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Textbook crisis

Because of the trading of accusations between NCTB and the printing presses, a Bangla Bazar-based syndicate of wholesalers made some quick money from the crisis. Outside Dhaka, buyers have to pay Tk. 10 extra for each book. For making more profits, retailers are compelling students to buy illegal notebooks, which are illegally and openly sold in Bangla Bazar due to lack of monitoring by NCTB.

A.B.M.S. Zahur
T T is a pity that the government has I failed to provide most of the text-A books to the students of secondary schools. The education sector had not been given enough attention during the last 37 years, though it is a very sensitive sector. It is true that governments have gradually increased budget allocation to this sector. This has. however, been more helpful for the teachers and the management. but the students were not much benefited, particularly those of primary and secondary schools.
We find corruption and efficiency more or less in any department. When it goes beyond a tolerable limit the government must wake up from slumber. The secondary stage of education is regarded as the real base of education. If the base
is weak and fragile the whole nation suffers directly or indirectly.
Out of 76 categories of textbooks for secondary school students, only 14 categories have come to the market so far. This shortage has compelled the students to buy books at higher prices than those fixed by National Curriculum Textbooks Board (NCTB). No one (including officials of NCTB) can say when all the categories will be available in the market.
Because of shortage of books classes cannot start in full swing. Teachers are using last year's textbooks. They say that classes cannot start properly until April as the schools will be closed for a month from mid-February for secondary school examinations. Thus, students will get hardly seven months to complete the academic year. If we take into account
the yearly 85 days of vacations and 52 days for weekends, we can imagine how horrible the situation is.
NCTB has further complicated the state of affairs by changing the exercise section and introducing creative question method for secondary students. This has resulted in the reluctance of students to collect old books. Guardians are worried because their children are not studying due to the crisis of textbooks.
Meanwhile NCTB printers, wholesalers and retailers are blaming each other for the delay. Major causes for the crisis are, shortage of printing paper, failure of NCTB to make correct estimate of textbooks, capacity of the concerned printing presses, lack of coordination, lack of monitoring by NCTB, and the unethical practice of making extra-profit through exploiting the situation.
For this academic year, the NCTB placed orders for 26.2 million textbooks of 76 categories at a cost of Tk. 754.1 million for marketing books in three phases — 14 categories by January 6, 38 categories by January 15, and the rest by January 25. The crisis was because the printing presses were busy with the parliamentary election, delay in advising NCTB to collect paper from alternative sources, the spread of a rumour that textbooks had been totally changed and old books would not be in use. The NCTB
failed to quell this rumour.
In the past, large numbers of books used to be printed. Private publishers avoided printing textbook because the exercises had been changed. All three printing associations (Bangla desh Printing Industry Association, Bangladesh Textbook Printing and Marketing Society and Bangladesh Publishers and Sellers Society) repeatedly advised NCTB to tackle the looming crisis and even suggested rescheduling of the date of marketing of books. The advice was ignored by NCTB.
Because of the trading of accusations between NCTB and the printing presses, a Bangla Bazar-based syndicate of wholesalers made some quick money from the crisis. Outside Dhaka, buyers have to pay Tk. 10 extra for each book. For making more profits, retailers are compelling students to buy illegal notebooks, which are illegally and openly sold in Bangla Bazar due to lack of monitoring by NCTB.
The crisis is even worse in the case of the English version of textbooks. So far, NCTB has not published English version textbooks and, as such, old versions of such book are sold at highly exorbitant prices.
Prof. Masir Uddin, chairman of NCTB, has promised to take drastic action against the culprits. Incidentally, he is
still unaware about duplication of new textbooks.
This kind of crisis has become chronic. NCTB accuses printers, marketing agencies and distributors who, in turn, acciise the NCTB -- and it is the helpless students who ultimately suffer. Thus, a simple enquiry, as stated by the NCTB chairman, does not appear to be enough because the issue is very critical and sensitive and, unless handled care-
fully, may result in an explosive situation.
We suggest setting up of a high-level enquiry committee for an in-depth report for true exposition of facts, so that appropriate actions may be taken by the authorities. This obviously needs strong commitment and strict neutral-ity.
A.B.M.S Zahur is a former joint secretary.