The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has not been able to deliver all secondary-level textbooks to students by its earlier deadline of January 15, 2026. Officials said that dense fog and severe cold slowed down printing, preventing completion on time. As of Thursday, about five percent of books were still pending, but NCTB expects 98 percent of students to receive their books by Sunday, when classes begin, and 99 percent by next Tuesday.

NCTB’s textbook member Professor Dr. Riad Chowdhury explained that the board relies on 105 printing presses and does not print books itself. The initial January 15 target was based on information from those presses, but adverse weather reduced printing speed. Education adviser C.R. Abrar had earlier announced that all books would reach students by mid-January, but nearly ten million books remain undelivered.

Officials noted that in the past fifteen years, full textbook delivery at the start of the year has never been achieved. They said that if all books reach schools by January 20, it would mark a new milestone for NCTB.