Work together to attain 100 percent literacy rate by 2030

Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman yesterday urged all government and non-government organisations to work together to achieve 100 percent literacy rate by 2030.

He said the government will give more priority to underprivileged children and ensure their enrolment in schools to accelerate the attainment of the goal.

The minister was addressing a view-exchange meeting on "current literacy status and underprivileged children", jointly organised by Save the Children and Manabik Shahajya Sangstha (MSS), at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

Save the Children and MSS organised the meeting as part of their two-day programme marking International Literacy Day, observed on September 8.

Mostafizur said the country's present literacy rate is 72.9 percent. He stressed cultural and social literacy along with achieving the ability to read and write.

Editor of the Bangla daily Bhorer Kagoj, Shyamal Dutta; MSS Executive Director (acting) Zakir Hossain; Director (education sector) of Save the Children in Bangladesh and Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Advisor Prof Shafi Ahmed, among others, also spoke at the programme.