The credibility and significance of literacy rates become questionable when seen in the light of primary education outcomes and the character of the literacy projects undertaken so far.

As an adult, I know that nursery rhymes are meant to be magical; its logic and aesthetics built in such a way that it resists the traditional way logic seeks to present itself.

Around 26 percent of adults in Bangladesh are still illiterate though the ruling Awami League in its 2008 election manifesto had promised to eradicate illiteracy from the country by 2014.

It is difficult for farmers to develop a good marketing plan without proper market information, as is the case for managers of any

In the Primary Education Completion Exam (PECE), a mandatory national exam introduced in 2009, the latest pass rate is 98.5 percent. This is a success that cannot be ignored.

It is disheartening to note that there are about 10 million out-of-school children, adolescents and youths in Bangladesh, as revealed by a new Unesco policy paper. Some of the reasons mentioned in the paper as to why that is the case were related to their living conditions, financial constraints and social adversities.

The BBS, in its report, defined that if a person can write a simple letter, she/he will be considered literate. This clearly contradicts with the definition given by the UNESCO which declares that literacy incorporates three things -- reading, writing and doing simple arithmetic. This is also a globally accepted definition of literacy. Then why have these guidelines of UNESCO not been followed in preparing this report?