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The government has set a target to deliver 100 percent of revised textbooks to all upazilas by November 30, ahead of the 2027 academic year, aiming to ensure that around four crore students receive their books on time.
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) said printing of textbooks for pre-primary, primary and secondary students is progressing at 91 presses across the country.
The government has adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy on textbook quality, with strict checks from printing to field-level distribution. A total of 53 monitoring teams from the Education Ministry and NCTB, along with intelligence agencies, are overseeing the process.
So far, around 4.5 lakh printed forms and 27,000 substandard books have been rejected and destroyed for failing to meet quality standards.
NCTB Chairman Prof Mohammed Fakhrul Mawla told BSS that the government is taking a strict stance on textbook quality this year.
“If any discrepancy regarding the quality of the books is detected after delivery, the receiving officials will also face disciplinary action,” he said.
According to the NCTB’s production report of September 22, a total of 30,71,98,101 textbooks are scheduled to be printed for pre-primary, primary, Ebtedayi, secondary, Dakhil and vocational/technical education. The total includes books for ethnic minority students and visually impaired students.
Printing began about a month earlier this year compared with last year. So far, 42,66,253 copies, or 74.45 percent, of the 57,30,640 books required for pre-primary students have been printed.
For primary education, 2,80,78,996 copies, or 36.96 percent, of the required 7,60,97,096 books have been printed. At the secondary level, 1,52,64,400 copies, or 7 percent, of 22,11,82,592 books have been completed.
An NCTB distribution official said printing of pre-primary books is nearing completion, while distribution has already begun in several upazilas, including Bancharampur and Sarail.
“Textbooks will be delivered to all upazilas in phases, achieving 100 percent delivery by November 30,” he said.
Only English-version textbooks and specialised books for ethnic minority students will be sent to the district level, the official added.
The NCTB has also made generator backup mandatory for large printing presses to minimise disruptions caused by power outages. Priority electricity supply is being arranged in coordination with local power authorities.
Quality checks are being carried out through laboratory tests and pre-delivery inspections. Paper samples from nine randomly selected presses were tested at the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and were found to meet the required standards.
NCTB officials said intelligence agencies and special monitoring teams have also been deployed to prevent irregularities, artificial shortages and a lack of transparency in the supply chain.
Of the 53 monitoring teams, 33 NCTB teams and seven Education Ministry teams are conducting inspections at printing presses. Five additional special teams, led by the NCTB secretary and its members, are taking action based on field-level information.
Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon said substandard paper would not be tolerated at the upazila level.
He said the government had fixed textbook prices after reviewing market rates, leaving no justification for using low production costs as an excuse to compromise quality.
NCTB member Prof Mohammad Abu Naser Tuku said printing and distribution were progressing according to a roadmap.
“Our primary objective is to ensure that students receive the complete set of books for their new classes on the very first day of the year,” he said.
Source : BSS