Govt all set to celebrate textbook festival across country on Jan 2

The government is all set to celebrate the countrywide 'textbook festival' on first working day of the upcoming calendar year despite adverse political situation that has been now prevailing in the country, related sources said.

They said the authorities concerned have completed necessary preparation in this regard including printing of the textbooks and sending those to the respective institutions across the country.  

"The textbook festival will be held on second day of January next year instead of the first day of the academic session 2014 as the day is a government holiday", said Prof M Shafiqur Rahman, Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

Talking to the FE the curriculum board chairman said that the government has planned to distribute around 300 million pieces of new books among 40 million students free of cost in the upcoming calendar year.

He said that a total of 114 million fresh books will be distributed among 23 million primary school- going children, 137.5 million among the junior grade school students while 46 million books among 4.7 million students of the Ebtedayee and Dakhil and vocational institutions.

The chairman said despite continuous violent political turmoil the authorities have sent most of the printed textbooks to educational institutions across the country and the remaining books will reach the schools by the deadline.

"Overcoming all the obstacles like continuous nationwide blockade and shutdowns the authorities are determined to reach the new books to the target audiences to welcome the upcoming academic year with fresh books", the board chairman added.

Besides, textbooks can also be downloaded free of cost from the day that will be available at the government's ebook website www.ebook.gov.bd and the website of the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board (NCTB) ww.nctb.gov.bd."

Recently, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid reiterated the government's position to celebrate the textbook festival on the day through providing new books to the students saying that students will go to the schools with empty hands on the day and they will return home with new textbooks in their hands.