The Textbook Festival, marking the distribution of free textbooks among school and madrasah students, began across the country on Tuesday morning. Millions of schoolchildren joined the festivity at schools and madrasas across the country to receive books free of cost for their new classes on the first day of the new year. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid began handover of newly printed books among students at Azimpur Government Girls' School and College around 9:30am.