Online Report.
In an effort to ensure timely delivery of free textbooks to students on January 1, 2026, government has decided to shorten the tender submission period for printing, binding and supplying books for classes 6 to 8.
The decision was approved on Tuesday during the 27th meeting of Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired virtually by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.
The move follows concerns over potential delays after the committee rejected initial procurement proposals last week.
Ministry of Education proposed the revised timeline, citing the urgency of the matter.
Traditionally, public tender process allows 42 days for bid submission after advertisement.
However, under emergency provisions outlined in Rule 83 (1)(Ka) of the Public Procurement Rules 2008, the ministry has requested to reduce the period to 15 days.
This change aims to keep the printing schedule on track and ensure that students receive textbooks on the first day of the academic year.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), which oversees the printing and distribution of millions of textbooks annually, warned that any delay in the tendering process would disrupt the nationwide distribution of free books; a key government initiative to support education and reduce school dropout rates.
Earlier, on August 19, the same committee rejected procurement proposals worth over Tk 603 crore for printing more than 12 crore textbooks for Class 6, 7 and 8 students.
The proposals, submitted by Secondary and Higher Education Division on behalf of NCTB, covered both Bangla and English versions, as well as Dakhil (religious education) and technical education streams.
The printing work was divided into 100 lots for each class. For Class 6, three out of 100 lots; covering 4.43 crore books, were deemed non-responsive. Class 7 saw six out of 100 lots rejected for its 4.15 crore books, while 11 lots for over 4.02 crore books in Class 8 failed to meet technical and financial standards.
Following the re-tendering recommendation, the ministry’s new proposal aims to complete the procurement process swiftly to avoid disruptions.
Officials stressed that starting the printing process on time is essential for NCTB to distribute textbooks across the country before the academic session begins.