Uncertainty looms on reaching new books in time

Noman Mosharef :
The pupils of the primary and secondary level get new books on the first day of January every year which is celebrated as a national book festival day. But uncertainty looms on reaching the books to the students’ hands this year, as there are few complexities in printing of new books.
Usually, the book printing processes started early in the year. About one-third new books could have reached upazila level in October. But this year until mid December less than half of new printed books reached the upazila level.
It is known that due to a problem with Directorate of Primary Education and printing companies owners, the process of primary text book printing started not yet.
For this, the printing owners were blaming load shedding and paper mill owners for late delivery of paper for printing delay.
According to National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), about 34.62 crore textbooks will be distributed among four crore
 students at the pre-primary, primary, ebtedayee, secondary, dakhil, dakhil (vocational), and secondary (vocational) levels. Around 10 crore books will be given to primary school students, while the number is about 24.63 crore for the secondary level.
Some 2.13 lakh books printed in five special languages will be distributed among 94,275 ethnic students (Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Garo and Sadri) from pre-primary to third grade. This time, Braille books will be distributed among 9,196 visually challenged students.
NCTB Chairman Prof. Md. Farhadul Islam said that they are confident about an on-time arrangement of the National Book Festival 2023 with new textbooks. But it might take some extra time to get all the textbooks delivered by the printing houses, he added.
With less than two weeks to go before the scheduled start of the textbook festival this year, around 75% of the textbooks for the secondary level are yet to be printed while about 70% of textbooks for the primary level have already been produced, according to NCTB sources.
Tofael Khan, President of the Bangladesh Textbook Printing and Marketing Association, said, “Usually, the NCTB holds three tenders but this year it floated many tenders due to a rising trend in paper price. We would not be able to deliver all sets of books before February.”
Md Ruble, owner of Agrani Printing Press, who took around two months of extra time to complete the work order he received last year said that this time he would try to hand over all the textbooks in time. Asked if it is possible to provide all the textbooks by 30 December, he, however, refrained from making any comment.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said comparing previous years we are late for printing textbook this year. Still we are hoping that it would be possible to reach textbook to pupil’s hands at proper time.
She said we have made the contract with printing press to provide book in due time.