‘Quality textbooks indispensable to building educated, skilled nation’
Staff Reporter:
Primary and Mass Education Adviser Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Podder on Sunday said quality textbooks are indispensable for building an educated, skilled and disciplined nation.
“Textbooks should not be evaluated only by how they look,” he said, adding that age-appropriate content and effective presentation play a crucial role in children’s learning.
The adviser made the remarks while inaugurating the programme titled “Uploading Soft Copies of Textbooks for the 2026 Academic Year on the Website”.
Prof Bidhan said the government has printed and distributed more than 30 crore textbooks across the country, describing the task as massive and highly challenging.
Alongside the printed copies, textbooks have also been made available online to ensure easy access for Bangladeshi children living in different parts of the world.
He said that with Bangladeshis now spread across the globe, delivering printed textbooks everywhere is often time-consuming or nearly impossible. In this context, making textbooks available online is a significant achievement.
The adviser acknowledged that minor errors are inevitable in large-scale operations. Mistakes may occur in printing, binding or distribution, and it is natural for such issues to be highlighted in the media, he said, urging attention to other critical but less-discussed aspects. Prof Bidhan said there is scope for further reflection on whether textbook content is truly appropriate for specific age groups and how effectively it is presented.
He noted that a large portion of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board’s (NCTB) efforts is often devoted to printing and distribution, which are largely managerial tasks, while its core responsibility is intellectual and academic work.
By better dividing responsibilities and allocating more time and attention to improving content and presentation, he said, textbooks would not only be visually appealing but also more meaningful and child-friendly.