NN Online:
The printing of 30 crore textbooks for secondary school students has not yet begun, raising concerns over the timely distribution of books for the 2025 academic year. Professor A.K.M. Riajul Hasan, Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), confirmed that printing for secondary-level textbooks is still pending, while work on primary-level textbooks is progressing as planned.
Professor Hasan explained that funding for printing 13 crore secondary textbooks has been approved, and the printing work is expected to start next week. To expedite the process, the Army Printing Press has been tasked with printing 1 crore books. The priority is to distribute five key textbooks by the last week of December, with the aim of ensuring that students receive these books by January 1, 2025. Efforts will then be made to distribute the remaining secondary textbooks by the end of January.
He also mentioned that the revision of textbooks for grades 6 to 10, based on the 2012 curriculum, is nearing completion. Some updates have been made, including the inclusion of graffiti related to the July-August protests.
Meanwhile, Tofail Khan, former president of the Bangladesh Printing Industry Association, expressed concerns about the impracticality of printing 30 crore books within just 45 days. He stated that at least 30 to 45 more days would be needed to complete the task. To prioritize the printing of five key books, changes in work orders will be necessary, he added. Khan also pointed out that the manuscript for the textbooks had not yet been delivered to the printers, despite previous discussions with the NCTB.
Officials from the NCTB’s production and distribution wing stated that this year, the secondary textbooks will be printed in 680 batches, an increase from 417 batches last year. This change is being made to accelerate the printing process, as the shift back to the 2012 curriculum and delays caused by earlier setbacks require compensatory measures. As a result, the cost of production is expected to rise by about 30%. While 82 printing presses were used last year, this year, 100 presses will be utilized.
Hafizur Rahman, the NCTB’s distribution controller, mentioned that textbook printing typically begins in June each year, and this year was no different. However, after the change in government, revisions to the curriculum were necessary. A tender that was cancelled on September 12 further delayed the process. As a result, the NCTB is essentially starting the process from scratch with very limited time available.
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2022, the curriculum was reverted to the 2012 version for grades 6 to 10, and updates related to the July-August public uprisings will be included in the textbooks.