PM calls for all-out participation against illiteracy

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon every educated people for their all-out participation to make the country free from illiteracy in quickest possible time.

"We can quickly reach to our cherished goal and declare the country illiteracy free if everybody takes the initiative to provide education to illiterate persons in their respective areas," she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating a programme on the occasion of 50th anniversary of the International Literacy Day at Osmani Memorial Hall in Dhaka today.

Sheikh Hasina urged all students, student organisations, public representatives, political parties and every educated people in the public and private sector to join the drive against illiteracy.

"Now country's literacy rate is 71 percent," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said, "The country is ours. So, we have to build our country to live with dignity. Literacy is a very dominant factor to make the country free from poverty."

Minister for Primary and Mass Education Mustafizur Rahman presided over the function while acting secretary of the ministry Mohammad Asif-Uz-Zaman and director general of the Bureau of Non-formal Education Ruhul Amin Sarker also spoke on the occasion.

On the occasion a message from Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova was read out in which she said the world's population has increased substantially, but the number of young adults without literacy skills decreased by 25 percent between 1990 and 2015.

Congratulating the programme's organisers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the day is being observed this year with the theme "Reading the Past, Writing the Future"- which is very much befitting to time.

She said Bangladesh was born to be a happy and prosperous nation. But a nation cannot prosper without educating its people. So, Bangabandhu, after liberation, declared education as one of the basic rights of the people, making the primary education compulsory and complimentary for children.