WASIM BIN HABIB and ARAFAT RAHAMAN

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.

The literacy rate among people aged seven and older is now 77.9 percent as per the Bangladesh Economic Survey 2024, said Bidhan Ranjan Roy Podder, the primary education adviser.

The actual rate could be even lower as the previous governments often tried to suppress information, he told reporters on Sunday.

Against the backdrop, Bangladesh yesterday joined the global observance of International Literacy Day.

Declared by UNESCO in 1965, this year’s theme is “Promoting literacy in the digital era”.

In Bangladesh, literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read and write.

But the UNESCO broadened the definition beyond the conventional concept of reading, writing and counting skills. It encompasses the ability to identify, interpret, create and communicate in an increasingly digital, text-driven, information-rich and fast-changing world.

Literacy is attained through formal education and adult literacy programmes, but in Bangladesh, the focus has largely remained on the former, with the latter receiving less attention.

Since 1991, successive governments have undertaken multiple efforts to eradicate illiteracy, with the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) implementing at least nine projects ranging from basic and post-literacy to non-formal education schemes.

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