Schoolchildren receive new textbooks

Schoolchildren around Bangladesh are receiving their new text books at the start of the new academic year. At 9am on Sunday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid officially began the Text Book Fair by giving out books to 5,000 students from 31 schools at Azimpur Government Girls' School and College in the city, reports bdnews24.com.

The government is distributing the free textbooks to primary and middle school students at educational institutions around the country for the eighth time.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina began the distribution process on Saturday by handing out free text books to a few students at the Ganabhaban on Saturday.

This year 43,353,209 students will receive 362,182,000 textbooks and learning materials.

Alongside the regular textbooks, Braille books will be available for visually disabled students, pre-school educational materials will be available in the native language of 5 ethnic minority groups and learning development guides and study guides will be available for teachers.

"Previously, textbook distribution could take up to three months," said the education minister. "Many students dropped out or slipped through the cracks. Now, we hand them their new text books on the first day of the year."

The education minister went on to discuss the current administration's various educational initiatives. Then, he stepped down from the stage to talk to the children. The children greeted the minister with great enthusiasm.

Ninth standard student Khandker Rokeya Siddique of Hafez Razzak Jameya Islami Madrasa was overjoyed to receive her textbooks from the education minister.

"I am very, very happy," she said. "I have never seen a minister from this close before!"

Mehedi Hassan, who brought his son, a third standard student of Government Laboratory School, to collect his books is doing so for the third year.

"I am quite pleased with the initiative," he said.

UNB report adds: Director General of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Prof Dr SM Wahiduzamman, National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) chairman Prof Narayan Chandra Saha and senior officials of the ministry, and teachers addressed the function with Education Secretary Md Sohorab Hossain in the chair.