Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid today said the government will distribute about 35 crore textbooks free of cost among primary and secondary level students next year, BSS reported.
“Printing works of these textbooks have already been completed. We’ve reached around 11 crore textbooks at different educational institutions and the remaining will be sent by December 14 this year,” he told reporters after visiting different printing presses in city’s Matail.
The education minister said the free textbooks will be distributed around 35 crore pre-primary, primary and secondary level students, five small anthropological group and visually challenged students across the country.
He said over 4 crore schoolchildren across the country will celebrate the Textbook Festival receiving books free of cost for their new classes on the first day of the new year.
“This (festival) is the outcome of our (government’s) sincere commitment to reaching the free textbooks to students on the first day of the year,” Nahid said.
About the government’s historic decision of textbook distribution, Nahid said this helps cut the rate school dropout and increase the number of students at primary and secondary levels.
Secondary and Higher Education Division Additional Secretary Nazmul Haque Khan, National Curriculum and Textbook Board Chairman Prof Naryan Chandra Shaha and its Member Dr Mia Enamul Haque Siddique accompanied the minister during his visit.