BNP standing committee has demanded the withdrawal of the new textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) that contain errors, distortion of history and misinformation. At their virtual meeting on Monday night, the BNP standing committee members also voiced their strong displeasure over the distorted and wrong information, linguistic mistakes, and contents that hurt religious sentiment in the new textbooks for school students supplied by the NCTB. “Our meeting felt that the illegal government did it to destroy the education system in a planned way with nefarious purposes,” said a BNP press release, signed by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on Tuesday. The BNP policymakers alleged that the students are being misled with wrong, distorted and untrue information and anti-traditional and anti-values activities. Read more: NCTB gives corrections for 9 mistakes in 3 textbooks of new curriculum “The meeting strongly condemned such efforts of the government,” the press release reads. The BNP policymakers urged the government to revoke the error-ridden textbooks immediately and develop textbooks based on the correct history and values of Bangladesh. The NCTB which is responsible for the development of curriculums, and production and distribution of textbooks at primary and secondary education levels has recently drawn huge criticisms from the different sections of society for widespread errors and misinformation in this year's textbooks.

Two high-level probe committees will be formed to identify those responsible for mistakes and distortions in the textbooks distributed this year, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday. “I see identifying errors in the textbooks very positively,” she told the reporters at a press briefing on the corrections of mistakes in the textbooks of the new academic year at the International Mother Language Institute of the capital. Read more: If there are errors in textbooks, they will be corrected: Dipu Moni The outline of these two committees will be presented by next Sunday (January 29, 2023), she said, adding that officials from the Prime Minister's Office, Education, Primary and Mass Education ministries and related ministries will be involved in the committee. A committee will consist of experts for each subject and the ministry will provide an online form for revision of textbooks, she said. In this form, people from the country and abroad will have an opportunity to inform the ministry about errors or inconsistencies in textbooks, said Dipu Moni. Experts will review all the textbooks again and will take note of the mistakes identified in the textbooks and fix them and those corrections will be sent to the educational institutions, she added. Read more: NCTB gives corrections for 9 mistakes in 3 textbooks of new curriculum The other committee will be formed with the  representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, representatives from two ministries, representatives from National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and officials of the ministries concerned, the education minister said. “It will be investigated whether the mistakes and controversial topics in the textbook were intentionally added or not.” Earlier, NCTB provided corrections for nine mistakes they found in three textbooks of classes 9 and 10 this year. NCTB issued a notification in this regard on January 15, 2023 and posted the corrections on their website. Read more: Zafar Iqbal admits plagiarism charge in new textbook, expresses disappointment Besides, eminent writer and academician Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and Professor Hasina Khan expressed regret over the plagiarised content found in the class 7 science textbook that they had edited. They also took responsibility in a statement. As part of the new curriculum from this year, science textbooks for classes 6 and 7 were printed and distributed to students as ‘Anusandhani Path’. In an article published in a daily, a complaint was raised over copying some sections of this book from the National Geographic educational site.

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday said that the paper and printing quality of the free textbooks distributed among students of pre-primary, primary and secondary levels is good. “The paper quality of the textbook is not bad, the brightness is a bit low. But the quality is good,” she told the reporters after distributing calves among the fishermen registered in the hilsa resource development and management project at Chandpur Sadar Upazila Parishad premises. Read more: Students of four classes to receive new curriculum books on trial basis: Dipu Moni Although the color of the paper is slightly different, it is not newsprint, she added. “If the printed paper is too white it is not good for eyes, it can cause harm to eye sights.” After the pandemic and the global recession, the textbooks have been handed over to the students at the beginning of the year after overcoming various hurdles, said Dipu Moni. The remaining books will be distributed among students within the next two weeks, assured the minister. Read more: New curriculum to be introduced in 2023: Education Minister The Textbook Festival, marking the distribution of free textbooks among students was held on Sunday (January 1). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the textbooks distribution programme at a ceremony at her office through handing over books to students of primary and secondary levels on December 31. Nearly 33.91 crore new textbooks will be distributed among 4.09 crore students this year.

Minister for Education Dr Dipu Moni has disclosed that students belonging to classes 1, 2, 6, and 7 will be provided books as per the new curriculum on trial basis in the coming year. She said this while addressing a Meet the Press-style program organised by Chandpur Press Club at its auditorium, where she was the chief guest on Friday evening.      The education minister said amendments will be made if any mistakes are found in the books printed for distribution. Urging all to cooperate to make the initiative a success, she informed that books with new editions for four more classes -3, 4, 8 and 9 - will be available in 2024. The remaining two classes i.e. 5 and 10, are expected to receive their new editions in 2025. Also Read: Dipu Moni urges Dhaka University to adopt an academic master plan Replying to a question from the journalists, the minister said that above all, academic qualifications, merit and capability are taken into consideration, when recruiting newly enlisted MPO teachers as trainers.   There are many experienced teachers who don’t have the capability of training others, she said.  The aim, she said, is to transform education in the country through highly skilled, trained teachers.  Urging people of her constituency to vote for her, Dipu Moni said Banaganbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter Sheikh Hasina is  working relentlessly on her new vision to turn Digital Bangladesh into Smart Bangladesh.    

