Free textbooks on sale!

Free textbooks for primary and high school students, provided by National Curriculum and Text Book (NCTB) authority, are being sold in port city markets.

Dodging the eyes of the authorities concerned, some unscrupulous businessmen are selling the books, according to police and market sources.

The issue came to light after members of Detective Branch (DB) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested a book seller from the city's Andarkillah book market area with 283 free textbooks on Sunday night.

The arrestee was identified as Snehashish Talukdar, 28. He is a staff member of Prakash Bichitra, a book shop at Wali Mansion of Andarkillah book market area, said Inspector Eliash Khan of DB.

“Tipped off, a team of DB police raided the book shop and detained Snehashish, seizing books meant for free distribution among students,” said Inspector Eliash.

“During primary interrogation, the arrestee told the police that he and cohorts used to collect the free books from primary schools and madrasas and later sold them to students of private schools,” the inspector told The Daily Star.

The owner of the book shop Debashish Talukdar is on the run following the incident, Eliash said.

According to the district education office sources, educational institutions need to provide the list of their students to both primary education office and district education office for free books. As per the list, the authorities provide books to the institutions.

Police and district education office sources said a section of educational institutions have been collecting extra textbooks from district education office showing more students on the list than the actual number. These books end up in the market with the help of unscrupulous school staff.

Chattogram District Education Officer Mohammad Jasim Uddin told The Daily Star, “We provided the textbooks as per lists provided by educational institutions...We verify a list when there's any allegation.”

“We have already held a meeting where I asked the officials to verify the information,” said Jasim Uddin.

Md Amirul Kaisar, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) (Education and ICT) of Chattogram District Administration told the newspaper, “District administration coordinates the free textbook festival and they will raise the issue in their next coordination meeting.

Kazir Saber Ahmed, general secretary, Chattogram chapter of Bangladesh Publishers' and Book Sellers' Association, told this correspondent, “Selling of free textbooks is strictly prohibited by our organisation. If anyone violates the law, he will have to take the responsibility.”