40pc adults still illiterate

Around 40 percent of adults in Bangladesh are still illiterate, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic's Literacy Assessment Survey 2023 report.

The survey shows 60.77 percent of people aged 15 years and above are literate. Of them, 62.84 percent are male and 58.24 percent female.

BBS revealed the survey at a programme held yesterday at BBS auditorium in the capital's Agargon.

Anyone who can read, understand, interpret, communicate, and count verbally and in writing is considered literate, explained BBS officials.

Presenting the survey, project director Mostafa Ashrafuzzaman said the number of such people in urban areas is higher (71.06 percent) than that of rural residents (56.12 percent).

The survey shows 60.77 percent of people aged 15 years and above are literate. Of them, 62.84 percent are male and 58.24 percent female. The rate is 72.97 percent among the younger citizens, aged 7-14 years. Of them, the literacy rate of girls is 76.42 percent, 6.75 percent higher than that of boys.

A 100-mark test was conducted to calculate the rate. A person is considered functionally literate if they manage to score a minimum of 50 marks, he mentioned.

The rate is 72.97 percent among the younger citizens, aged 7-14 years. Of them, the literacy rate of girls is 76.42 percent, 6.75 percent higher than that of boys, according to the report.

On the other hand, the number of people with functional literacy aged 11-45 this time increased by a good margin to 73.69 percent (80.35 in urban areas and 65.6 in rural areas), compared to 53.70 percent in 2011.

The picture is the same for all the age groups, according to the survey report.

However, the rate stands at 62.92 for people aged 7 years and older.

The survey was conducted in all districts between January 1, 2021 and June 30, this year.

Presenting as the chief guest, Planning Minister MA Mannan said, "We improved by a good margin. The girls have been doing better, which is a good sign for the country. But we need to significantly increase the rate to achieve the SDGs," he added.

Shahnaz Arefin, secretary to Statistics and Informatics Division; Matiar Rahman, director general of BBS; and Uttam Kumar Das, director of Training Division, Directorate of Primary Education, also spoke at the event.