Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Thursday said Bangladesh has set a record by distributing free textbooks among a large number of students on the first working day of the New Year.
“Despite political instability, the government distributed over 121 crore free textbooks among about 16.5 crore students of primary and secondary levels on the first working days from 2010 to 2014,” he told the inaugural session of ‘Textbook Festival Day’ in the city.
The Education Ministry arranged the Textbook Festival Day on the premises of Government Laboratory High School today as schools and madrasahs were closed on Wednesday on the occasion of Akheri Chahar Shamba. Usually, the textbook festival is held on the first day of a year.
Students from Government Laboratory High School, BCSIR High School, Dhanmondi Govt High School, Kamrunnesa Govt Girls High School and Abdul Mazid Dakhil Madrasha took part in the textbook festival.
Speaking as the chief guest, Nahid said there is no example of distributing such huge textbooks among students in the world. The government printed the books and distributed those among the students of all educational institutions, including the rural ones.
“We’re really happy as the textbooks have reached the students on the first working day of the year amid the ongoing violence and subversive acts by BNP-Jamaat men,” he said.
The Education Minister said the government had a commitment to reach the textbooks to the students on the first working day of the year and it fulfilled its pledges with the help of all concerned in the education sector.
Education secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Primary and Mass Education secretary Kazi Akhter Hossain, director general of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate Prof Fahima Khatun, director general of Education Directorate Shaymol Kanti Ghosh and NCTB chairman Prof M Shafiqur Rahman were present on the occasion.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the distribution of free textbooks among school students with a pledge to do whatever necessary for the improvement of the standard of education in the country.
Hasina inaugurated the distribution of free textbooks up to secondary level through giving books to some students of class I-IX of different schools and madrasahs at her official residence Ganobhaban.
Source: UNB Connect
