Nearly a month behind the targeted date, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board completed distribution of all free textbooks for the current academic year among students countrywide.

The board on Monday issued a press release saying that it had completed distributing all free textbooks on February 7 after printing and binding.

The release also read that 100 per cent delivery of the textbooks was made within the fastest period, which the board found by reviewing the statistics of the last five years.

Between 2021 and 2025, it took as long as March to April to complete the distribution to reach all free textbooks to the students, the release added.

The chief adviser’s press wing on January 1 said that by January 15 all textbooks would be distributed among the students. The same assurance was given by the board a in January 4 press release.

The government on January 1 started distributing free textbooks for the 2026 academic year among students.

This year the board distributed 30,02,55,154 books, including 11,70,46,461 for pre-primary and primary (Classes I­–V) including Ibtedayi levels, 18,32,08,693 for secondary (Class VI–X), 1,85,715 for ethnic and 6,026 for Braille method textbooks, as per the Monday release.  

On December 28, 2025 at a programme, however, the NCTB made all 647 textbooks for Bangla and English versions for the current academic year available online for the first time on its web site: www.nctb.gov.bd before distributing their hardcopies among students.

The board was castigated in 2025 for delaying textbook delivery to students as late as April, four months after their classes had started.

The severe criticisms led the NCTB to target to print 30.02 crore textbooks by November 2025, but eventually it failed to reach the target.

The government has been distributing free textbooks among students since 2010.

The Monday press release also read that ensuring quality in curriculum development and textbook printing had been given top priority in the 2026 academic year.

Capitalising on the experience of printing and delivering textbooks this year, the board was now more confident and determined to deliver high-quality textbooks to students within the stipulated timeframe in the next academic year of 2027, it added.