All set to celebrate ‘Textbook Festival’ on January 1:Daily Sun

 The government is all set to celebrate the countrywide ‘textbook festival’ on first day of the new academic year. As part of the festival, the authorities concerned have already completed all necessary preparations for distributing free textbooks among the students across the country. National Curriculum and Text Board (NCTB), concern authority for printing textbooks, said hundred percent books h
ave been sent to the academic institutions in order to distribute books to the students on the first day of the upcoming year. Talking to daily sun, NCTB Chairman Prof Abul Kashem Mian said, “This year a total of 32.33 crore books will be distributed among 4.44 crore students of primary and secondary level of the 2015 academic session. If everything remains okay, students will get fresh books on the first day of the new year.” According to the NCTB data, this year some 1,20,33,058 books will be distributed among pre-primary students while 11,51,00,715 books among primary students, 1,79,69,420 among Ebtedayee students, 3,09,29,182 among Dakhil and Dakhil vocational students, 14,82,03,393 among secondary students and some 21,12,155 among SSC vocational students. The NCTB chairman said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the textbook distribution symbolically which will be held at Gono Bhaban on December 30. At the same programme, the premier will announce the results of Primary Completion Examination (PEC), Junior School Certificate (JSC) and its equivalent examinations. Later on January 1, the Education Ministry and Primary and Mass Education Ministry will hold the much-awaited “Textbook Festival” across the country. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid will inaugurate the festival at Motijheel Government Boys’ High school through distributing books, he added. Sources said this year this huge number of books has been published from more than 700 printing and publications across the country. While asked about the standard of the paper of books or its printing quality, NCTB chairman said from the very beginning they have monitored the printing process more closely. “In a bid to ensure standard paper, printing mistake and books quality, we have formed committees across the country so that they can monitor the overall process of printing books,” he said. He also said even after that, if anyone is found guilty of providing low quality books, actions will be taken against them. Along with legal action, they will also be excluded from NCTB list. It may be mentioned that against a backdrop of severe textbook crisis, the government had taken up the mammoth task of distributing textbooks to students free of cost in 2009.