Over four crore students from primary to class X of different educational institutions across the country are going to receive free new books today.
This year the government would distribute over 35 crore books among these students. National Curriculum Textbook Board (NCTB) sources said a total of 35,07,53,477 books have been printed for the distribution among 4, 26,35,929 students.
The government is going to distribute free Braille textbooks for the visually impaired students and books for indigenous pupils in their own languages for the first time as well.
Both the education ministry and ministry of primary and mass education have arranged separate programmes in the capital in the morning to formally launch the programme across the country.
Education ministry would launch the book festival at Azimpur Government School and College field with its minister Nurul Islam Nahid as the chief guest.
On the other hand, ministry of primary and mass education would kick off the programme at Dhaka University central playground with finance minister AMA Muhith as chief guest and primary and mass education minister Mostafizur Rahman as special guest.
The ministry of primary and mass education would distribute 11,55,26,952 books among 2,49,83,993 students.
Ministry sources said that all the textbooks have already been sent to the respective educational institutions to distribute on the day.
The NCTB sources said, the teachers of secondary level would get one set free books of all classes for the first time and one set of books would be kept in the school library if additional copies are available.
Even one set of books can be kept in the district public library on condition of availability, it added.
Every year the ministry observe the day as textbook festival day since 2010. The ministry distributed 19 crore free books in 2010 while 23.31 crore books in 2011, 22.13 crore books in 2012, 26.17 crore books in 2013, 29.96 crore books in 2014 and 32.63 crore in 2015.-STAFF REPORTER
