Removing illiteracy by 2014
It has been constantly repeated by the government that the country will be freed from illiteracy by 2014. Authorities forget that there are 10 crore illiterates in the country, and the number is increasing every year because of poor population control programmes. Unless it is "Kun Faya Kun" it may take 100 years to educate 10 crore illiterates.
Besides 10 crore illiterates, those whom we consider literate can perhaps sign their names only. But being able to sign one's name does not make one functionally literate as one cannot read a newspaper or make simple calculations. Being able to read a newspaper is very important because it increases the knowledge base of the reader.
Once it was said that each one will teach one and this way literacy will spread. But this is highly wrong. In order to implement a literacy programme, we need a curriculum suitable for adults, text books, trained teachers and a place to gather. The programme has to be carried out on a war-footing. It will need at least 6 month's teaching for the neo-literates to read a newspaper with comprehension. That is why Unesco called this system of literacy "Each one cheat one."
"New paths to learning-six essential learning needs for the rural poor," written by Phillip Coombs and Manzoor Ahmed, was published by ICED USA in 1976 and was considered an effective handbook for literacy teaching. Besides literacy and numeracy, family planning practice and many income generating activities were outlined for the rural poor farmers in the book. Unless literacy is taught in this way it will never be functional, and will be forgotten within a short time.
It may be mentioned here that in 1978, General Ziaur Rehman stated a countrywide mass education programme involving thousands of party workers and thousands of crores of taka were spent. Obviously, it was an election stunt as there was no suitable curriculum, textbooks or training for the literacy teachers. No effective supervision system was introduced. The then DPI Mr. Ferduas Khan and Dr. A.H. Latif of IER, DU, were engaged to evaluate the programme after two years. They found that it was a total failure and the money was completely wasted.
I want to caution the present government that unless it wants a repitition of the result of a hurriedly started literacy programme, it would be better advised to make adequate preparations before launching the programme. It must be realised that teaching adults is more difficult than teaching young people, and it involves discreet psychology.
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