In the words of a recent official report by the Government's Primary and Mass Education Division (PMED), the non-formal education (NFE) system caters to:
'Those children who cannot or do not get enrolled in primary schools, those who drop out of schools, the adolescents who relapse into illiteracy or those young and adult people who have never benefited from any schooling'.

The Fifth Five-year Plan (1997-2002) states that:
"The purpose of non-formal education, besides empowering the learners with skills related to literacy, numeracy and communications as well as internalizing socio-cultural traits, should extend to such areas as emotional and physical well-being, self-actualization, creative and aesthetic expression, basic technological skill and orientation, entrepreneurial traits and leadership skills."

In one of its strategies, The Fifth Five-Year Plan refers to the expansion of non-formal education and the involvement of other agencies, NGOs and private organizations:
" There will be a multi-directional approach to combat illiteracy. Non-formal education will be expanded along with strengthening the Government Mass Literacy Centres, mobilizing NGOs and utilizing the skill development/income generating efforts of the agencies outside of the Ministry of Education. NGO and private organizations will be involved in a bigger way for the improvement of primary education, which will include setting up of Ganobidyalas at the village level."

The recently approved National Education Policy 2000 (unofficial translation) articulates a number of statements that can later on be developed into a coherent framework on non-formal education. It states that
"...mass education will branch out in two directions in accordance with the age of the learners and subjects of learning; adult education and non-formal education."

It further states that:
The aims of adult education are to offer people the skills of literacy, reading, writing, numeracy; to inspire them with human virtues and to raise awareness in them about health and the environment. Non-formal education is complementary to formal education. Through this the children outside schools and the dropouts will have access to basic education. They will also receive some practical skills, which they can apply in real life situations as and when necessary. NFE graduates can be enrolled in appropriate classes of the formal schools.

Adult Education will include literacy, cultivation of awareness and development of professional skills. Opportunities will be created for all illiterate men and women of the country giving preference to those between 15-45 years of age.

Teachers will be specially trained for the imparting of adult education. Excepting courses on literacy, the duration, subject, teaching learning methods, the qualification of teachers and the learning process of other courses will be determined by the needs of the local people, availability of resources, and nature of professional groups. The national committee on the Curriculum of Mass Education will prepare the curriculum of appropriate subjects of other branches in view of the needs of vocational and technical education, health, nutrition, family welfare, agriculture, forest and environment, fisheries and livestock.

Opportunities of Continuing Education for literacy participated in by Government and non-government organizations and civil societies can remove illiteracy within a short period from the country. They will apply various methods, materials and processes and mobilize the target population. So, a realistic campaign of such nature will be encouraged.

Literacy programmes can be conducted in the distance education method through electronic media like radio and television.

All activities in the area of mass education will be coordinated. To do this the Directorate of Non-formal Education will be turned into an institution of Continuing Education and Skill Development. This organization will be centrally responsible for conducting the public programme of mass education and will arrange financing. It will also coordinate the non-governmental initiatives in mass education.

The roles of various ministries, departments and national media in the extension of mass education will be coordinated.

Legal framework will need to be drawn to implement the constitutional commitment for the extension of mass education and non-formal education."

Bangladesh has a strong national commitment to education with the State having "a Constitutional obligation of providing basic education to all its citizens by removing illiteracy within a given time frame". The Government has further committed itself to attaining total literacy by the year 2006.

This commitment has been strengthened through the Government of Bangladesh's engagement in a number of international declarations. The World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien, 1990) commits the Government to the overall objectives of achieving the goal of 'Education for All' (EFA).

To meet these commitments, the Government of Bangladesh has made, as its major focus, the eradication of illiteracy through the development of basic education. Basic education is delivered through two parallel systems, the formal and the non-formal. Because of the high level of national commitment, the government has recorded outstanding progress in education especially in primary and Non-Formal Education. The Govt. of Bangladesh is running 5 NFE projects through the Directorate of Non-Formal Education.