Govt allocates Tk 201 crore for new primary school textbooks for 2026

The government has approved the procurement of more than 4.4 crore textbooks for students in grades one to three in the primary education sector for the upcoming 2026 academic year. The total cost of the purchase is estimated at Tk 201 crore 91 lakh 78 thousand 480.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Government Procurement Advisory Council Committee held on Tuesday at the Cabinet Division conference room, chaired by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

According to officials present at the meeting, the approval covers 96 lots out of 98 proposed by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education for printing, binding, and supplying textbooks across the country. The total number of textbooks to be procured stands at 44,242,491 copies.

In addition to the textbook procurement, the committee also approved the purchase of two bulk carrier ships, each with a deadweight tonnage between 55,000 and 66,000. The ships will be acquired by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation from the United States at an estimated cost of Tk 935 crore 71 lakh 56 thousand.

The meeting also saw the approval of the remaining works of the World Bank-funded ‘Bangladesh Regional Inland Water Transport Project-1’. This project involves dredging and constructing terminal facilities along the Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj waterway to improve inland water transport.