ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN ERADICATING ILLITERACY IN BANGLADESH, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SITUATION IN THE SAARC COUNTRIES
With the support of UNESCO, three gramecn library and information centres have been organized and maintained jointly by the Bangladesh National Scientific and Technical Documentation Centre (BANSDOC) and the Library Association of Bangladesh (LAB) in three villages (Hajipara, Kakrain, and Tetulia) of Dhamrai thana, about 40 km from the Dhaka City.17 LAB had also organized a one-day National Seminar on “Development of a Grameen Library System for Providing Information Support to the Rural People of Bangladesh.” A concept paper on a gramecn library system was presented by
Mr. M. Shamsul Islam Khan, the President of LAB, at the seminar.16
ACTIONAID is an international development organization based in London. It has both urban and rural programmes, and most are centred around the samity. In the education sector, this organization promotes both non-formal
primary education for children, as well as adult literacy classes, stressing
functional and practical literacy.
The Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) is one of the largest rural development agencies in Bangladesh. It has been working in 28 thanas of six
northern districts. It also works for Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) which meets the needs of non-school-going children. NFPE is a national initiative of the government’s Primary and Mass Education Division, funded by
the World Bank.
The Gonoshahjjo Sangstha (GSS) is a well-reputed NGO working in Bangladesh in eradicating illiteracy and in other fields. It has two programmes in this regard. These arc: (i) Adolescent Literacy Centre (ALC), and (ii) Adult Literacy Programme. The Adolescent Education Programme of CSS commenced in 1993 with a suitable two-year curriculum in 434 groups. This
programme is aimed at helping those in the 11-15-year age group who have
cither dropped-out, or have never been exposed to formal (or any) school
system, to acquire any literacy and numerical skills. In phase II (1994/5-1996/7), there were 2170 groups in operation with approximately 30 students per group. It was found from experience that students did not achieve learning targets. So, the curriculum was extended to three years. For the programme to work properly the community is encouraged, through active participation of village committees, to participate in decision-making and
cost-sharing in setting up these centres.
The Adult Literacy Programme was started since 1983. It patronizes 46 adult literacy centres, and also maintains 300 Gram Shikha Milon Kendras of DNFPE (Directorate of Non-Formal Primary Education). If a centre is continued for two years, a library or reading centre is established there. At present this NGO has set up 234 reading centres for students, adult persons and others. This centre is open to all, and they also supply 60 books and magazines per year for collection development.
Moreover, the Islamic Foundation is also trying to increase the literacy rate
among the rural people by the help of mosque-based libraries. In this regard,
the Foundation offers training to the Imams of mosques.
PROGRAMME OF ACTION
The adult literacy programmes and policy-makers in Bangladesh have so
far virtually left public libraries out of their scheme of things. All their efforts
and the huge amount of money being pumped into their literacy programmes
have been and will continue to be of little consequence so long as they fail to
make suitable reading or learning materials available to their neo-literates
through a well-conccivcd rural library system. However, to eradicate illiteracy from Bangladesh, I would like to emphasize the following programme of action at the national level:
1. A public library grid should be established all over the country with their branches in all the villages; the establishment of libraries for all villages should be completed within five years.
2. NGOs may take a vigorous and integrated programme jointly with the government to establish and maintain village libraries and information resource centres. A favourable government policy relating to library may encourage NGOs in this regard.
3. The village library should run a night school and impart adult education and literacy. The librarian should be entrusted with the responsibility of creating reading habits among the village people, especially among the children and school-going students.
4. Separate budget should be allocated for library service under the Adult
Education Programme Funds. In this regard, the government should give more funds for the development of pubic libraries.
5. The Primary and Mass Literacy Directorate, Non-Formal Education Directorate, Rural Development and Co-operatives Division, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, and the Social Welfare Directorate may prepare their own action plan for using their own potentiality in the promotion of mass education and mass literacy.
6. The Primary and Mass Education Division may also consider to institute
a separate plan for using the maktabs as feeder schools where the Imams and Muazzins can teach children and which may be helpful to increase the literacy rates.
7. The government should set up publishing houses to produce cheap, plentiful and suitable reading materials which can be distributed free of charge that may be helpful to be literate.
CONCLUSION
The Government of Bangladesh has given top priority to mass literacy. So, different activities and programmes for promoting literacy are being implemented through the government agencies and NGOs. The government
should take necessary steps to involve public libraries in the literacy movement. Public library services should be strengthened, and support services, like the radio, television and film vans, should be introduced in the adult education programmes. Without these ancillary services, the neo-literates will soon relapse into illiteracy.
References
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Dhaka: Directorate of Non-formal Education, 1995:9
16. Khan MSI. Development of a grameen library system for providing information support to the rural people of Bangladesh. Paper presented at
the Seminar on Development of a Cramcen Library System for Providing Information Support to the Rural People of Bangladesh, Dhamrai, 2 May, 1997. Dhaka: The Library Association of Bangladesh, 1997.
17. Harun-ur-Rashid. Community information services in rural Bangladesh. DevPrac 1996;6(4):358-62
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