ADULT LITERACY

Eight projects implemented by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education at a cost of Tk 2402 crore to eradicate illiteracy have made a dismal 55 per cent success due to irregularities, corruption and poor planning. Officials said 3.8 crore adult people were the target group under the eight projects, aiming to spread literacy and develop various skills among them, but 2.08 crore people benefitted from the projects – the success rate being 54.70 per cent. The eight projects were implemented between 1991 and 2014 at a cost of Tk 2402 crore and the 55 per cent success rate meant Tk 1100 crore was squandered during the period, said officials. Educationists blamed poor planning, irregularities and corruption for the frustrating rate of implementation in the projects.  ‘Lack of proper strategies and irregularities were common in the projects that resulted in the poor success rate,’ said Rasheda K Choudhury, the executive director of Campaign for Popular Education and former primary education adviser to caretaker government. Dhaka University professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said projects could not help reduce illiteracy. The government should take a holistic approach towards the problem engaging its field level offices and social initiatives to eradicate illiteracy.

BNFE director general Zahir Uddin Ahmed confirming the success rate said, ‘You cannot say money was wasted as we had set up learning centres and other infrastructures, personnel were engaged but in many cases people did not turn up to take lessons under the government project aiming to eliminate illiteracy.’ BNFE officials said the Non-Formal Education Project – 2, implemented from 1995 to 2002, provided service to 36.3 lakh illiterate adults out of 81.8 lakh targeted, at a cost of Tk 280 crore. While the Non-Formal Education Project – 4, also known as Total Literacy Movement (1997–2003), provided service to 93 lakh illiterate adults out of 2.29 crore targeted, at a cost of Tk 683 crore. There were widespread allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds from the Total Literacy Movement, which compelled the government to cancel the project in 2003. The Post-Literacy and Continuing Education for Human Development-I (2001—2007), provided service to 9.3 lakh illiterate adults out of 13.6 lakh targeted at a cost of Tk 341 crore. The PLCEHD-2 project (2002 – 2013) provided service to 11.4 lakh people out of a targeted 12 lakh, at a cost of Tk 602 crore. Hard to Reach-2nd Phase project (2004 –2014), implemented at a cost of Tk 206 crore, benefited 1.4 lakh people out of a targeted 1.6 lakh. The Integrated Non-Formal Education Project (1991 –1997), provided  service to 24.7 lakh people against a targeted 11.4 lakh, at a cost of Tk 10.7 crore and  Non-Formal Education Project-1 (1996-2001) provided service to 29.5 lakh illiterate adults out of a targeted 29.6 lakh, at a cost of Tk 205 crore. About 3.51 lakh people benefited from Non-Formal Education Project–3 (1996-2004) – against the targeted 2.7 lakh – which was implemented at a cost of 74.3 crore. BNFE officials were sceptical about the actual success rate of projects like The Integrated Non-Formal Education Project and Non-Formal Education Project–3 as there were fake learners, repetition, insincere approach by many non-government organisations that were in operation to provide teaching during the projects. BNFE sources said that corruption in the projects was discouraging donors to support any new projects. The government had tried to undertake two mega projects – Basic Literacy and Continuing Education project-1 and 2 – at a cost of around Tk 3,000 crore since 2009 but failed to convince donor agencies.

The government, however, is going to implement a Tk 452 crore Basic Literacy Project to reach 45 lakh people, between ages 15 and 45, by June 2018, at its own expense. Manzoor Ahmed, senior adviser, Institute of Educational Development at BRAC University, said the country’s illiteracy eradication goal was unrealistic. It is simply a campaign-style programme or ‘token literacy’ of learning the alphabet and how to pen one’s name. Educationists considered it not very useful and the ministry of primary and mass education had difficulty convincing donors and even the government’s finance ministry to allocate funds for such a campaign, he said. Educationists have argued for a lifelong learning approach through permanent community learning centres in which basic literacy would be an initial step. BNFE director general Zahir Uddin Ahmed denied there was any kind of corruption and irregularities in the projects. The education policy, sixth five-year plan and incumbent government’s election manifesto pledged to eliminate illiteracy by 2014, while MDG set a target of 100 per cent literacy by 2015. The Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) says that 59.82 per cent people of 15 years and above are literate in the country. Serajul Islam Choudhury said that the government lacked commitment in implementing its pledges.

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