Timely distribution of free textbooks

The government of Bangladesh has been providing free textbooks to primary and secondary level students since 2010. The tradition of handing out books to students on the first day of the year can be termed one of the successes of the government. However, it was not possible to hold the festival this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This time however, the students are looking forward to getting their books on January 1, 2022.

Although there are fewer than 10 days left in this year, about 70 million out of the total 250 million books are yet to be printed, according to a Bangla daily. Some 15 per cent of the books for the primary level students have reportedly not been printed yet. This leads to the conclusion that school-going students may not get the complete set of their textbooks at the beginning of the forthcoming academic year.

Educationists believe that the distribution of free textbooks over the last one decade has helped increase school enrolment at all levels, and reduce dropout rates. Getting a set of free textbooks means a set of encouragement for many of our students. So, we urge the authorities concerned to ensure that all students get free textbooks on the first day of their next academic year.

Afroza Sheikh,

Dania, Dhaka,

[email protected]