Non-formal education key to bringing 40m into literacy: Bobby Hajjaj

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj on Tuesday called for strengthening non-formal education to bring nearly 40 million people who remain outside literacy and formal education into the mainstream.
“Non-formal education must be made stronger, more effective and results-orientated” to reach this vast population, he said at a discussion and non-formal education awards ceremony at the Bureau of Non-Formal Education auditorium in Tejgaon, Dhaka, marking International Literacy Day 2026.
“Our main goal is to ensure that every child remains in school, receives education based on morality and values, and acquires the skills necessary to build a career in the future,” he added. The state minister said around 22% of the country’s population, or nearly 40 million people, remain outside literacy and formal education, with a large proportion of them adults.
Many children of primary school age also remain outside formal education, he said, stressing that bringing them back into mainstream education and skills development must be given the highest priority.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and its agencies have an opportunity to work with one of the country’s largest sections of the population, Bobby said. The Bureau of Non-Formal Education should therefore be transformed into one of the country’s strongest and most empowered institutions in terms of its reach.
“The education budget should not be spent merely on constructing buildings. Every taka allocated for education must be used to ensure proper education for the people,” he said.
He said raising the literacy rate alone was not enough. Education must improve people’s quality of life, develop their values and enable them to play an effective role in their working lives. Director General of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education Monowara Ishrat chaired the event.