It is quite an achievement for the government that it has been distributing new textbooks among students on the first day of the year through a festival since 2010. Delivering school textbooks on time is no doubt a great success for the government. But it failed to deliver all new textbooks to students earlier this year. A similar situation is likely to arise again in the next academic year (2023) due to paper shortage, power outage and a delay in providing work orders to the printers, according to the media.
The textbook, in fact, is the heart of the school and teaching-learning activities, without which there would be no schools. Effective use of textbook helps in bringing and achieving the learning outcomes. Textbooks carry a wide range of new and interesting facts and open the door to a world of a whole new experience to a student. Teachers can play an important and crucial role in nurturing and supporting each child's creative potential by proper use of textbooks. Textbooks also help teachers become more inspirational and motivational.
However, delays in distributing textbooks to schools can hugely affect teaching-learning activities of children. Unavailability of textbooks on time can make students rely on notes and guidebooks. In such a situation, students from poor economic background are likely to fall behind. This is why the authorities concerned must work hard to make quality textbooks available on time so as to enhance the quality of education as a whole.
Abu Elias Linkon,
Banasree, Dhaka,
lightening_sparkle@yahoo.com