THE much-hyped goal for cent percent adult literacy by 2015 has been found wanting while the literacy rate was estimated at the end of 2014 due to irregularities, corruption, poor planning and evaluation over the years. To eradicate illiteracy among 15+ years old population, the projects taken by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education have a dismal 55 percent success rate. The same causes — corruption and ineptness — have already put the country’s economy at a standstill. Now the country’s progress in achieving complete literacy is stuck .
As per the latest literacy survey report of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country’s literacy rate of the population aged above 15 reached 59.82 percent while the illiteracy rate is 40.18 percent and the literacy rate of women is 55.71 percent. A report carried by a daily said that the target group of the eight projects was 3.8 crore adult people as the projects aimed to spread literacy and develop various skills, but only 2.08 crore people benefitted from the projects — the success rate being 54.70 percent. The projects were implemented between 1991 and 2014 at a cost of Tk 2402 crore. Poor success rate meant Tk 1100 crore was squandered during the period.
There were widespread allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds from the Total Literacy Movement, which compelled the government to cancel the project in 2003. Educationists also blamed poor planning, irregularities and corruption for the frustrating rate of implementation in the projects. However, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education is sceptical about the actual success rate of projects like The Integrated Non-Formal Education Project and Non-Formal Education Project-3 as there were fake learners, repetition, and insincerity by many non-government organisations that were in operation to provide teaching during the projects.
The government has not yet come up with a well-crafted plan to reduce illiteracy, though the ruling Awami League ahead of the 2008 national polls pledged to ensure 100 percent literacy by this year. The government had planned to undertake two mega projects – Basic Literacy and Continuing Education Project-1 and 2 — at a cost of around Tk 3,000 crore since 2009 but failed to convince donor agencies. The government, however, is going to implement a Tk 452 crore Basic Literacy Project to reach 45 lakh people, between the ages of 15 and 45, by June 2018, by its own finance.
Educationists have argued for a lifelong learning approach through permanent community learning centres in which basic literacy would be an initial step. The Education Policy, sixth five-year plan and incumbent government’s election manifesto pledged to eliminate illiteracy by 2014, while MDG set a target of 100 percent literacy by 2015.
Terming the country’s illiteracy eradication goal unrealistic, experts said the government simply takes campaign-style programme or ‘token literacy’ of learning the alphabet and how to pen one’s name.
A holistic approach involving social initiatives free from corruption can only eradicate illiteracy. Adoption of campaign-style programs is not a better way to eradicate illiteracy, particularly amongst the adults.
