There’s no mission more important than to step into the 21st century with an educated mass of people. The Unicef Progress of the Nations, 1999, launched Tuesday last, focusing on five key elements — learning for life; accessibility, quality and flexibility; gender sensivity; state as key partner; and early childhood care — has addressed the challenge of child education and suggested that we move from rhetoric to action in that vast realm. There is little room for complacence that Bangladesh's financial input in primary education has doubled since 1990. The drop-out rate in both formal and non-formal orders has decreased, but is vet to be contained, especially in the countryside; and more worrisome is the fact that girls go missing from the classrooms only to perform household chores or work as cheap labour at the urban centres.

While the child-labour-eliminating initiative has witnessed some acceleration of education, private sector motivation to invest only in urbanbased schooling is a fact which is denying numerous children of their right to education. The children "deserve" education more than they "need" it. The urban-centred expansion of education is lopsided bearing no fruit as far as Education-for-All is concerned in Bangladesh. Apart from the good role of the non-governmental organisations in the primary education and adult literacy fields it is imperative for the broader private sector to come forward in these spheres in a big way.

We must strive to sow the seeds of “patriotism", “honesty", “morality” etc., into the young people's minds. These should find place In the nationwide curricula. Purposeful and enlightened education is important for this country. There's no time for Bangladesh to remain on the sidelines of the global mainstream.