Wait for textbooks gets longer

Most students did not receive new textbooks on the first day of the year mainly because of printing and shipping delays.

Only 4 crore against a need of 9.19 crore copies of primary school books, and 1.9 crore against 30.96 crore secondary books have been delivered, said officials of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

Siddiq Zobair, senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, yesterday said secondary school students will get all of their textbooks by January 30.

Our correspondents from 15 districts report students of classes 1, 2 and 3 received all of their textbooks, classes 4 and 5 got two or three new textbooks, and no secondary school student received full sets of books.

Teachers of at least five primary schools in Cumilla gave out old books to 4th and 5th graders so that they would not feel disappointed.

In Narayanganj, no student of class 7 and upwards received any book while the 6th graders were given textbooks only on four subjects.

Education Ministry and NCTB officials say printing made almost no progress in the tumultuous months of July and August and caused delays. The move to an older curriculum, last-minute changes, hiring of a contractor, and a shortage of paper have also led to the fiasco.

Education Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud apologised to the students and parents while announcing that PDF versions of the books were available on the NCTB website.

He also promised that the children will find the books more beautiful and durable when they receive them.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Raabsa Islam, who is in class 6 at a school in the capital’s Mirpur, returned home empty-handed. Her teachers asked her to read the PDF books.

“I am sad. I wanted to read the new books on the first day,” she said.

Parul Akhter, a class 8 student in Char Kulaghat village, Lalmonirhat, also didn’t receive any book.

“How will I study if I don’t have the books?” she asked.

Harichand Biswas, headteacher of Kalibati Secondary School in Dumuria, Rangpur, said none of his 206 students received books.

In Chattogram, 5.7 lakhs copies were distributed against a demand of 1.7 crore, said Uttam Khisa, secondary education officer in the district. At primary schools, 17.50 lakh were given against a demand of 44 lakh.

In Sunamganj, no textbooks had been delivered to secondary schools. In Sylhet, seven out of 13 upazilas received no secondary school books, said Jahangir Alam, education officer in the district.

In Khulna, only 1.54 lakh primary textbooks out of 10 lakh reached. In Lalmonirhat, most of the primary school books had been delivered, while secondary schools received nothing.

Primary and secondary schools in Panchagarh received 20,548 books against a demand for 6 lakh; in Dinajpur, 5 lakh against 19.56 lakh; in Nilphamari, 7.49 lakh against 18 lakh; in Pirojpur, primary schools got 27,000 against 6 lakh and secondary schools got 5 lakh against 11 lakh.

Mostofa Alam, secondary-level education officer in Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi, said only 9,000 copies of Bangla, English, and maths had been received against a need for 3 lakh.

WHAT CAUSED THE DEBACLE

“The decision not to print books abroad added complexity. Additionally, the number of books increased this year due to curriculum changes,” Adviser Wahiduddin said.

“We had a short time, and many books had to be revised to ensure political impartiality. We also prioritised high-quality printing, paper, and cover.”

NCTB Chairman Prof Reazul Hassan said the process began in September, which was already late.

Sources said that in 2024, around 31 textbooks were printed for this year. After the July mass uprising and the formation of the interim government, it was decided that the curriculum must be changed. This increased the number of required books.

A number of old contents had to be replaced with new ones, especially about the July mass uprising.

And to accommodate the changes, new vendors had to be hired as late as December, NCTB officials said, adding that the process usually ends by June or July and the books get ready for shipment by October, and students get brand new books on January 1.

LondonGBDESK//