement such programs lack efficiency.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) released its report on literacy rates in 2016, which highlighted a 51.3% literacy rate in the country. In the almost six years since then, it did not go for any new survey.
The executive director of CAMPE, Rasheda K Choudhury, told Dhaka Tribune that literacy is achieved in two ways - formal education and adult literacy programs. But at present there is no noticeable literacy program for elderly illiterates.
She also said that her NGO could not continue doing surveys in this regard due to a shortage of funds.
Primary and mass education expert KM Enamul Haque said: “To bring the illiteracy rate down to zero, use of digital technology is required.”
Nuruzzaman Sharif, director general of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) said: “We have already sent a letter to the ministry seeking more allocations so that we can properly finish the ongoing program on time.”
The government completed the implementation of 'Basic Literacy Project at 64 Districts' on 30 June 2022 through the Bureau of Non-Formal Education for 44,60,000 illiterates aged 15 to 40 in 248 selected upazilas.
Through this project, 23,60,000 people were brought under literacy through 39,311 learning centers in 134 upazilas and 23,00,000 men and women in the second phase through 35,000 learning centers in 114 upazilas of 60 districts.
