Not all secondary students will receive all books on the New Year

Today, Thursday, is the first day of the New Year. It is also the first day of the country’s new academic year.

However, on this day, a large number of secondary-level students will not receive all their textbooks as the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) could not supply more than 27 per cent of secondary-level books until yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, the last day of the previous year.

Nevertheless, NCTB officials hope that secondary-level students will receive all their books by mid-January. Sources concerned said it may take the entire month of January for students to receive all books for all subjects. It may even extend into February.

For one and a half decades, the NCTB used to distribute free textbooks to students on the first day of the academic year amid much festivity. Students would happily return home after receiving new books at educational institutions. As a result, the first day of the New Year would take on a festive atmosphere across educational institutions nationwide.

However, this practice has not continued for the past two to three years. In the outgoing year, it took nearly three months to deliver all free textbooks to primary and secondary students, harming the students’ studies, and drawing flack against the government.

Based on this experience, the process of printing textbooks was started earlier this time. A target was also set to complete printing and deliver all textbooks to the field level by November. Accordingly, the tender process was almost completed and the evaluation work was also finished.

However, at the last moment (in November), the government decided to cancel the tenders for printing textbooks for Classes Six, Seven, and Eight. As a result, the printing of textbooks began again after issuing new tenders. Therefore, the NCTB has once again failed to supply all secondary-level textbooks on time.

According to NCTB data, the total number of textbooks to be distributed free of cost at the primary level in the new academic year exceeds 85.9 million. All of these books have already been supplied. As a result, primary-level students will receive all their books at the very start of the academic year. However, a crisis over secondary-level textbooks remains.

At the secondary level (including Ebtedayee), the total number of textbooks is 214,324,274. Of these, 72.71 per cent had been supplied to the field level by yesterday afternoon. Although nearly 88 per cent of the books had been printed by yesterday.

According to regulations, after textbooks are printed, they are bound. After that, before distribution, pre-distribution inspection (PDI) must be completed through designated institutions. After completing the PDI and all related ancillary work, the books are supplied to the field level. According to NCTB data, as of yesterday, PDI had been completed for 81.13 per cent of secondary-level textbooks.

NCTB sources say that among secondary-level textbooks, the printing and distribution of books for Classes Six and Nine–Ten has comparatively progressed. There is also no crisis regarding Ebtedayee-level books.

However, the printing and distribution of books for Classes Seven and Eight are lagging behind. The total number of textbooks for Class Seven exceeds 41.5 million, and the total number of textbooks for Class Eight exceeds 40.2 million.

Officials concerned at NCTB said that every student will be given at least a few books on the New Year. However, it will take a few more days to hand over all books to secondary-level students, especially those in Classes Seven and Eight.

NCTB Secretary Professor Md Sahtab Uddin echoed the same view. Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, he said their plan is to hand over new books to all students on the very first day of the year—whether that is two, three, or five books. Activities have been carried out accordingly. If there are no difficulties at the distribution stage, all students will receive new books on the first day of the year.

Sahtab Uddin said that 100 per cent of textbooks for primary and Ebtedayee levels and for students from small ethnic communities have already been supplied. More than 90 per cent of books for Classes Six and Nine have also been delivered. And more than 60 per cent of books for Classes Seven and Eight have been delivered.

During the tenure of the interim government, textbooks are not being distributed to students with festivities on the first day of the year as before. Books are delivered to schools, and later the school authorities hand them over to students.