Illiteracy Problem in Bangladesh
Illiteracy means the inability to read and write. Around the world, millions of adults are unable to read or write, and therefore struggle to earn a living for themselves and their families. An illiterate man does not know how to read and write. He is like a blind man who cannot see anything and everything appears to be dark to him. It prevents the people from marching ahead to seat up an ideal social fabric. It often brings ignorance and ignorance is similar to darkness. So, illiteracy is a curse.
Illiteracy is the main problem of human society and is deeply rooted in the vicious circle of other basic problems. An illiterate man is unaware and unconscious because he has no knowledge. But we know knowledge is power. It is undeniable that education is the backbone of a nation. But if the majority of the people of a country are illiterate, the backbone of the nation becomes weaker day by day. Illiteracy is a great social evil because it creates different kinds of social evils and vices and prevents social progress and development. A nation can achieve balanced growth and development if its government has the commitment and makes the effort to meet at least the basic needs of the people, which are food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education.
The illiterate people become superstitious, prejudiced, and orthodox. They cannot accept the changing ideas and values. In Bangladesh, nearly 51% of people are still illiterate. Illiterate people cannot realize the cause of poverty, cannot develop agriculture and they cannot maintain the rules of health and sanitation. Child labor and child marriage and the high growth rate of the population are also the causes of illiteracy.
Illiteracy and poverty are interrelated. Illiteracy is the root cause of poverty and poverty is the root of illiteracy. Because of illiteracy, people cannot improve their economic condition. Similarly, poverty causes a high mortality rate, low expectancy rate, population explosion, exploitation, unemployment, etc. It is an education that turns human beings into human resources. Education develops the skill of man. But illiterate people are a burden to society. They also remain unaware of their rights and responsibilities. This kind of inability and unawareness are responsible for various individual and social backwardness.
Because of illiteracy and poverty, our efforts for development and desire for attaining self-reliance is being frustrated. Illiteracy deprives human beings of the light of knowledge, keeps them ignorant and unaware of basic human needs and rights, denies access to information and information technology and socio-economic opportunities, and does not provide the scope for being equal even in the eyes of the law. The illiterate people are not aware of their duties and responsibilities to the society and at the same time as their rights. Therefore, illiteracy is the biggest cause of ignorance, poverty, deprivation, and incivility.
To eradicate illiteracy from Bangladesh, the government should set up more and more schools. Night schools should be set up in every village and locality for the adult and working children. All the teachers of primary and high schools, the students of higher levels should be engaged in the night school to teach there in their leisure time. The educated but unemployed young people may be engaged in teaching at night school too. Illiteracy deprives human beings of the light of knowledge, keeps them ignorant and unaware of basic human needs and rights, denies access to information and information technology and socio-economic opportunities, and does not provide the scope for being equal even in the eyes of the law.
Literacy is a blessing while illiteracy is a curse. Eradication of illiteracy and an increase in literacy can ensure the alleviation of poverty. Overpopulation, financial and resource constraints, people’s superstition, and negative attitude to word education, Jack of awareness, etc. are responsible for illiteracy. So in the struggle of eradicating illiteracy, all of us should come forward to co-operate with the government. If this can be done, we can stand as a developed nation among others in the modem world. Literacy helps a nation develop in all respects. It provides people with knowledge, wisdom, the light of education, and the power of detecting right or wrong. Otherwise, we shall always bear our identity as an underdeveloped country.
