The government has approved the printing, binding, and distribution of more than 125 million textbooks for secondary-level students under the 2026 academic session at an estimated cost of Tk 445 crore.
The approval came at a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) held on Wednesday, chaired virtually by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.
According to meeting documents, the textbooks will be distributed among students of classes six, seven, and eight under the secondary (Bangla and English versions), Dakhil, and technical education streams.
Class Six Books
For Class Six, the committee approved the printing of 44.3 million copies at a cost of Tk 137.87 crore. The average cost per book will be Tk 31.58.
A total of 469 bids were submitted under 100 tender packages, of which 467 were found technically and financially responsive. Following the evaluation, the committee cleared procurement from the lowest bidders across 98 lots.
Class Seven Books
The printing of 41.6 million textbooks for Class Seven has also been approved at a total cost of Tk 150.02 crore, with each book costing Tk 36.07 on average.
This batch drew 965 bids under 100 tender packages, 955 of which were found responsive. The final approval followed the recommendations of the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC).
Class Eight Books
For Class Eight, the committee cleared the printing of 40.2 million copies at a cost of Tk 156.92 crore, bringing the total number of books across the three grades to 125.5 million. The average cost per book will be Tk 39.
A total of 905 bids were submitted under 100 tenders, and 837 were deemed responsive. The lowest bidders were awarded the contracts based on the TEC’s review.
Officials said the approval ensures timely delivery of textbooks to students before the start of the 2026 school year, as part of the government’s annual nationwide free textbook distribution programme.