More than 307 million textbooks are rolling off Bangladesh's presses in time for the new school year

It is one of the largest printing jobs on Earth, repeated every year: free textbooks for nearly 40 million Bangladeshi schoolchildren. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board reports printing is 98.21 percent complete for pre-primary and primary levels, with 113 printing companies working across 623 lots to produce 307,198,101 books — including materials for children from small ethnic communities and students with visual impairments. Printing began a month earlier than last year, and the board is aiming to have every book at local distribution points by November 30, ahead of the 2027 academic year — so that the first day of school starts with a book in every hand.

SDG 4 · Quality education — Mechanism: institutional program