bKash and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro have marked 12 years of collaboration under a nationwide book reading programme that has distributed 400,000 books to nearly 3,000 educational institutions, benefiting more than 3.2 million students and readers across Bangladesh.
The milestone was observed at an event in Dhaka on Friday, September 4, attended by Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon, Minister of Education, Kamal Quadir, Chief Executive Officer of bKash, Major General Sheikh Md Monirul Islam (Retd), Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer of bKash, Khandakar Md Asaduzzaman, Executive Director of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, along with students, teachers and civil society members.
Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, said in a video message that childhood experiences often shape a person’s lifelong pursuits while recalling his father’s influence on his efforts to promote reading habits.
Highlighting the contribution of bKash to expanding the initiative nationwide, Professor Sayeed said the organisation had received support from personal, social, institutional and government sources, with bKash being among the non-state organisations that provided major assistance.
“Over these 12 years, we received 400,000 books from bKash, which were distributed to various educational institutions nationwide. These 400,000 books have been read by at least 3.2 million readers and students,” he said.
Professor Sayeed added that while bKash may have had opportunities to invest its resources elsewhere for financial returns, the partnership had delivered significant benefits to the nation.
Expressing hope for building an intellectually stronger society, he said collective efforts from individuals and organisations could help drive progress despite the country’s large population and challenges.
In his address as chief guest, Education Minister Dr Milon said positive social change required improving the quality of education, beginning at the primary level, while also placing importance on technical education.
He said the government aimed to gradually increase the education budget to 5 per cent of the national budget and noted that the allocation had risen from 1.39 per cent under the previous government to 2 per cent, with the current education budget standing at Tk136,000 crore.
Dr Milon also said developing reading habits among young people was important to help them move away from mobile phone and drug addiction, while thanking Bishwo Shahitto Kendro and bKash for their initiative.
Kamal Quadir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of bKash, said the company’s objective since its establishment had been to create positive economic change through financial inclusion, while also supporting education and knowledge-building as foundations for sustainable development.
“Since the beginning of our journey, bKash’s goal has been to bring a positive change in the economy by driving financial inclusion in the country. At the same time, as a responsible corporate entity, we believe that education and the pursuit of knowledge are among the core foundations of sustainable development,” Quadir said.
He added that bKash had been associated with Bishwo Shahitto Kendro’s book reading programme for 12 years, including before the company began generating profits.
The nationwide Book Reading Programme of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro has been running for more than four decades to encourage reading habits, critical thinking and human values among students. As part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, bKash has supported the initiative since 2014 by distributing books to educational institutions across Bangladesh.
Through the partnership, more than 400,000 books have been provided to libraries of educational institutions, reaching nearly 3,000 institutions and benefiting over 3.2 million students and readers.
