Bangladesh has covered a lot of ground when it comes to the achievement of its literacy rate. Ever since the current government came into power in 2009, the overall literacy rate of the country has seen a boost of 20%.
However, we cannot deny that the rate at which we have made such progress is not completely satisfactory, and if things continue at such a pace, we might not be able to achieve our current goal of achieving 100% literacy rate by 2030 and fulfilling one of the key SDGs.
According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the current literacy rate in the country is just shy of 76%. While that is impressive on its own, when one considers the sheer number of people still in the country without access to education, we see that we have work to do.
Much has been made of education over the tenure of the current government, but without proper achievement of deadlines and milestones, this is simply not good enough. According to experts, a lack of a master plan and an adequate budget for the meeting of such an ambition is the reason for such delays. There is also a lack of efficiency when it comes to the usage of said budget.
Authorities also need to look at the curricula being taught at large and make adequate changes to adapt to a changing world. A lot of the content we teach in our classrooms are outdated. Private entities have made strides in this sector by introducing 21st-century ready skills such as programming to a younger audience, but this is exactly the sort of measures that the authorities have to take on a larger scale. The lack of a proper master plan and proper budget allocations again comes into play as a cause for this miscalculation.
The authorities have to be pro-active in their handling of our education. Simply increasing the number of graduates is not enough. With the fourth industrial revolution on the horizon, we need a skilled populace that are literate in digital discourse -- alongside having the hands-on training necessary to face the challenges of the current century head on.
In order to achieve these goals, the authorities have to take a long, hard look at the current educational situation. Long term plans have to be drawn up and necessary budgets have to be allocated. Progress has to be checked periodically and necessary course corrections have to be undertaken.
We have the potential to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of tomorrow. Let’s make sure we make good on that potential.
