M M Jasim :
Like the previous years, the National Textbook Festival Day-2017 will be celebrated across the country on January 1, with the distribution of new textbooks among the students of schools and madrasas.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid will formally inaugurate the festival at the Azimpur Government School and College by distributing new sets of textbooks among the students on the day.
The Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar will celebrate the day at Dhaka University Playground. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith is likely to attend the function as the Chief Guest.
The day will be celebrated in all the educational institutions across the country on January 1.
This year, a total of 36 crore 21 lakh 82 thousand and 285 textbooks will be distributed among the students of pre-primary to secondary level for 2017 academic session.
The Education Ministry has already completed all out preparations to celebrate the Textbook Festival Day.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told The New Nation on Tuesday that the Ministry was ready to celebrate the Textbook Festival Day 2017.
“The moment of distribution of books among the students is very exciting. I exult it very much. It is a joyful day. We had to work round the year to reach the books in time and when we see the smiling faces of our children, we forget everything,” the Minister said.
He said that almost cent percent books reached the institutions. “Now it is time to wait for the festival.”
“I guarantee, all the books have reached all the educational institutions. There is nothing to be anxious”, he said.
The government this year printed textbooks in five ethnic languages. Textbooks printed in Braille method will also be distributed among the challenged students.
However, for the first time, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has printed Braille system textbooks for the visually challenged students and it also printed pre-primary books in the languages of five small anthropological groups which would be distributed free of cost on January 1.
As per the agreement with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), three categories of works of the primary level textbooks were given to the foreign organizations, Nahid said.
However, sources said there were some upazilas in few districts where schools had not received all textbooks. But the ministry officials denied the allegation outright and said that they had all the information in their hands.
From 2010, the government began distributing free textbooks among students of secondary schools. Free distribution of textbooks among the primary school students began in 1981.
