BSS :
Like other countries around the globe, Bangladesh will observe the International Literacy Day-2021 today emphasizing narrowing the digital divide to boost up the literacy rate.
This year’s theme of the day is “Literacy for human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of the day wishing all programmes of the day a success.
The President, in his message, said along with overall improvement of the country’s education system, the government is implementing multipurpose activities to boost up the literacy and develop skills. The global pandemic Coronavirus has crippled the whole world making the educational activities in the country difficult, Hamid said, adding in such a condition the government launched a teaching a programme titled “Ghore Bose Shikhi” simultaneously in Sangsad Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar aiming at fulfilling the education gap of the students.
Noting that the educated people are the resource of the country, the head of the state said in the Non-Formal Education Act, 2014, importance has been attached to the development of human resources, creating opportunities for education throughout life, stipend-oriented education in the non-formal education system, development of entrepreneurs, employment-oriented training and information and communication technology (ICT) as well as literacy.
Hamid urged all, including public representatives, non-government organizations (NGOs) and civil society members, to work together along with the government to achieve the desired targets of the country’s development by creating skilled manpower through imparting proper education.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said the literacy rate of the country now stands at 75.6 per cent which was 56.8 per cent in 2010 since the present Awami League (AL) government is implementing multipurpose programmes for increasing the literacy and develop the skills to improve the living standard of the country’s illiterate people.
The government is currently implementing an action plan to impart literacy knowledge to 21 lakh illiterate people aged between 15 and 45 years across the country in the ‘Mujib Year’ marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said. The education programme for 10 lakh children, who are out of schools, aged between eight and 14 years are underway, the head of the government said, adding that the students remain connected to their academic activities through Sangsad BangladeshTelevision and Bangladesh Betar as schools, colleges, universities and other non-formal education centres remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The strategy of imparting literacy knowledge to all illiterate people has
been determined in the 8th five-year plan (2021-2025) aiming at forwarding
towards the global concept of life-long education, Sheikh Hasina said. To
implement the strategy, recommendation has been made to take initiative for
increasing the opportunity for ICT based life-long education, the premier said, adding that the life-long education has been encouraged in the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal-4. The 8th of September was proclaimed
as International Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1966 to remind the international
community of the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and
societies, and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate
societies.
The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Prime Minister hoped building a hunger, poverty and illiteracy-free
‘Sonar Bangladesh’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation through achieving cent
per cent literacy and building skilled manpower with united efforts of all
within a quickest possible time as per the plan.
