Free textbooks

In a praiseworthy feat, the government is distributing more than 36 crore textbooks to more than 4 crore students of primary and secondary schools, ebtedayee and dakhil madrasas and technical institutions across the country. And for the first time, it will provide about 25,000 children from ethnic communities with pre-primary textbooks in five ethnic languages, Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Sadri and Garo. Moreover, about 9,000 braille books will be given to visually impaired students. 

Printing so many textbooks and dispatching those to educational institutions so that students get new textbooks for free on the first morning of the New Year are no mean accomplishments. The initiative which the government started in 2010 is significant as it is likely to encourage many parents in the rural areas who cannot afford to buy books to send their children to school. What could be a better gift to a student than a set of textbooks fresh off the press? 

It is encouraging to see the government put such high emphasis on education which is the main driver of a nation's progress. Thanks to several government initiatives, enrolment in schools has been going up at a steady rate. We have achieved the quantity; the challenge now is to ensure quality which remains a matter of concern. More resources should be allocated to teachers' training and improving the condition of classrooms.