Government takes tough stance against guidebooks to safeguard educational standards

Experts say excessive dependence on such materials disrupts the core objectives of education

The interim government has adopted a firm approach to limit the influence of guidebooks in the education system.

National Curriculum and Textbook Board, or NCTB Chairman AKM Riazul Hasan said the government has announced a "zero tolerance" policy regarding the use of guidebooks.

Research conducted in recent years has highlighted a growing reliance on guidebooks by students, which, experts say, not only increases the financial burden on parents but also hampers the broader goals of education.

"We have zero tolerance towards guidebooks. The government is also taking strict action to stop the printing of these books," Riazul told bdnews24.com

He added that the education ministry had been notified to take action.

District and Upazila administrations had already been instructed to carry out raids against the sale and distribution of guidebooks.

“Some operations are already underway," said the NCTB chief.

According to the "Education Watch 2022" report by the Gono Shakkhorota Ovijan, or Campaign for Popular Education, published in March 2024, 92 percent of primary school students and 93 percent of secondary students in 2023 used commercially produced guidebooks for their lessons and exam preparations.

The September 2023 report also revealed that 79 percent of primary and 82.5 percent of secondary students relied on guidebooks.

Both reports identified guidebooks as a significant factor contributing to the rising costs of education.

To curb the widespread use of guidebooks, Riazul suggested restructuring the content of textbooks and developing exam papers that deviate from traditional formats.

He said, “To stop the use of guidebooks, we must restructure textbook content in a way that allows for a variety of question formats.

“Questions should be designed to avoid repetition, which would reduce the reliance on guidebooks and place greater emphasis on textbooks.”

The NCTB chief compared the approach to exams such as the International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, and the Graduate Record Examinations, or GRE, where although guidebooks may be used, questions are not replicated directly.

This method, he believes, could help in generating diverse questions, reducing the prevalence of common questions and thereby diminishing the need for guidebooks.