Students Struggle as Textbook Crisis Plagues 2025 -Shahin Reza

The year 2025 dawned with a promise for Bangladesh’s students: new beginnings, new lessons, and a fresh academic year. Instead, it began with an unsettling void. Millions of students across the country found themselves waiting for textbooks that were supposed to be in their hands by January 1. With only a fraction of the promised 40.15 crore textbooks distributed, classrooms are grappling with an unprecedented disruption. The ripple effects are being felt not just by students but by teachers and parents alike, as the education system faces one of its most significant crises in recent history.

The government’s bold announcement of delivering textbooks to every primary and secondary student on time has turned into an uncomfortable silence for many. As schools reopened, most students received only three core textbooks—Bangla, English, and Mathematics—while crucial materials for subjects like science, social studies, and others remain undelivered. The dream of a seamless academic year has been replaced with growing uncertainty.

Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud, an education adviser, acknowledged the gravity of the situation on January 7. Addressing reporters after a cabinet committee meeting, he admitted, “I cannot confirm when all students will receive their textbooks in the current academic year.” His statement highlighted the challenges: curriculum revisions, higher demand than previous years, domestic production bottlenecks, and a shortage of critical materials like art paper. These interconnected issues have pushed textbook distribution timelines into uncharted territory.

A Pattern of Delays
This is not the first time Bangladesh’s education system has faced such delays. Similar disruptions occurred in previous years, with textbooks often distributed months after the academic year began. While 60 million copies were handed out on January 1 this year, the gap between the government’s promises and the reality on the ground has only widened. Students, especially those in rural areas, now face the daunting prospect of navigating their education with incomplete resources.

Teachers, who play a pivotal role in shaping young minds, are left scrambling for makeshift solutions. Many are relying on digital alternatives, downloading and printing materials at their own expense, or improvising lessons from limited resources. For rural educators, where access to digital tools is scarce, these challenges are even more pronounced.

Parents, too, are feeling the strain. In a world increasingly defined by education’s role as a pathway to opportunity, the uncertainty around textbooks has sparked anxiety about their children’s futures. This is especially true for families whose children are preparing for critical exams that will shape their academic and professional trajectories.

A Digital Lifeline or a Temporary Fix?
To counter the crisis, the government introduced digital textbooks, available on the National Curriculum and Textbook Board website. While this move aims to bridge the gap, it has revealed systemic inequalities. Internet connectivity remains a luxury for many in rural areas, where infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand. Even for those with access, the lack of devices like smartphones or computers limits the initiative’s reach.

Teachers and students alike face a steep learning curve when it comes to navigating online platforms. Without proper training in digital literacy, the very tools designed to alleviate the crisis risk becoming obstacles themselves. The disparities between urban and rural learners have been laid bare, with urban students better equipped to adapt and rural students left further behind.

As Bangladesh’s education system grapples with this crisis, the textbook shortage has become more than just a logistical issue—it is a reflection of deeper systemic flaws.

 Turning a Crisis into Opportunity
As the academic year marches on, millions of students in Bangladesh remain stuck in a troubling limbo. In classrooms across the country, empty desks meant for crucial textbooks symbolize far more than a simple delay—they reflect deep-rooted challenges in educational infrastructure, planning, and resource allocation. The government’s decision to offer online textbooks as a stopgap measure has highlighted both ingenuity and inequality, forcing the nation to reckon with the technological gaps that threaten to widen the educational divide.

The textbook crisis of 2025 is not an isolated incident. It is a culmination of systemic inefficiencies and unaddressed logistical issues. This year, the stakes are higher. The world is racing forward with rapid advancements in education technology, yet Bangladesh’s ability to deliver a fundamental resource—physical textbooks—has faltered. Can this crisis become a turning point, or will it mark another year of broken promises?

Learning on Unequal Ground
The introduction of digital textbooks is, on paper, a progressive step. In theory, it could revolutionize learning by making materials instantly accessible and reducing the dependency on physical copies. In practice, however, it reveals a stark digital divide that remains painfully wide.

For students in urban centers with reliable internet, smartphones, and computers, downloading e-books is a minor inconvenience. But for students in rural Bangladesh, where internet access is sporadic at best and non-existent at worst, it is a different story. Families without devices or the means to afford data plans are left to navigate an impossible situation. Imagine a child in a remote village—eager to learn, hopeful for a brighter future—who cannot even access the materials needed to succeed. This is not progress; it is a widening chasm.

Teachers, the unsung heroes of education, are also bearing the brunt. Many are printing digital resources at their own cost, stretching already tight personal budgets to ensure their students have something—anything—to study from. Others are left improvising lessons, relying on memory, ingenuity, and whatever limited resources they can cobble together. The emotional toll of teaching in these circumstances, combined with the pressure to deliver quality education without basic tools, is immense.

Planning Failures and Production Bottlenecks
The challenges leading to the current textbook crisis were largely predictable. A late start in printing, driven by last-minute curriculum revisions, delayed the process significantly. The government’s decision to handle all printing domestically—though a noble effort to boost local capacity—exposed the limitations of Bangladesh’s printing infrastructure. A shortage of art paper added yet another obstacle. These failures point to a need for more robust planning, better foresight, and a contingency strategy that doesn’t leave students stranded.

Education Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud’s admission that the government cannot guarantee full textbook distribution this year underscores the urgency of reform. If delays have become an annual inevitability, then the system itself demands an overhaul. What’s needed now isn’t just a patch for this year’s problems but a forward-looking strategy that prevents future crises.

Charting a Path Forward
What could a sustainable solution look like? Policymakers must confront the textbook crisis with bold, innovative reforms that transform this moment of difficulty into one of growth.

* Strengthening Digital Access for All: True educational equity requires universal internet access. Partnering with telecom providers to offer subsidized or free data packages for students could make online learning a viable option for even the most disadvantaged communities.

* Device Accessibility: Providing affordable tablets or e-readers through public-private partnerships could bridge the gap for students without devices. These tools can be preloaded with textbooks and other learning materials, ensuring access even without internet connectivity.

* Teacher Training in Digital Literacy: Equipping teachers with digital tools is only half the battle—training them to use these tools effectively is critical. Investments in digital literacy programs for educators would empower them to deliver quality online education.

* Decentralized Printing Solutions: Expanding printing capacity by decentralizing operations and partnering with private enterprises could prevent future production bottlenecks. A streamlined, region-based printing strategy would increase efficiency and reduce delays.

* Supplementary Educational Platforms: Leveraging platforms like YouTube, government-sponsored educational apps, and community radio could provide additional learning resources, especially for students without textbooks.

Hope Beyond the Crisis
The textbook crisis of 2025 has exposed the fragility of Bangladesh’s education infrastructure—but it has also highlighted the resilience of its students and teachers. Across the country, determined learners are finding ways to adapt, even in the face of adversity. Their resolve should serve as a clarion call for systemic change.

As the year unfolds, the question remains: Will this be the year the nation learns from its mistakes, or will it become another chapter in a long history of missed opportunities? For now, students continue to wait, their futures hanging in the balance. Whether the system rises to meet their needs will define not just their academic success but the very foundation of education in Bangladesh.