School textbooks right on time:Daily Star

Textbooks for school children being prepared at Bangla Bazar of Old Dhaka for shipment. The government is on schedule to get the books to the children on time this year. Photo: Amran Hossain Primary and secondary students are expected to get new textbooks on the very first day of 2015, as around 70 percent of the over 32 crore copies have already reached upazilas, 32 days ahead of distribution dat
e. The government believes it would be able to deliver the textbooks on time like the previous five years. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) as well as the printers are working round-the-clock to meet the target of dispatching 32.63 crore copies of new textbooks for around four crore students from class I to class X. It is costing the government around Tk 700 crore to give the children free books. "We hope to send all the books to all upazilas before the deadline if there are no hartals or blockades in the coming days," said Mustak Ahmed Bhuiyan, distribution controller of NCTB. The NCTB has fixed December 25 as the deadline for sending the books to the upazilas. Around 95 percent of more than 14.82 crore secondary level and 3.09 crore Dakhil (secondary level of madrasa) and Dakhil vocational textbooks have so far been sent to the upazilas, said NCTB sources. Similarly, around 70 percent of some 1.79 crore ebtedai (primary level of madrasa) textbooks have reached the upazilas, they added. Advertisement They said they were a little behind in getting the primary textbooks sent to upazilas as there had been a delay in the tender for printing the books. So far around 45 percent of 11.55 crore books had been sent, they said. However, the officials said they would get the books on time as the printers have already started dispatching the books. Like the past three years, the government invited international tender for printing primary textbooks. Krishna Traders, an Indian printer, got the contract for around 90 lakh copies, while 18 local printers have got the rest, said NCTB officials. The first consignments of around 32 lakh books printed in India have already reached Benapole Port last week, reports our Benapole correspondent. The officials said nearly 70 percent of the books, which have not reached the upazilas, had actually been printed. "The printers are sending the books directly to the upazilas," said an official preferring anonymity. Set against a failed track record, the government started distributing free textbooks to the primary and secondary schools, ebtedai and dakhil madrasas and technical institutions in 2010. Previously, the government used to provide free textbooks only for primary students, while secondary students had to buy their books. Textbooks of school children being taken for shipment to upazilas from a printer in Bangla Bazar in Old Dhaka. Photo: Amran Hossain But, the secondary students were forced to buy books well into the first quarter of the academic session due to an artificial crisis created reportedly by a syndicate of printers and government officials. Since the start of free distribution of textbooks up to secondary level, the volume of books is increasing every year. Contacted, NCTB Chairman Prof Abul Kashem Miah said, "With the cooperation of all, we hope to complete our job on time." Like the previous years, the government is going to celebrate "Textbook Festival Day" across the country on January 1 or 2. Before that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to formally inaugurate the free distribution of textbooks.