In 1966, during the 14th session of its General Conference, Unesco declared September 8 as International Literacy Day (ILD).

As the government aims to raise the country’s literacy rate to between 86 and 90 percent by 2030, nearly half of children aged seven to 14 still fail to read and understand a simple story.

Nearly one in five Bangladeshis aged seven and above remains illiterate, despite Tk 4,000 crore being spent on literacy programmes over the past 34 years.

Despite some progress in basic literacy, the country remains far behind in digital inclusion.

The credibility and significance of literacy rates become questionable when seen in the light of primary education outcomes and the character of the literacy projects undertaken so far.