Non-formal education to be strengthened to bring 40m people into literacy: Bobby Hajjaj

The government will make the non-formal education system more effective and results-oriented to bring around 40 million people into literacy and education, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has said. 

Around 22% of the country's population remains outside literacy and formal education, with adults making up a significant portion of this group, he said while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion and non-formal education awards ceremony organised to mark International Literacy Day at the Bureau of Non-Formal Education in Dhaka's Tejgaon today (8 September). 

Many school-age children are also still outside the formal education system, making it necessary to strengthen non-formal education to bring this large population back into the mainstream of education and skills development, the state minister said.

"Numerically, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education needs to be turned into one of the country's strongest and most empowered institutions," Bobby said.

He stressed the need to make ongoing programmes more results-oriented and to rescope, redesign and refocus various projects.

The government aims to ensure that no child remains out of school, he said, adding that every child should receive education based on ethics, values and skills so that they can build their careers in the future.

The state minister also stressed that education budget allocations should not be spent only on infrastructure development; greater emphasis should also be placed on improving the quality of education, bringing out-of-school children back into the education system, increasing literacy and developing skills.

"Simply increasing the literacy rate is not enough. We must ensure education that improves people's quality of life, develops values and builds the ability to play an effective role in working life," he said.