UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

has been undertaken. For achieving this objective, all government agencies as well as communities and NGOs
have been mobilized. Meanwhile, the literacy rate has considerably increased. The present adult (15+) literacy
rate is estimated to be 58%, up from only 34.6% in 1991. We are happy to note here that in recognition of our
achievement Bangladesh was awarded a UNESCO literacy award for 1997.
In the secondary education subsector, in conformity with the main line of action under “Renewal and
diversification of secondary education” of Subprogramme I.2.2 under Major Programme I of the Draft
Programme and Budget (2000-2001), the programme of vocationalization of secondary education has already
started. This measure also serves the purpose of attuning secondary and tertiary education with science and
technology. The other notable achievement in this subsector is the enhancement of girls’ participation rate. Girls’
share in total enrolment stands at 48% in 1998 as against 34% in 1990.
In order to lay the foundation of a knowledge-based society so as to address development challenges
more effectively, the major objectives of the education sector plan related to the higher education subsector are
as follows:
– to upgrade the base of science/technical and vocational education at all levels of the education
system;
– to develop higher institutions of learning, viz. the general and professional universities and the
institutes of technologies as centres of excellence;
– to expand specialized professional education and training in all relevant fields;
– to make admission to higher education needs-based and merit-based as well as cost-effective.
The government, in its endeavour to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh, has adopted eradication
of poverty as a major development goal. The strategies to that end include a human resource development
programme with special emphasis on technical education and skills training, launching new projects in social
services, creation of job opportunities, undertaking pro-poor projects and institutional development at local level.
Materializing these plan objectives and programme packages demands appropriate and adequate
resource allocations and their proper management. Bangladesh has the firm conviction that, in the context of low
per capita availability of land, mineral resources and capital, it has no other option but to turn its vast population
into human resources. To that end, government outlays in education and other social sectors have been enhanced.
In the current five-year plan of the country ending in 2002, allocation for the education sector accounts for about
15% of the total public sector outlay, the highest of all sectoral allocations.
Mr President, the process of social development comprises the upliftment of all the sectors of people in
a society in terms of knowledge and material well-being. Considered from this viewpoint, achievement of societal
development in Bangladesh presupposes the establishment of gender parity. In order to address this issue women
have been treated as a distinct target group in all governmental plans and programmes. The National Policy for
Women’s Advancement (NPWA) adopted by the government in pursuance of the United Nations Fourth World
Conference on Women, the National Action Plan (NAP) formulated on the basis of the Beijing Platform for
Action, setting the objective for “integrating women in mainstream development efforts” in the current five-year
plan reflect the government’s determination to work for the socio-economic upliftment of women. These policy
measures have been translated into concrete programme packages and projects.
Mr President, preserving, maintaining and nurturing culture and tradition are critical for the healthy
living and advancement of a nation. The Constitution of Bangladesh requires the government to adopt measures
for the conservation and enhancement of the cultural traditions and heritage of the country. In order to realize the
constitutional commitments, projects were drawn up and implemented under all plans and programmes for the
development of language, literature, fine arts and performing arts and history and heritage. Under the current
five-year plan, cultural development aims at promoting a healthy blooming of cultural activities throughout the
country.
Young people in the age-group 15-30 years comprise about 30% of the population of Bangladesh. In
order to integrate them into the development process, programmes have been undertaken to equip and enrich
them with appropriate knowledge and skills.
Mr President, I would like to make an observation on the contents of Major Programme II entitled “The
sciences in the service of development”. This major programme comprises three programmes and seven
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