40 days into classes, students yet to get all textbooks

Highlights

• At least, one crore textbooks yet to be distributed: PIAB
• The number will not be more than 30 lakh: NCTB
• Printers and textbook board exchange blame over the delay
• Govt will print 34.60cr textbooks for primary and secondary level in 2023
• Govt spends on average Tk1,000 crore for textbooks every year

Thousands of primary and secondary level students in the country still have not got their full set of free textbooks, which were scheduled to be distributed by the government on 1 January, even after more than 40 days into the new academic year.

The Printing Industries Association of Bangladesh (PIAB) sources said that at least one crore textbooks were yet to be distributed till 9 February. However, according to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), the number is not more than 30 lakh.

Mentioning the printing delay as the reason behind the failure of timely distribution of all textbooks, the NCTB and printing press owners exchanged blame for the issue.

The PIAB leaders assumed that it may take the whole of February to complete the distribution process.

According to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), the government has estimated the distribution of over 34.60 crore textbooks to primary and secondary-level students in all educational institutions across the country.

Many schools from various upazilas in the country have reported not receiving all the required textbooks for their students for the new academic year. One such school is the Chandanpur Government Primary School in Shibganj, Bogura.

According to the school authorities, the first-grade students have not yet received their mathematics textbooks, while the second-grade students are still lacking textbooks for Bengali and mathematics.

Additionally, students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades have only received textbooks for two out of the six subjects they study.

Md Jalal Uddin, headmaster of the school and president of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers' Association, Shibganj, told The Business standard that the situation is almost the same in other schools of the upazila.

However, S M Sarwar Jahan, upazila primary education officer in Shibganj, said, "We have completed book distribution in this upazila for the primary level. Although there was a delay in the distribution of some books including the Social Science books, they have been distributed to the schools by the last week of January."

Primary and secondary students from some schools in other areas also reported not having all their textbooks yet.

Sohanur Rahman, a sixth grader from a non-government high school under Dagonbhuiyan upazila, Feni, told TBS, "We have got only the textbooks of five subjects out of 12. Our teachers are taking classes only on these subjects."

Wahidur Rahman, a ninth grader of a government high school from the same upazila, said, "I am a student of science group. Me and other students are attending physics, chemistry, and biology classes without any textbooks."

People concerned said the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education submit the demand for the new free textbooks before the new academic year to the NCTB which then oversee the printing and upazila-level distribution process of the books.

Later, the directorate supervises book distribution from the upazila education offices to the schools.

Professor Md Farhadul Islam, chairman of the NCTB, acknowledged that there is a textbook shortage in some upazilas.

"Till 8 February, there was a shortage of 30 lakh books in different educational institutions in different upazilas. Since then, at least three lakh books have been delivered every day. However, most of the books that are still to be distributed are from the ninth grade."

Blaming the printers for the delay in the distribution of books, he said, "The printing houses were supposed to deliver all the books by 17 January. However, we will blacklist those houses that failed to do so. At least 8-10 companies will not get work in the future."

Shahid Serneabat, chairman of the Printing Industries Association of Bangladesh (PIAB), on the other hand, blamed the mismanagement of the NCTB for the situation.

"The NCTB gave work orders to some publishers who do not have the capacity to complete the printing process in time. A large number of books are still being printed in low-quality papers in various presses," he added.

He also said that the printing press owners are facing major crises such as load shedding, and scarcity of paper amid the current economic crisis in the country.

General Secretary of PIAB Md Zahurul Islam said, "Around 87 printing houses got work orders this year. Around 80 of them have delivered their books so far."