The printing work of textbooks will start from Thursday with aim to distribute those among students on the first day of 2023, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday. “We want to distribute textbooks on time as well as maintaining their quality,” the minister told reporters in reply to a question at the Secretariat. “Now if paper pulp is not available, then we have to provide paper even if it is secondary pulp. There will some differences in the quality of paper, but we have to ensure acceptable quality,” she added. Read more: Students to get new books on first day of 2023: Dipu Moni Dipu Moni said it is not possible to check all 35 crore textbooks. “We try our best to maintain the quality as much as possible.” The government celebrates textbook festival on the first day of every year to distribute new books among students which was not held in the last two years due to Covid pandemic. Now the pandemic is under control, the government wants to return to the old tradition, said the minister. On October 29, Dipu Moni said textbooks will be distributed at schools countrywide on the first day of 2023.  

Alleging that a BNP-Jamaat-Shibir faction is spreading propaganda through social media from abroad, Education Minister Dipu Moni claimed that nothing new on religion was included in or dropped from the textbooks. Dipu Moni made the remarks while answering to the questions of journalists after distributing cheques from the prime minister’s rehabilitation fund among the river-erosion-affected families in 2021-2022 fiscal year at Chandpur sadar upazila parishad auditorium on Saturday.  “People who want to confuse religious people are now trying to fish in troubled water ahead of the national election. They want to destabilize the country. That’s why they (BNP-Jamaat-Shibir) are confusing people by spreading a video of wrong information of  a lawmaker,” she said. Also read: Education Minister embarrassed by assault on Rajshahi college principal “There is no scope to take direct legal action against them. In this case, people will have to be conscious and responsible,” she added. Additional deputy commissioner Imtiaz Hossain, additional police superintendent Sudipta Roy were among others present. Dipu Moni, later, inaugurated a weeklong tree plantation fair at Hasan Ali Govt High School ground Also read: SSC, equivalent exams to begin on September 15: Dipu Moni

The schedule of the postponed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations will be announced two weeks after distribution of textbooks among the students in the flood-hit districts, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday. There have been extensive damages due to the recent devastating flood and it was not possible to save the textbooks in the flood area, she told the reporters at the Secretariat. “We need to ascertain how many books will be needed in these areas first. If necessary we will print textbooks.” Once  the distribution of books is completed, the students need a little time to prepare themselves for the exams she added. Read: Floods in the northeast throw over 4.55 lakh students in Sylhet div into uncertainty The SSC and its equivalent examinations, under all the education boards scheduled to begin on June 19, were postponed due to the flood situation in the country on June 17. About the rapid surge of Covid-19, the minister said if they can vaccinate the students below 12, they will keep the educational institutions open. “At this moment, schools will not be closed. Decision will be taken seeing the situation.”

Although there has been no textbook festival on the first day of the New Year due to the pandemic, the distribution of free textbooks began across the country on Satruday. Some 347 million copies of textbooks will be distributed among some 41.7 students up to the secondary level from pre-primary level across the country in the 2022 academic year. The textbooks are being distributed among students in their respective classrooms maintaining health protocols. UNB correspondents from different districts, including Rangamati, Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Barishal, Natore and Magura reported that textbooks were distributed among students in their districts on the first day of 2022.  Also read: PM opens distribution of free textbooks among students Talking to UNB, some students expressed joy as they r3eceived new books at the beginning of the year. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday formally inaugurated the distribution of the free textbooks among students up to the secondary level for the academic year of 2022. She opened the textbook distribution, joining a ceremony in the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. On behalf of the Prime Minister, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossen handed over textbooks to some students of primary and secondary levels at the function. Also read: Schools to get over 95% textbooks by Dec 31: Minister No festival marking the distribution of free textbooks was held in 2021 either due to the pandemic.  

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Thursday said more than 95 per cent textbooks will reach primary and secondary schools across the country by December 31. “The remaining books will be delivered by January 7. Students will get their textbooks in time,” Dipu Moni said while visiting a printing press at Matuail in the capital. Dipu Moni said the binding of over 17 crore textbooks has already been completed but some might remain incomplete. “However, we’ll be able to distribute those among students in the first week of January.” However, it is not possible to arrange any ‘textbook festival’ this time too due to the pandemic, said the minister, adding that these textbooks will be distributed in classrooms.

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Saturday said students are expected to receive their new textbooks in time next year. “We’re cautious about errors in printing. Steps will be taken to fix errors if found after printing,” she said. The minister said this while talking to local reporters after attending the inauguration programme of Sadar Upazila Freedom Fighter Complex in Baburhat area of Chandpur. The Textbook Festival, marking the distribution of free textbooks among school and madrasa students, was not held on January 1 this year unlike previous years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and students did not get textbooks in time due to delay in printing caused by the pandemic. Also read: Still unsure about dropped out students’ number: Dipu Moni The government launched the Textbook Festival in 2009 by distributing textbooks among students across the country as a gift for the New Year. School and college students in Bangladesh returned to their classrooms on September 11 after a prolonged closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government had shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8, 2020 and later the closure was extended several times. Also read: Vaccination campaign for school children kicks off in Dhaka centres The pandemic-related school closures in the country affected about 38 million students though the government introduced TV-based learning programmes for them.