An initiative to engage the primary and mass education ministry in printing and distributing free textbooks for the pre-primary- and primary-level education is advancing despite objection from National Curriculum and Textbook Board officials.
The government has drafted amendments to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board Act, 2018, to make it happen.
Some NCTB officials alleged that the initiative had been taken amid pressure from some dishonest officials of the primary and mass education ministry who wanted to get profited by doing 鈥榯ender business鈥�.
Currently the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, under the education ministry, is mandated to formulate, develop, renew, monitor and reform the curriculum, syllabus and textbooks and print, publish, distribute and market textbooks for the pre-primary- to secondary-level students.
Dhaka University鈥檚 Institute of Education and Research teacher professor Shah Shamim Ahmed, however, said that the NCTB should be fully an academic institution.
鈥楾he NCTB should never be engaged in printing textbooks, which is a clerical work,鈥� he said.
Supporting the government move, Shah Shamim said that the board should only focus on formulating the curriculum and the textbooks through researches.
The draft amendments to the 2018 act proposed bringing about changes in the law for transferring the functions of printing, publication and distribution of the pre-primary and primary-level textbooks to the primary and mass education ministry.
The government has been distributing free textbooks for the pre-primary- to secondary-level students since 2010 through the board.
In Bangladesh, the pre-primary- and primary-level education is under the primary and mass education ministry and the junior secondary- to tertiary-level education is under the education ministry.
Board officials said that the initiative to amend the law was taken in 2024 to transfer the responsibility of printing, publication and distribution of the pre-primary- and primary-level textbooks by the primary and mass education ministry by showing a smooth distribution of free textbooks as a reason.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held on August 12, 2025, to bring necessary changes to the 2018 law and the proposed amendments to the law had been approved at the meeting.
A senior NCTB official, who attended the August 12 meeting, said that the board raised a strong objection against the transfer of the functions to the primary and mass education ministry due to possible increase in complications regarding the distribution of textbooks.
鈥楾he board will continue to formulate and develop the curriculum and the textbooks,鈥� the official said, adding, 鈥榯his separation of function will only facilitate some dishonest officers who are looking for benefits from the tender process for the work.鈥�
For receiving public opinions on the proposed amendments, the draft was uploaded on the Secondary and Higher Education Division鈥檚 web site on September 4.
The draft has six amendment proposals involving the law鈥檚 title, the formation and functions of the board, the formation of the board committee and the board secretary.
According to NCTB officials, as there is currently no parliament in place, once the proposed amendments to the 2018 act is approved, the law would be titled as the National Curriculum and Textbook Board Ordinance, 2025.
Two of the proposed amendments to the law are for the section 8 which involves the board鈥檚 functions.
The law鈥檚 section 8 (1-Chha) says that the board鈥檚 function is to print, publish, distribute and market textbooks.
The amendment proposes that the Directorate of Primary Education will print, publish, distribute and market the pre-primary- and primary-level textbooks.
The law鈥檚 section 8 (1-Za) says that the board鈥檚 function is to distribute free textbooks for the students of the government announced classes and levels.
The amendment has been proposed for the section reads that the board鈥檚 function is to distribute free textbooks for the students of the government announced classes and levels (excluding pre-primary and primary levels).
Section 5 of the law is about the formation of the board and a proposal has been given to include a new sub-section (3) which says that officials of the member, primary curriculum and primary curriculum wing will be appointed from the Directorate of Primary Education or National Primary Education Academy on deputation.
Section 9 of the law is about the formation of the board committee and a proposal has been given to replace the curriculum expert or pedagogue (teacher of Institute of Education Research or teacher鈥檚 training college) with the curriculum expert or pedagogue (teacher of Institute of Education Research or teacher鈥檚 training college or officer of National Primary Education Academy).
A proposal has been given to change the law鈥檚 section 10 under which appointing a secretary for the board will be replaced with appointing a director.
The draft, uploaded on the web site, was signed by Secondary and Higher Education Division senior assistant secretary Sifat Uddin.
He told 抖阴精品 on September 11 that the draft would be kept on the web site for 15 days to collect public opinions.
鈥楢fter that, senior officials will make decision what the next steps would be,鈥� he added.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board chairman professor Robiul Kabir Chowdhury declined to make any comments on the issue.
This year, according to the NCTB, 40.15 crore copies of textbooks 鈥� 62 lakh for pre-primary, 8.55 crore for primary, 30.81 crore for secondary and 1.92 lakh for national minority students 鈥� have been distributed among about four crore pre-primary, primary, secondary, secondary vocational, ibtedayi, dakhil vocational, and visually challenged students.
After much delaying, all students got textbooks by March, three months after the classes started.聽聽
