All previous textbooks from grades six to ten under the controversial curriculum have been canceled. For the 2025 academic year, secondary students will receive revised or corrected textbooks based on the 2012 curriculum. Meanwhile, students in primary grades one, two, and three will also receive books reflecting changes under the new curriculum. For third grade specifically, each chapter will now include exercises or review questions. Since grades four and five have not yet been included in the new curriculum, students in these grades will continue to use textbooks revised according to the 2011 curriculum.
According to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), during the previous Awami League government, a process began in 2022 to introduce controversial new curriculum textbooks for all classes from grade one through twelve. This started with grade six in secondary schools in 2022, followed by grade seven and second grade in primary schools in 2023, and subsequently, grade eight, nine, and first and third grades in primary schools in 2024. Within three years, new curriculum textbooks had been introduced for grades one, two, and three in primary schools and grades six through nine in secondary schools. However, following the resignation of authoritarian Sheikh Hasina on August 5, an interim government led by Professor Dr. Yunus responded to public demand by announcing the cancellation of the controversial curriculum.
With this decision, NCTB has begun work to revise the curriculum and textbooks anew. Several previous printing tenders were canceled, and new tenders were issued, reflecting the current revision efforts. Even on Saturday, a public holiday, most NCTB officials, including the chairman, were at the office. NCTB is taking the distribution of new textbooks to students on the first day of the academic year as a significant challenge, so officials are working even on Fridays and Saturdays.
NCTB’s chief editor, Professor Muhammad Fatihul Qadeer, told Naya Diganta that the previous curriculum books were riddled with errors in content and spelling, making them unfit for students. In response to a question, he added that they are trying to quickly send soft copies or CDs of the books to the press. The soft copies for grades one and two in primary school will be ready by Sunday, with the third grade books following on Monday.
NCTB chairman Professor Dr. Riazul Hasan, who also worked on Saturday, informed Naya Diganta that they are committed to delivering the new textbooks to students at the start of the academic year, and each department head has been instructed accordingly. He noted that this year, there is both a time constraint in printing new textbooks and a need to ensure quality. He expressed hope that if everything proceeds smoothly, they will successfully complete the remaining work as well.
