The wait for receiving all textbooks is becoming longer.

National Desk :    |    ১২:৫১ পিএম, ২০২৫-০১-০৭

Even though six days have passed since the start of the academic year, the progress of printing and distribution of new textbooks for primary and secondary levels is still minimal. Among these, many students in Bengali medium have received one to three books, but the English version books have not yet reached the schools. Given the current progress in printing, people involved in the process believe that all students may not receive their full set of books until after February.

As a result, there is growing concern that classes may not be conducted according to the schedule, which could lead to learning gaps for students.

Education-related individuals are saying that a special situation this year caused delays in the printing process. After August, when the printing process for primary and secondary level books fully began, there were changes in the curriculum, textbook revisions, and tender-related tasks. Therefore, in light of this reality, teachers must take on a special responsibility this year. To ensure students' studies do not suffer, it is suggested that teachers regularly conduct classes using the textbooks available on the website.

The new academic year began on January 1. According to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), around 41 crore books are being printed for about 4 crore students in the new academic year at the primary and secondary levels. Of these, about 9.64 crore textbooks are for the primary level. As of January 5, about 4.24 crore books have been approved for pre-supply inspection (PDI), and slightly more, around 4.81 crore books, have been printed. Among these, the printing progress for the first, second, and third-grade books has been quite good, but only about 16% of the 4 crore books for the fourth and fifth grades have been approved.

At the secondary level, the total number of books is about 30.96 crore. An NCTB source has reported that as of January 5, around 2.37 crore textbooks have been approved. However, a total of around 3.81 crore books have been printed.

English Version Situation: While Bengali medium students at both the primary and secondary levels have received some books, students using the English version still have not received their new textbooks. According to NCTB sources, there are more than 5.36 lakh textbooks for the primary level in English and about 21.67 lakh for the secondary level. However, as of yesterday, the printing of English version books has not been completed.

NCTB Chairman Professor A.K.M. Riajul Hasan stated in a ceremony on January 1 that all remaining primary books will be distributed by January 5, nearly eight secondary books by January 10, and all books will be distributed by January 20. They are actively working towards achieving this goal.