Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formally inaugurated the programme of distributing free textbooks to students as a part of the `National Textbook Festival-2017` which is set to be celebrated across the country on January 1.

The premier inaugurated the programme by handing over free textbooks to some students of Class I to IX of several schools and madrasas at a function held at her official residence Gono Bhaban on Saturday morning. 

She called upon all for not to come up with criticism over the quality of education rather to assist the government in this regard.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Primary and Mass Education Minister Md Mustafizur Rahman spoke at the function conducted by Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Division Md Sohrab Hossain.

Bedside, Nurul Islam Nahid will inaugurate the `National Textbook Festival-2017` at city`s Azimpur Government Girls school & College on Sunday where more than 5,000 students of 31 institutions will take part.

The government will distribute 362,182,245 free textbooks among students of of pre-primary, primary, ebtedayee, secondary, dakhil and technical students for the 2017 academic year.