বাংলা | Epaper

বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Saturday | 5 September 2026, 21 Bhadro 1433 PID registration number 06

HEADLINE

● Police officers plotting against govt identified: IGP ● Jamaat Chief warns of escalated movement over gas, power crisis ● Bodies of couple, newborn found at Ashulia house ● Jamaat’s long march worsening fuel crisis: Rashed Khan ● 8 Bangladeshis among 16 arrested in Indonesia on illegal entry charges ● Movement will continue until people’s rights are established, Shafiqur Rahman at long march ● Protesters block Shahbagh demanding Noakhali division

bKash and Bishwa Sahitya Kendra mark 12 years of nationwide book-reading programme

Published : Saturday, 5 September, 2026 at 7:05 PM

Press Release

File Photo

bKash and Bishwa Sahitya Kendra have completed 12 years of partnership in promoting reading habits across educational institutions in Bangladesh, with more than 400,000 books distributed to around 3,000 institutions, benefiting over 3.2 million students and readers.

“People try to recreate throughout their lives what they see during childhood,” said Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, president and chief executive of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra, recalling how his father had deeply influenced him in developing a love for books and reading.

Speaking about the nationwide expansion of the book-reading programme, he said, “This journey has involved many difficulties, but we have also received support from many people, individuals, society, various institutions and the government. Among the institutions that have provided significant support outside the government, bKash is one.”

“Over these 12 years, we have received 400,000 books from bKash, which have been distributed to different educational institutions across the country. At least 3.2 million boys and girls have read these 400,000 books. If bKash had invested this money elsewhere, it might have gained some business benefits. I do not know whether bKash has benefited financially by investing here, but the nation certainly has,” he added.

Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed made the remarks in a video message at a reception held in the capital on Friday (September 4) to mark 12 years of partnership between Bishwa Sahitya Kendra and bKash in expanding the book-reading programme among educational institutions.

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milan attended the event as the chief guest. bKash Founder and Chief Executive Officer Kamal Quadir, Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer Major General Sheikh Md Monirul Islam (retd), and Bishwa Sahitya Kendra Executive Director Khondkar Md Asaduzzaman were also present.

More than 300 students from different schools, along with their teachers and distinguished members of society, attended the reception.

Expressing hope for the development of a thoughtful society, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed said in his video message, “It is such a small country with such a huge population. Even the greatest people in the world would find it difficult to take this country towards prosperity. But if we all continue to make efforts, each from our own position, nothing is impossible.”

Addressing the event, Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milan said, “Positive change is necessary in society. The Prime Minister is making efforts, and the government is giving the highest priority to improving the quality of education. We have to start from the primary level, while importance is also being given to technical education.”

He said the government wants to gradually raise the education budget to 5 percent of the national budget.

“The previous government allocated 1.39 percent of the national budget to education, which this government has already increased to 2 percent. This year, we have received an education budget of Tk 136,000 crore,” he said.

The minister also stressed the importance of developing reading habits among young people to help them stay away from mobile phone and drug addiction.

“To bring the new generation out of addiction to mobile phones and drugs, we need to develop the habit of reading books. I thank Bishwa Sahitya Kendra and bKash for this initiative. I hope many more organisations will come forward from the perspective of social responsibility,” he said.

bKash Founder and CEO Kamal Quadir said, “From the very beginning, bKash has aimed to bring positive change to the economy through financial inclusion. At the same time, as a responsible corporate organisation, we believe that education and knowledge-building are among the key foundations of sustainable development. It is from this belief that bKash has been associated with Bishwa Sahitya Kendra’s book-reading programme for the past 12 years.”

He said bKash has been operating for 15 years and has made profits in recent years, but its partnership with the book-reading programme began long before the company became profitable.

“When we got the opportunity to work with this organisation 12 years ago, we embraced it. We thank Bishwa Sahitya Kendra for involving us in its initiative. We have always prioritised initiatives that take the younger generation beyond the boundaries of textbooks and introduce them to new knowledge, creativity and the world of free thought,” he said.

Bishwa Sahitya Kendra’s book-reading programme under its nationwide excellence initiative is one of the country’s largest and longest-running efforts to develop reading habits, thoughtful thinking and human values among students.

Bishwa Sahitya Kendra has been running the programme across the country for more than four decades.

As part of its corporate social responsibility, bKash has been associated with the book-reading programme continuously since 2014. Through this partnership, bKash has distributed more than 400,000 books to libraries at educational institutions across the country over the past 12 years.

The books distributed with bKash’s support have reached around 3,000 educational institutions, directly benefiting more than 3.2 million students and readers.

-HIS