Textbook delivery in doubt

Millions of students are looking to receive their new textbooks on time as the government aims to distribute books for the 2027 academic year by December, but delays in printing and re-tendering have raised questions over whether the deadline can be met.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) says it is working to ensure that students receive the books immediately after the annual examination results, with officials maintaining that printing will be completed by November 30 and distribution by December 15.

However, contracts for Class 8 and 9 textbooks are yet to be finalised, while re-tenders are required for more than 10 million books across 50 lots.

The government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had announced that the textbooks would be handed over to students in December.

The NCTB invited tenders well ahead of schedule this year, with contracts for pre-primary books finalised and printing under way. Agreements for books for some primary and secondary grades are also nearing completion.

Printing has nevertheless been slow to start even in cases where contracts have already been signed, fuelling concerns that a rush towards the deadline could affect both timely delivery and book quality.

Md Rakibur Rahman, public relations officer of the NCTB, told The New Nation that printing of pre-primary textbooks is nearing completion, while work on primary books is under way. Printing of secondary-level books has also started.

He said contracts for Classes 8 and 9 had not yet been finalised as the authorities were waiting for workshops to complete the process for four new subjects.

The NCTB chairman has held several meetings with the Prime Minister on the issue, he said.

“Provided there are no disruptions to the electricity supply, the printing of the books is expected to be completed by November 30, and distribution concluded by December 15,” Rakibur said.

According to the NCTB, 5,730,640 pre-primary textbooks will be printed this year, while 76,294,758 copies will be produced for pupils in Classes 1 to 5. Another 142,332 books in their respective languages are required for students from small ethnic groups.

Together, pre-primary, primary and small ethnic group textbooks account for 82,167,730 copies. Another 33,296,400 books will be printed for Ebtedayi students in Classes 1 to 5.

At the lower-secondary level, 43,461,577 copies will be printed for Class 6, 40,960,601 for Class 7 and 39,373,515 for Class 8.

The largest number will be produced for Class 9, with 55,627,235 copies. A further 9,004 Braille books will be printed for visually impaired students.

Four new subjects are being introduced for Classes 4 and 6. For Class 4, “Sports” and “Our Culture” will have a combined print run of 6,259,028 copies. For Class 6, “Joyful Learning” and “Technical Education” will account for another 7,157,590 copies.

In total, 309,228,439 textbooks will be printed for the 2027 academic year.

Despite the large-scale preparations, allegations of sluggish printing by some presses have raised concerns about a possible last-minute rush. More than 10 million books in 50 lots will also have to go through re-tendering.

Education officials at the field level and NCTB officials, however, do not expect the delays to prevent timely distribution.

They maintain that printing will be completed by November and that the books can be handed over to students after the publication of annual examination results in December.

Concerned observers fear that a rush to meet the deadline could compromise quality.

They allege that some printing press owners may take advantage of pressure on officials to complete the work “by any means necessary”, resulting in the use of substandard paper or poor-quality printing.

Teachers and guardians have alleged that similar problems have occurred repeatedly under previous governments, with rushed production leaving students with textbooks of inferior paper and print quality.

The government is set to spend Tk 1,890 crore 16 lakh 39 thousand 328 on printing textbooks for the coming academic year.

Of this, Tk 469 crore 53 lakh 46 thousand 936 will be spent on pre-primary, primary and small ethnic group textbooks, while Tk 1,420 crore 62 lakh 92 thousand 392 will cover lower-secondary, secondary and Ebtedayi books.

This year, the NCTB started the procurement process earlier than in previous years.

Tenders were issued in phases from June, while tenders for books for some grade levels were opened in the first week of July.

Preparatory work for pre-primary, primary and lower-secondary Classes 6 and 7 has already been completed, leaving the books ready for printing.

Despite criticism over re-tendering, delays in starting production and concerns over paper quality, the NCTB says the overall process is ahead of previous years.

Professor Abu Naser Tuku, a member of the National Textbook Board, told The New Nation that the board would receive all the books by November 30, which he said would break all previous records.

“I give a 100 per cent guarantee that high-quality textbooks, in terms of both paper and printing, will be handed over to students on January 1,” he said.

Asked why contracts for Classes 8 and 9 had not yet been finalised, Tuku said the Notification of Award had been issued that day and the remaining process would be completed within 14 days.

He expressed confidence that, after the formalities were completed, all the books would be received by November 30.