Raising literacy rate

SINCE 1991, successive governments have undertaken several projects at an estimated cost of over Tk 2,000 crore jointly with various development partners to increase literacy rate in Bangladesh; yet a big gap remains in terms of attainment. Against the backdrop we have to adopt more inclusive and realistic plans that would help step up literacy.  In our country, a person's ability to sign name is take as the mark of literacy, but this does not meet all the parameters required to be met for functional literacy.

The foundations of basic skills-orientated learning which enables a person to read, write and do arithmetic up to a workable level should be the marker of literacy. So it's the very definition of the term 'literate'that needs to be practically more broad based and goal-oreinted than it is now. Moreover, literacy programmes should be implemented keeping the country's socio-economic realities in view.

However, literacy rate has gone up to nearly 60 percent as per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics while the education ministry puts it at 65 percent.  This is not a small achievement but one that has to be more functional. This can be built up on two levels; adult literacy drive and the primary education. With respect to the former, retention of skills should be ensured through rotation methods.