Students across country start getting textbooks

Although there has been no textbook festival on the first day of the New Year due to the Covid pandemic, the distribution of free textbooks began across Bangladesh on Saturday. Some 347 million copies of textbooks will be distributed among some 41.7 students up to the secondary level from pre-primary level across the country in the 2022 academic year.

The textbooks are being distributed among students in their respective classrooms maintaining health protocols. There were reports  from different districts, including Rangamati, Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Barishal, Natore and Magura that textbooks were distributed among students in their districts on the first day of 2022. Some students expressed joy as they r3eceived new books at the beginning of the year.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday formally inaugurated the distribution of the free textbooks among students up to the secondary level for the academic year of 2022. She opened the textbook distribution, joining a ceremony in the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. On behalf of the prime minister, education minister Dipu Moni and state minister for primary and mass education Md Zakir Hossen handed over textbooks to some students of primary and secondary levels at the function.

No festival marking the distribution of free textbooks was held in 2021 either due to the pandemic. A BSS report from Rajshahi adds: A total of 5,20,518 primary and secondary level students will get 61,16,268 new textbooks in the districts as distribution of books began here for the new year on Saturday as elsewhere in the country.

All the targeted students have started getting new books as schools and other institutions concerned inaugurated their respective book distribution programme through handing over books to students this morning maintaining health safety measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

"We have already started distributing books among the students as per the government's instruction since this morning," said Nasir Uddin, District Education Officer.  He said 1,86,000 students comprising general, technical and madrasha will get around 47 lakh new books.

Required numbers of books were sent to all the government and registered non-government schools in the district for distribution among the students timely.

He, however, said all the students will get new books within 12 days of the New Year.

District Primary Education Officer Abdus Salam told BSS that they have 2,86,612 eligible students for getting 13,67,862 new books. "We will also provide 48,406 books to 47,906 pre-primary students," he added.

He said the present government has been distributing free books to the school students aimed at ensuring education for all to free the nation from the curse of illiteracy.

The students were very happy after getting new books on the first day of the year and we have kept five percent books as buffer stock for meeting any deficit and for the newly admitted students.

 "We have arranged alternative measures of handing over books to the students amid the Covid-19 situation," he added.