NCTB helps publishers pocket the money
The guardians of millions of school students from Class VI to IX would have to pay almost double or even thrice the price for 11 books, including rapid reader and grammar, this year as the National Curriculum and Text Book Board is unlikely to publish the books.
The secondary schools from Class VI to X have 7.4 million students according to the education ministry website.
Many teachers and guardians described it as a ‘staggering failure’ of the government to distribute books free of cost to all the 7.4 million students of secondary schools and madrassahs across Bangladesh from Class VI to X.
They said that they could not understand how the NCTB could leave publication of 11 books for the students of the four classes to private publishing houses violating the official policy that does not allow doing business on school books.
Officials and publishers said that some corrupt NCTB officials in association with select publishers were responsible for not allowing the NCTB to publish the books.
It was deliberately done, they alleged, to help the select group of publishers pocket extra money.
The education minister, however, said that the ministry would take action against corruption in the publication of the school books.
Besides the text books, the board prescribes Bangla and English rapid readers, Bangla and English grammar and some other books.
Guardians said that each year, the school authorities
prescribe some low quality books to the students.
They said that the school authorities do it in lieu of money from the publishers.
They alleged that often the head masters, managing committee members and teachers prescribe the low quality books in lieu of hefty kick backs.
They alleged that in return the selectors allow the publishers to charge twice or thrice the price for the books.
They said that the students are left with no option but to buy these books, full of mistakes, just because the teachers teach from them at the class room.
The Independent Textbook Evaluation Committee (ITEC) wrote to the NCTB in June seeking its opinion whether or not it was possible to distribute the 11 books in question to students of Class VI to IX free of cost.
The NCTB, which kept quiet for five months, recently sent a reply to the Evaluation Committee when it would in no way be possible for the board to publish the books for free distribution.
Officials alleged that some corrupt NCTB officials deliberately wasted time to delay the process to help the favoured publishers pocket the money.
NCTB chairman Mostafa Kamaluddin, however, denied that there was any such delay on the part of the board.
He said that the evaluation committee sought NCTB’s opinion.
‘And we gave our opinion on time,’ he said.
Asked about the allegation that some officials of the board were involved in the undue practice, he said, ‘There is no scope for our officials to be involved in such corruption as the NCTB cannot take the decision on the issue.’
‘We just gave our opinion sought,’ he said.
Asked whether NCTB would publish the 11 books in question this year, he said that it was for the ministry to take the decision.
The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid said that nothing that could cause problem to students would be allowed.
After visiting the NCTB on Tuesday, Nahid said, ‘We are looking into the matter.’
Asked whether or not a decision would be taken to publish the books now, he said the ministry was now concerned about the distribution of text books on time.
He, however, said that no one, found involved in corruption, would be sparred.
