'Free' textbooks on sale in Khulna city
Primary school textbooks, meant for free distribution among students, are selling openly at different bookshops of Khulna city.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) authorities have requested the deputy director of Primary Education and the commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) to help detect illegal sellers of the textbooks.
Accordingly, a team comprising men of intelligence agencies and plain-clothes police have been engaged in KD Ghosh Road, Ferryghat area and Clay Road of Khulna city where most of the bookshops are located, said Ratan Siddiqui, NCTB official in charge of Khulna district.
These books, printed in India through an international tender, are meant for free distribution among primary school students and so, their sale in open market is a punishable offence as declared by the government, he said.
Six lakh out of 2 crore and 98 lakh textbooks printed in India went missing either from Petrapole landport in Indian or Benapole landport in Bangladesh when they were being brought to the country for free distribution among the students, said an informed source.
Probably, these missing books have been smuggled into the country through unauthorised routes and are now being supplied to retail shops for open sale, the source said.
While inquiring about the sale of free textbooks on Sunday, this correspondent purchased a class three arithmetic book for Tk 90 from a bookshop at Helatala Road.
Class one textbooks 'Amar Bangla' and 'English for Today' are available for Tk 85 and Tk 70 in several bookshops in Khulna city. The sellers have set the price tags after erasing the words 'for free distribution'.
Without mentioning the name of the printing press, they have attached the name of a computer composing firm.
“We have got these textbooks for open sale from some wholesalers in Khulna city. These wholesalers, who have a strong syndicate in here, supplied these books secretly,” said a retailer requesting not to be named.
Echoing the same, a few other retailers said a few printing presses and some educational institutions are behind supply of the textbooks to local market for illegal financial gain.
“Stern legal action will be taken against sellers of free textbooks, if detected. A team is already in the field to detect sellers of NCTB textbooks meant for free distribution among primary school students,” said Ratan Siddiqui, who is in charge of looking into distribution of textbooks in Khulna on behalf of NCTB.
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