Printing of NCTB textbooks likely to be delayed
Rivalries between two associations of publishers and printers likely to delay the availability of textbooks in the new session, reports UNB.
The rivals are unleashing propaganda against each other resulting in confusion of students from class six to nine-ten, who also do not know as to from where they are to buy the books.
Officials at National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), however, categorically said none should get confused in procuring the books as many of these are already in the market.
They said that at present, there is a stock of more than one crore copies of books, including 10 lakh in the buffer stock of the board, while another 10 lakh are in the shops and wholesale depots.
Bangladesh Textbook Printers and Marketing Association said its 194 members, who have been publishing textbooks since 1997 on tender, have a stock of 8,280,270 copies.
The association developed a bitter rivalry with Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association, which was a monopolist in publishing NCTB books and marketing those without any tender, until before 1997.
Through tenders, this year the publishers' group got a contract for only 15 books while the printers got 45. The NCTB is going to publish 1.2 crore copies of books for the academic year 2000.
Sources said that the number was fixed after the NCTB had found that the stock from the previous years was more than one crore with the stock of Textbook Printers Association calculated on May 23, 1999.
Of the 60 books, to be printed for this year, eight will have minor changes, mainly correction of spellings. Only the geography book for class nine-ten will have a new version with massive changes.
"It means there will be only one new book, the Geography textbook. The eight others will have some minor corrections, but the students could also use the old ones," said an official at the NCTB.
In this respect, he mentioned a survey that 30 per cent students, mainly of the poor families, use old books either collecting or buying them at comparatively low prices from previous students.
The publishers and printers are optimistic about marketing new books after Eid, although they are yet to get copies of the positive prints of some books.
The positive prints of Geography and Geometry books for class nine and ten are yet to be finalised. Positives of 16 books were not provided before December 30 while partials of some others are yet to be submitted.
There is going to be yet another confusion as the publisher group responsible for the 15 books, plan to change the cover designs, sources at the NCTB and Education Ministry said.
The cover alteration however should not make the old copies unacceptable as the context will be the same except for some corrections of some spellings. But it alleged that many could get confused as a new cover could confuse them into thinking that a new version has been printed and so they will be compelled to buy it.
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