The Asia Foundation Distributes 7,500 Books To Girls In Bangladesh

The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program in Bangladesh celebrated International Women’s Day by distributing 7,500 books to 75 girls’ schools and colleges across the country.

AsianScientist (Mar. 9, 2012) – The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program in Bangladesh celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 this year by distributing 7,500 books to 75 girls’ schools and colleges across the country.

While 60 percent of the men in Bangladesh are literate, only 47 percent of the female population can read and write.

Books for Asia Bangladesh aims to reach every girls’ school and college in the country in order to close the gender gap in education through access to information and knowledge.

“Bangladesh is fortunate to have such a noble program like Books for Asia help us improve the quality of our education by providing world-class education materials to our students,” said the former Deputy Speaker of the Bangladesh government and Member of the Standing Committee of Ministry of Finance, Professor Ali Ashraf, MP.

Ashraf’s view was echoed by the Vice Chancellor of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, Dr. M. Abul Hossain Sikder, who emphasized the importance of girls’ education in Bangladesh.

Also in attendance were Director and CEO of Rapport Bangladesh Limited, Dr. M Mosharraf Hossain; The Asia Foundation’s Bangladesh Country Representative, Mr. Hasan Mazumdar; Books for Asia Coordinator Ms. Sukla Dey; and representatives of the recipient institutions.

Books for Asia has donated more than two million books to Bangladesh since the country’s independence in 1971. The program was made possible by generous donations of brand-new books by John Wiley & Sons, Pearson, Lynne Rienner, W.W. Norton & Company, and other American publishers.

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Source: Asia Foundation.
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