Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder has said there has been some delay in the distribution of textbooks this year, expressing hope that all remaining textbooks will be printed and distributed by mid-March.
A total of 396 million textbooks were planned to be distributed at various levels, out of which 382.961 million copies have been printed, Azad said during a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Monday.
"This accounts for 97.2% of the total books. Most of the printed books have already been distributed."
Azad mentioned that the distribution of 23.2 million printed books is currently in process.
"Additionally, 10.805 million books have not yet been printed. The interim government expects these books to be printed and distributed within a week."
He noted that the government had initially set a target to complete the distribution by February 28.
"However, that was not achieved due to delays in unloading imported paper, which affected the printing process. Additionally, disruptions caused by the Chinese New Year also contributed to the delay."
Regarding the delay, he said that 100% of the books are being printed in Bangladesh this year, benefiting the local printing industry.
Moreover, the government has maintained strict oversight to ensure the quality of books, he added.
Azad also mentioned that some printing businesses affiliated with the previous government had intelligence reports against them, indicating their intent to delay the printing process until June or July to damage the government's reputation.
More importantly, he said, there was an attempt to deliberately disrupt the education process of young students.
"Due to special intelligence operations by the government, their conspiracy was thwarted. A decision has been made to blacklist those involved in these acts in the future."
Azad Mojumdar also conveyed that the new education adviser, CR Abrar, has announced that the printing process for next year’s textbooks will commence on Tuesday. "This initiative is being taken to ensure that students receive their books on time next year."