AMONG 133 countries Bangladesh ranks 107th in literacy with a literacy rate of only 28 per cent. In a country where 60 per cent ot the total population lives in absolute poverty, almost the entire population of the illiterate mass depends upon the government allocation for their access to education. Bearing the, educational expenses oi move Chan 8.5 crore people is not a task our government is capable if doing. Though foreign donors can be a possible way out. depending upon others in the very first step towards self-reliance will not be a smart choice.

So the situation is we cannot spread education for our under developed economy and we cannot strengthen our economy for our under developed human resources. A possible way out of this situation. however, may have been always present. Perhaps it is so simple that we did not take enough notice.

We have to realize one thing, that what the majority of our illiterate mass needs is not traditional schooling but some sort of non formal education.

Tin- lirst step towards starting a non formal education programme (NFEP1 will Im- to develop a new curncu

lum. The present curriculum of our primary schools is grossly irrelevant. What benefit can a farmer or a rural house wife get from learning English. Arabic or Civics? We need to deliver them an edu-calion package that will enable a poor farmer to read the figures properly before applying his finger print and taking money from a loan shark, or a mother to read a brochure which will enable her to take better care of her children. In this regard, the ability to read and write Bangla. some arithmetic and some basic knowledge about nutrition, hygiene and environment is what should make up t{ie curriculum.

A streamlined curriculum will catch the. interest of the learners. This factor is vital for the success of the program. Moreover a new cur riculum free of irrelevancies will cut government ex penses. As there will be no need to publish and distribute such unnecessary texts like English and reli glous study (in lakhs of copies), this fund can be diverted for further utilization. Finally a modified curriculum

will facilitate the program, with fewerless specialized Instructors. Unlike traditional schools where a teacher is assigned for a particular subject. NFEP can cover the whole curriculum with a single teacher.

In the second step we will have to mobilize an army of semi professional teachers. In this respect we must ensure the participation of the community. In the first phase of NFEP about 200l000 in structOrs will be needed to run some 70 thousand (roughly) one in every village) non formal education centers (NFEC). These centers In two years time will urn over not less than 20 lakh graduates who will subsequently be absorbed in the program as second level instructors (SLI). The SLIs can work within their innermost circle (I e their families) A vital benefit of this process will be that, the learning process will not disturb the dally routine of either the learner or the Instructor Thus if the process of Incorporating the newly educated into the army

of instructors continues, the system in three phases (a total of six years) may produce 5 crore literate persons. At this point with a literacy rate of more than 60% the task win become a lot easier The

situation may appear grossly simplified, but it is possible. The key to its success is the participation of the community. We have to realize that liberating the nation from the clutch of illiteracy is a national task mid that a handful of professionals is not enough

to do it. Just as up our liberation war when the freedom fighters were supported by the general people, the education movement needs the active participation of the community.

Although the program will need an initial investment of 200.000 teachers, the figure should not be discouraging. The number is merely 0.6% of the total literate mass. Mobilizing only one in every 168 literate persons will be enough to set the ball rolling.

Those who have passed the SSC level can be enlisted into the process. University students, who apart from their 70 days yearly vacation enjoy another two to three months vacation after each year finals, should be mobilized for this purpose.

Finally there is the spirit of serving the nation. The masses, particularly students, have in the past psoved their readiness to serve for a greater cause. During the liberation war of 1971. the devastating floods of 1988, the mass upsurge of 1990 or most recently the devastating cyclone of 1991. the nation witnessed the self mobilization of lakhs of people. Now the time has come to do it again, for possibly the greatest cause of the present time.