THE government is working on a programme that aims at providing basic literacy to 50 lakh people aged 15 and above and skill development training to five lakh of them. 500 permanent community learning centres at the union level and 64 livelihood skills development centres in as many districts will be set up under the proposed Non-Formal Education Development Programme (NFEDP). The Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) has finalised the five-year government-funded programme for Tk 15,870 crore and sent the proposal to the primary and mass education ministry for further action several months ago.
BNFE has planned a non-formal education programme aiming to root out illiteracy and improve the livelihood skills of disadvantaged people. These two aspects are crucial for human resource development and poverty reduction. The NFEDP will impart basic literacy to 50 lakh males and females across the country. Each of the beneficiaries will get six months of education to become literate and would be chosen with the help of different non-government organisations (NGOs). Basic literacy is the ability to write, understand and explain different issues both in writing and orally. People with basic literacy have numeracy skills and the ability to communicate. BNFE officials said 5 lakh of the newly literate people, aged between 15 and 45, will then be provided with different skills development training. Till 2019, the bureau provided basic literacy skills training to 23.6 lakh beneficiaries. It aims to make the remaining 21.4 lakh beneficiaries in 114 upazilas literate by the end of this year.
Besides, the government aims to set up 64 livelihood skills development centres where beneficiaries will get advanced training for six to nine months to have technical and vocational expertise. The community learning centres will be used as venues for public awareness programmes on different issues, including agriculture. There are many infrastructures, like schools and colleges in every Upazila and the bureau can utilise those to impart non-formal education.
