Primary students get books on day one, secondary supply falls short

On the first day of the new year, students at primary schools received their new textbooks with great excitement. Many were overjoyed to get their books, while several secondary-level students have yet to receive theirs, and some who did receive only two to three books, leaving them disappointed.

A visit to several government and non-government schools in Badda, Rampura, and Khilgaon — catering from primary to tenth grade — revealed these details on Thursday (January 1).

Students and guardians began arriving at schools from 9:00 am. Teachers distributed books after checking students’ result sheets. In primary schools, textbooks for first and second graders were handed out in the morning, while distribution for third, fourth, and fifth graders was scheduled to begin at 11:00 am.

Azadur Rahman, headmaster of Badda Government Primary School, told Jago News, “We have received 100% of the textbooks for all our students. First and second graders are receiving their books now, and books for third to fifth graders will follow. Every student will get their books today.”

He added, “There is no celebratory event for the distribution this time. We are calling students according to their roll numbers and handing them books individually. We are also asking students and guardians to check for any defects, like torn or missing pages, which is causing some delay.”

Abdul Gafur Haque, assistant teacher at North Badda Government Primary School, said, “We began distributing books for all classes simultaneously at 11:00 am. Everyone is receiving new textbooks.”

Azim Uddin, a second grader at the same school, expressed his happiness, saying, “I got my books. I have already read three poems from my Bangla book. I will cover them at home.”

While primary schools have received all textbooks, secondary schools have not yet received full shipments. Teachers at these schools have been calculating how many books to distribute to each class since morning, leaving students waiting for their textbooks.

At Khilgaon Government High School, some students were chatting and reading in class, while others were playing outside during a short break. They said teachers had not informed them exactly when the books would be distributed but instructed them to remain at school until the afternoon. Teachers indicated that students would be called class by class for textbook distribution.

Teachers were busy in the school auditorium with registers, checking which textbooks had arrived for which classes and how many copies were available. Shaheedul Haque, an assistant teacher, said, “Some books for sixth and ninth grades have arrived. There is a greater shortage for seventh and eighth grades. If we give two books to some students and three to others, those who receive fewer will feel disappointed. We are calculating carefully how many books each class will receive and how to distribute them fairly.”

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) reported that for the 2026 academic year, a total of 85,925,379 textbooks have been printed and distributed for pre-primary to fifth grade. After completing printing, binding, and cutting, the books have been sent to upazilas for distribution.

For secondary, Dakhil, Dakhil (Vocational), and technical levels, printing and distribution of textbooks is ongoing. Of a total of 183,208,693 books for sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, 66% have already been delivered to the upazilas.

Professor Riyad Chowdhury, NCTB member (Textbooks), said, “We cannot guarantee that every student will receive their textbooks on the first day of the year. But we are trying to ensure that every student gets their books. By December 30, over 66% of the textbooks had already been delivered to different upazilas, and the remaining 34% will be prepared and distributed to students as soon as possible.”