Procurement delay threatens timely distribution of Class 6-8 textbooks in 2026

In a meeting this week, the purchase committee turned down the procurement proposals for printing, binding, and supplying free textbooks for Class 6, 7, and 8 students under the 2026 academic session, raising concerns over potential delays in the timely distribution of textbooks to secondary-level students.

The proposals, placed by the Secondary and Higher Education Division and to be executed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), involved a combined budget of over Tk603 crore for printing more than 12 crore copies of textbooks for the three classes, covering both Bangla and English versions, as well as Dakhil and technical streams.

The proposal was rejected at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Purchase held at Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.

According to the proposals, Class 6 textbooks were to be printed under 97 out of 100 responsive lots at a cost of Tk180.04 crore, while Class 7 books were planned under 94 lots at Tk200.20 crore. For Class 8, a contract for 89 lots amounting to Tk223.12 crore was recommended. In each case, the remaining non-responsive lots were set to be re-tendered.

Officials apprehended that the non-approval means the entire procurement process will face further delays, putting the timely distribution of textbooks on 1 January 2026, at risk.

NCTB traditionally begins printing and binding months in advance to ensure that books are delivered to schools across the country before the start of the academic year.

Education experts warn that any delay in the process may create a significant disruption in classroom activities, particularly as the new curriculum is being rolled out in phases.

Sources at the Education Ministry said the procurement proposals might be sent back for revision or re-tendering to address compliance and procedural issues flagged by the committee. However, no fresh timeline for approval has been provided yet.

If the approval is not secured soon, officials fear that students across the country could face a shortage of textbooks at the start of the 2026 academic year.

The printing and supply process of free textbooks for Class 6, 7, and 8 students across secondary, Dakhil, and technical streams for the 2026 academic year might face delays as several procurement lots have been declared non-responsive, according to official documents.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), under the Secondary and Higher Education Division, sought open tenders to print, bind, and deliver textbooks in 100 lots for each class.

However, the evaluation revealed that a portion of bids did not meet technical or financial requirements, forcing the government to initiate a re-tendering process for those lots.

For Class 6, bids for three lots were rejected out of 100 lots for 4.43 crore copies. For Class 7, among 4.15 crore planned copies, six lots were deemed non-responsive. Similarly, for Class 8, 11 lots failed technical and financial evaluations out of 100 lots for over 4.02 crore textbooks.

Officials said that while responsive bidders for the majority of the lots have already been selected — amounting to contracts worth Tk180.04 crore for Class 6, Tk200.20 crore for Class 7, and Tk223.12 crore for Class 8 — the re-tendering process for the remaining lots could delay timely delivery of books to schools.

On average, the cost per book, including printing, paper, binding, and supply, stands at Tk 41.63 for Class 6, Tk51.26 for Class 7, and Tk60.91 for Class 8 in the upcoming academic year.

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 1 January.

For more than a decade, the government had successfully ensured "Book Festival Day" celebrations across the country, with students receiving new books on the first day of the year.

But in 2025, that tradition was disrupted due to a combination of procurement delays, printing bottlenecks, and logistical challenges, according to officials at the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

NCTB officials said the printing and supply contracts for the 2025 textbooks were finalised nearly two months later than usual, leaving insufficient time for printers to complete the massive job of producing and delivering more than 35 crore copies for students of primary, secondary, Dakhil, and technical education streams.

Complications intensified due to the implementation of the new curriculum for different Classes, which required major revisions in 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.

Several factors contributed to the crisis, including delays in tender approvals and disputes over cost adjustments with printing contractors due to rising paper and ink prices, sources at the Education Ministry said, requesting anonymity.