<i>Free textbooks cost kids Tk 50 to 70! </i>

Runa Khatun, a Class three student of Uttor Shalgaria Government Primary School in Pabna town, went to receive new textbooks meant for free distribution but she returned empty handed for failure to pay Tk 60.
Many other students faced the same situation as they went to their schools for the same purpose yesterday, the first day of the new year.
"Tk 60 is too much for me but I will have to manage it for my daughter," said Runa's father, a poor rickshawpuller.
Visiting many schools in the district town, this correspondent learnt that different schools are taking Tk 50 to 70 from students the in name of sports fees, milad mahfil fees and sweepers' costs and so on during distribution of textbooks.
Mostafa Rahat of Class five and Arefin of Class four of Shibrampur Primary School in the municipality area said they had to give Tk 50 each for new books.
Still they are luckier than many of their fellows who failed to get new books on the first day of the year.
Asked about the matter, school Headmaster Md Enamul Kabir said, "We are not forcing the students. We need a huge amount of money every year for observing different programmes like annual sports and milad mahfil. Besides, we have appointed cleaners to keep the school clean. As there is no government fund for the purpose, we collect some money for maintaining such expenses.”
"The government does not allocate any fund for children's sports or other functions of the school. So we collect some amount from the children before giving new books. But we do not force any children,” said Saroj Kumar Sanyal, headmaster of Ichhamati Government Primary School.
Asked about the matter, District Primary Education Officer Md Ekramul Haque said, "The government is providing new books for the children free of cost for promoting education. It is illegal to collect money from the children during disbursement of new books. We will investigate the allegations regarding the matter.”