Dhaka: President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has extended heartfelt greetings and felicitations to the people of Bangladesh and all concerned on the occasion of ‘International Literacy Day 2026’, to be observed tomorrow. ‘Developing an educated and skilled population is essential for human-centred development, environmental conservation and sustainable economic prosperity,’ he said in a message here today marking the day.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the President emphasized that this year’s theme, ‘Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity,’ is highly relevant and significant in the current global context. He stated that literacy is a fundamental human right and one of the key foundations of sustainable development for individuals, society, and the state.
He further elaborated that in today’s world, literacy goes beyond reading, writing, and numeracy to include life skills, the proper use of information technology, analytical thinking, ethical values, and environmental awareness. The President highlighted literacy’s vital role in addressing climate change, ensuring the proper use of natural resources, creating employment, increasing productivity, and promoting inclusive development.
The President underscored the importance of ensuring quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. He mentioned the government’s commitment to building an inclusive, quality, and modern education system, with plans to raise education expenditure to 5 percent of GDP. Initiatives include introducing modern laboratories, multimedia classrooms, school feeding programmes, and robotics corners in schools, as well as doubling educational stipends.
Additional measures have been taken to strengthen teaching monitoring, reform the examination system, increase student participation in sports, recruit and train new teachers, introduce the ‘One Teacher, One Tab’ programme, and facilitate retirement benefits for MPO-listed teachers. Efforts are also ongoing to expand literacy and skill-based education opportunities for women, children, marginalised communities, ethnic minority groups, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged individuals.
The President expressed hope that these initiatives would successfully build a knowledgeable, technology-oriented, skilled, and responsible future generation. He called on government and private organisations, educational institutions, development partners, civil society, media representatives, and people from all walks of life to come together to achieve this goal. The Head of the State wished overall success for all programmes undertaken to mark the occasion.