In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context:

(1) “continued education” means arrangement of training for development of skills and livelihood, besides basic education (literacy, primary eduction and life-efficiency), and opportunities of higher education within the score of life-long education process with a view to improving the socio-economic condition of the disadvantaged persons or communities of the society;

(2) “non-formal education” means the methodologically organized learning system beyond the scope of formal education which is stretched to life-long education and conducted with a view to developing the capacities of the disadvantaged communities and of the persons dropped out;

(3) “community learning centre” means the learning centres which are established beyond the system of formal education for the urban and the rural communities and which are conducted by the local people to improve the standard of living of the communities and the persons concerned with the provisions of organizing need-based different forms of education and training;

(13) “vocational institution or school” means any institution providing courses relating to non-formal education, life-long education or prevocational training;

(18) “equivalent education” means the prescribed competency-based education for different levels of non-formal education, by keeping consistency with precribed primary competencies, to ensure the equivalence of non-formal education with different grades fo formal education;

(19) “general education” means all forms of formal education except technical education provided by the Technical Education Act, 1967 (Act No. I of 1967);

(20) “literacy” means abilities of reading, comprehending, explicating various matters orally and in writing, communication and numeracy.

The non-formal education shall include the following aspects, namely :
(a) literacy, basic education or non-formal education equivalent to class VIII and vocational education up to pre-vocational grade II of National Skills Development Framework;
(b) sharpening, revision, and extension of acquired literacy, livelihood, skills, and basic education;
(c) continued education programmes to develop skilled human resources through the enhancement of life-efficiency and livelihood skills;
(d) creating opportunities for life-long education through the delivery of all forms of continued education and giving assistance to vocational, entrepreneurship development and emplyment-generating training in non-formal education;
(e) educational programmes based on the history of the Liberation War;
(f) literacy in information technology;
(g) agriculture, health, nutrition, family planning, forest and environment, fisheries and livestock, cottage industries, technical and vocational education and training, use of roads or roads safety, climate change disaster management, gender, democracy, values, reproductive health education, HIV-AIDS or any other life-oriented issue;
(h) disability and autism.

(1) The Board shall determine the class and standard of non-formal education against formal education.

(2) All persons, organizations, and institutions conducting non-formal education of equivalent standard within the territory of Bangladesh shall follow the prescribed curriculum and course contents.

(3) All persons, organizations, and institutions conducting non-formal education within the territory of Bangladesh shall appoint trained teachers having specified qualifications.

(4) The Board of Non-Formal Education shall award certificates to the persons who have completed non-formal education courses of equivalent standard, after verifying their qualification in such manner as may be determined.

(5) If any person desires to have recognition of his learning acquired in the past, shall have to sit for a test of equivalent standard of non-formal education to justify his acquisition of the standard of learning and he may be admitted into the next grade on the basis of the certificate received by participating in the test.

(6) Any student may be admitted into the next grade of formal education on the basis of the certificate received under sub-section (4) and similarly, any student having a certificate in formal education may be admitted into the next grade of non-formal education.