December is the month when students assess their academic progress and prepare for stepping into the next higher class. The new books for the new classes are expected to arrive at the schools this month for distribution to students, allowing them to start the new year with new ones.
Since 2010, the then-government suddenly decided to distribute books among students, irrespective of whether they were from villages or urban areas, poor or rich, or from slums or affluent areas. This does not sound entirely logical, even though it was claimed that the free book distribution program was implemented to prevent dropout. Students do not drop out solely because of these!
However, since its inception, not a single year has passed when all the students, particularly those from remote and hard-to-reach areas, have received all the books on time. When students receive the books after four to five months, the first day of the year has been highlighted by some managed media of the previous government.
That was never the original picture. Again, students have to buy note and guide books at a higher cost, on which they are more dependent than on free textbooks. They have to spend more on private coaching and also offer higher tuition fees.
Because of these phenomena, I have been crying since then, not to see education and educational materials brought under a rationing system that would further squeeze educational opportunities. The initiative appears sound, but its impact does not prove to be as positive. Furthermore, students do not receive the books on time.
They tear the books after several months, as the paper quality is always the poorest. When students tear or lose books, they cannot get them next time and come to class without textbooks. But who cares?
The education authorities and some interested guardians are unable to obtain the books, as they are distributed through a rationing system. Education and its materials must not be restricted in the name of free distribution! Education materials must be accessible to all who have been significantly impacted.
Finally, NCTB does not have the capacity to complete such a gigantic task. Still, the previous government forcibly assigned this task to them solely for political and financial gain, without providing any real benefit to the cause of education.
Following the dramatic shift in the country’s political landscape on August 5, 2024, which transferred power to the interim government, the situation became particularly challenging to manage regarding this book distribution mechanism. As a result, students received the books late, similar to the previous government’s time.
The same thing is expected to repeat in the 2026 academic year as well. This time, administrative weaknesses stand as a significant issue. According to the Education Ministry, the proposal for printing was placed after the committee recommended re-tendering for the procurement process of textbooks for students in classes six, seven, and eight of secondary school (Bangla and English versions), Dakhil, and technical education streams.
The committee earlier advised re-tendering after reviewing the proposals submitted in the initial phase. However, officials noted that following the usual tender process, which requires 42 days for bid submission from the date of the newspaper advertisement, would make it impossible to distribute free textbooks to students on the first day of the new academic year.
To address the issue, the ministry proposed reducing the bid submission period from 42 days to 15 days. On August 19, the same committee rejected the procurement proposals for printing free textbooks for students in Classes 6, 7, and 8 under the 2026 academic session, raising concerns over potential delays in the timely distribution of textbooks to the students.
Education officials acknowledge that if the re-tendering process is not completed swiftly, the delay could disrupt the government’s long-standing commitment to distribute free textbooks to students on the first day of the school year.
Meanwhile, the distribution of free textbooks for the 2025 academic year faced an unprecedented delay, leaving millions of students across the country without complete sets of books even weeks after the new school year began on January 1.
Complications intensified due to the implementation of the new curriculum for various classes, which necessitated significant revisions to textbook content and design. Printers reportedly struggled with quality checks and high printing costs, while transportation bottlenecks in remote areas further slowed the distribution process.
We see several factors contributing to the crisis, including delays in tender approvals and disputes over cost adjustments with printing contractors due to rising paper and ink prices, according to sources at the Education Ministry, who requested anonymity.
Another new academic year is just around the corner, with millions of secondary school students set to begin classes without textbooks in hand in a week. Who is responsible for that? The answer is – the entire faulty system and decision. Does the NCTB have its own printing press?
The answer is a big ‘ NO’. Can NCTB make any decision independently? This answer also says another big ‘ NO’. It depends on the ministry’s decision. Is NCTB capable of handling such a large volume of books with its current setup? Definitely not. Does this body receive full cooperation from the publishers and printers? Definitely not.
When we see the negative signals all around, why should we give this immense responsibility to NCTB? Its principal duty is to develop a world-class curriculum, conduct research on its implementation status, and produce world-class students.
But this institution has miserably failed to do it. They run after printers, paper merchants, and contractors, which I think are not principal works. Every year, low-quality books are distributed, and every year, books are sent after 3, 4, or 5 months. Every year, countless mistakes are detected, but no solution is found.
To address these issues, book publishing and distribution should be given to several private companies, allowing genuine competition to develop among them in terms of who can distribute books on time and who can publish books on high-quality paper. Millions of students and guardians will then judge these and buy books, rather than NCTB or Ministry Officials who can be manipulated by shrewd and dishonest businessmen.
NCTB is an autonomous body only in name, as its works prove to be totally different. It depends on the ministry’s decisions. The chairman has to depend on the ministry for every decision, which, year after year, causes the late delivery of books to students, along with other irregularities.
We propose selecting the chairman either through a search committee or a similar mechanism. If the current way to select a teacher or principal from a college based on his/her political connection will never bring any good to this big and intellectual institution. The sooner we can do it, the better for the nation.
The country awaits a new government within two months that can consider the facts about free book distribution and make informed decisions for the real welfare of the country and its education.
About the Author
Masum Billah works as a President of the English Teachers' Association of Bangladesh (ETAB), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He previously worked as an Education Specialist at BRAC, an international NGO in Bangladesh.
