Govt reaffirms commitment to distribute school books by Jan

Primary school textbooks.

Dhaka, Sept 21 - The government on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the distribution of all school textbooks by the first month of the next year, despite concerns over irregularities in previous allocations and questions over the quality of books.

After a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase and the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs, Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said orders for printing textbooks for certain classes have already been placed.

He said authorities are now reviewing the list of recipient institutions to ensure that no school has received multiple allocations or been involved in irregular practices in the past. “We want to make sure that those who previously got books properly get them again, but we are also reviewing allegations that some institutions took more than their share,” he said.

The meeting was held at the Secretariat with the Finance Adviser in the chair.

He mentioned that the government is determined to finalise the list within the next two weeks so that the books can be distributed on schedule. “Our target is clear—students must receive textbooks on time, by January 1,” the adviser said.

Last year, new textbooks were delivered as late as March, but this year the ministry has brought the process forward to September to prevent delays.

Authorities are also reviewing paper quality and other production features, aiming to avoid past complaints over substandard books.

Dr Salehuddin also said the government has decided to procure vaccines for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in two phases, while also trying to negotiate a reduced commission with Unicef.

Speaking to reporters at the meetings, the adviser said Unicef had initially proposed a six-month supply arrangement, but the government opted for a phased approach.

“We have asked Unicef to supply vaccines for three months first. For the next three months, we want to explore competitive bidding and see if international sources can also participate,” he said.

The adviser noted that half of the requirement would be met immediately through Unicef, while the remaining will be finalised later. “We have also requested Unicef to reconsider their commission rate and bring it down,” he added.

Responding to a question, the adviser, however, said details about the source countries for the vaccines have not yet been sought.

Meanwhile, the proposal for printing, binding and supplying free textbooks for the 2026 academic year was withdrawn from the meeting agenda on Sunday.

The withdrawn item covered free textbooks for students of Class IX in the secondary (Bangla and English versions), Dakhil, SSC and Dakhil Vocational Class IX, as well as Technical Trade Classes IX and X.

The proposal had been placed by the Secondary and Higher Education Division and the agenda was dropped following a request from the Division itself. - UNB