The government will not organise any official book festival on 1 January, the first day of the 2026 academic year. Under a ministerial decision, there will be no state-sponsored textbook distribution ceremony, refreshments or cultural programmes this year.
Teachers will distribute textbooks to students at the local level. However, as in the previous year, at least half of secondary-level students will not receive books on the first day of the year.
Sources at the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) said that while 100% of primary-level textbooks are ready for distribution, nearly half of secondary-level books are still not ready. In particular, 69% of Class VIII and 56% of Class VII textbooks are yet to be prepared for distribution.
According to the latest data as of 30 December, at least 72 million copies out of a total of 214.3 million secondary-level textbooks are still not ready for distribution.
Of these, only 18.2 million copies (44%) out of 41.5 million Class VII textbooks are ready, while just 12.4 million copies (31%) out of 40.2 million Class VIII textbooks have been prepared for distribution.
In addition, 34.1 million copies (77%) out of 44.3 million Class VI textbooks and 44.4 million copies (78%) out of 57 million Class IX textbooks are ready.
NCTB Member (Textbook) Prof Riad Chowdhury told TIMES of Bangladesh that there was no book festival last year and there would be none this year at the state level.
“All secondary-level textbooks will be delivered to schools by 15 January,” he said, adding that NCTB is working towards that target.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman said the distribution of primary-level textbooks was already under way.
“On the first day of the year, 100% of primary students will receive new textbooks,” he told TIMES, adding that books have already reached schools.
He also sought cooperation from teachers and guardians to ensure quality primary education in the new year.
Traditionally, free government textbooks are handed to students from pre-primary to Class IX on the first day of the academic year, with the prime minister formally inaugurating the distribution. The day has long been known as the book festival.
However, the interim government also avoided the book festival on the first day of 2025 due to its failure to prepare sufficient textbooks for distribution. Instead, then Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud inaugurated the online versions of textbooks on 1 January.
This year, on 28 December, Education Adviser CR Abrar and Primary and Mass Education Adviser Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar inaugurated the online versions of the 2026 textbooks.
