Bangladesh's literacy rate now 78pc, over 22pc remain illiterate

The literacy rate in Bangladesh now stands at 77.9 per cent. In contrast, more than 22 per cent of the population remains illiterate.

This means they lack access to the desired levels of education and skills. They include out-of-school and dropout children and adolescents; marginalised communities; and adult men and women deprived of education.

Against this backdrop, International Literacy Day will be observed in Bangladesh tomorrow, Tuesday, 8 September. In line with the international theme, Bangladesh has set the theme for the day as: ‘Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity.’

Ahead of the day, Primary and Mass Education State Minister Bobby Hajjaj presented various related data and government initiatives at a press conference held at the Secretariat today, Monday.

The press conference was told that the ‘Functional Literacy and Practical Skills Training (Pre-Vocational Level)’ programme is currently being implemented in the sadar upazilas of 58 districts across the country.

In the first phase, a total of 4,440 school dropouts aged between 15 and 24 have been brought under the training programme, with participants selected from each district. Each course provides 460 hours of training, including 100 hours of functional literacy and 360 hours of skills training.

The state minister said one of the key features of the programme is that it creates opportunities for participants to transition from education to employment.

Of the 4,312 students registered under the special programme, 4,198 have already graduated as skilled trainees. Of them, 3,882 have been connected with some form of employment, while 603 have entered direct employment.

The state minister said the government’s future plans include initiatives to further expand the scope of non-formal education.

Also present at the press conference were Primary and Mass Education Ministry Secretary Jasmin Nahar and Additional Secretary of the ministry Manowara Ishrat, who is serving as the additional director general of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education.