“We haven’t got any books. How will we read then?” asked a dejected Shafeer Ahmed, a Class II student, whose dream of getting textbooks on the first day of the year was dashed by the delay in delivery.
Khadija Islam Supti, a teacher at the Mirpur Cantonment Public School and College where Shafir studies, said the authorities did not send textbooks to the students of classes one and two.
As it is believed, once again not all students received their free textbooks on New Year’s Day after the distribution became a tradition in the previous decade, known as Textbook Fest.
The biggest impact was on the primary level students. Minister of State for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hussain said that the printing presses have not yet distributed 20 per cent of the books.
Complications over the tender process and paper prices made it clear that it would be impossible for the authorities to deliver the books within the stipulated time.
The owners of the printing presses demanded either a compromise in quality or an increase in payment following an increase in paper prices. The government compromised on quality.
