CA not happy with literacy rate
The current literacy rate of the country -- at only 63 percent -- is not satisfactory considering the number of programmes taken in the country to beat illiteracy.
Chief Adviser of caretaker government (CG) Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said, “It is regrettable that though the country's efforts in literacy campaign are long-running, the achievement relatively low.”
He said this while inaugurating programmes organised by the Primary and Mass Education Ministry at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital to mark International Literacy Day-2008 yesterday.
The theme for this year is 'Literacy is the best remedy'.
The Chief Adviser called on all including teachers, guardians, government employees, representatives of non-government organisations and development partners to work together to free the nation from the curse of illiteracy.
“We have to prove that if we have the will, any task is possible. Today that should be our vow to make the literacy campaign a success,” Dr Fakhruddin said.
The CA also said that education for all is essential to establish good governance in the country and remove discrimination, corruption and injustice from society.
“The objectives of the government are to establish good governance, transparency, accountability and universal human rights, and to attain these goals, education is necessary,” he said.
“Though the campaign for literacy came out formally in the last century, the actual campaign began in this region in the seventeenth century with religious studies and informal education. In spite of that, our literacy rate is still low,” he related.
The chief adviser said investment in education is the best investment for the country. Keeping this in mind, the present government has made the highest allocation -- of over Tk 12,000 crore -- for education and technology sectors in the national budget.
Meanwhile the second Primary Education Development Programme involving about Tk 7,500 crore is being implemented to ensure 'Education for All' by 2015, he told the audience.
Dr Fakhruddin however applauded the country's success in gender parity in enrolment in primary schools and recruitment of teachers in these schools in the current year.
The CA distributed prizes to winners of different competitions organised to mark National Primary Education Week 2007 and 2008.
He also distributed prizes and certificates to the best teachers, students, primary schools, managing committees and officials in recognition of their outstanding contributions to primary education on the occasion.
Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rasheda K Choudhury presided over the function, while Primary and Mass Education Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan presented the welcome address.
Rasheda K Choudhury said it is the responsibility of the state to provide standard education to all children.
Advisers to the CG, special assistants to the CA, representatives of development partners, students, teachers and government officials were present at the function.
It was revealed at the function that the government has donated Tk 2 crore from the CA's Relief and Welfare Fund to Shishu Kalyan Trust (Child Welfare Trust) to provide scholarships for poor meritorious students.
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