Illiteracy means inability to read and write. An illiterate man does not know how to read and write. He is like a blind man who can not see anything and everything appears to be dark to him. It often brings ignorance and ignorance is similar to darkness. So illiteracy is a curse.
An illiterate man unaware and unconscious because he has no knowledge. But we know knowledge is power. It is undeniable that education is the backbone of a nation. But if majority of the people of a country are illiterate, the backbone of the nation becomes weaker day by day.
The illiterate people become superstitious, prejudiced and orthodox. They can not accept the changing ideas and values. In Bangladesh nearly 51% people are still illiterate. Illiterate people can not realise the cause of poverty, can not develop agriculture and they can not maintain the rules of health and sanitation. Illiteracy and poverty are interrelated. Illiteracy is the root cause of poverty and poverty is the root of illiteracy. Because of illiteracy, people can not improve their economic condition. Similarly poverty causes high mortality rate, low expectancy rate, population explosion, exploitation, unemployment etc. It is education which turns human beings into human resources. Education develops the skill of man. But illiterate people are burden to the society.
Because of illiteracy and poverty, our efforts for development and desire for attaining self reliance is being frustrated. The illiterate people are not aware of their duties and responsibilities to the society and at the same time of their rights.
To eradicate illiteracy from Bangladesh, the government should set up more and more schools. Night schools should be set up in every village and locality for the adult and working children. All the teachers of primary and high schools, the students of higher level should be engaged in the night school to teach there in their leisure time. The educated but unemployed young people may be engaged in teaching at night school too. Eradication of illiteracy and increase of literacy can ensure alleviation of poverty. So in the struggle of eradicating illiteracy, all of us should come forward to co-operate with the government. If this can be done, we can stand as a developed nation among others in the modern world. Otherwise, we shall always bear our identity as an under developed country.
