The Voice News : By manipulating inspection agents or quality control companies, a group of printing presses in Bangladesh has embezzled Tk 3.55 billion by printing the 2025 academic year’s free textbooks on substandard paper. So far, 17 such printing presses have been identified. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has initially issued show-cause notices to their owners. Authorities are considering blacklisting them and withholding their payments. These details were confirmed to The Daily Ittefaq by reliable sources.
According to sources, over 400 million books have been distributed across the country this academic year. However, allegations surfaced that the books were not printed according to the specified tender standards. In response, the government launched a nationwide crackdown. Under NCTB’s leadership, 32 teams — comprising two inspection agencies and two intelligence agencies — collected samples from all 64 districts and tested them in labs. It was found that more than 80 million of the 400 million books were printed on substandard paper. Although the contracts were awarded in line with all tender conditions, the paper thickness (GSM), brightness, and durability (bursting factor) failed to meet the required standards.
Despite NCTB outsourcing quality inspections to private third-party companies, textbook quality has consistently been a matter of controversy. Over the past 16 years, these inspection agents have essentially acted as shadow organizations of the printing presses. Pre-Distribution Inspectors (PDI) oversee production and delivery, while Post-Delivery Inspectors (PLI) check the quality after distribution at district and sub-district levels. For primary-level textbooks, the same company often handles both PDI and PLI, while at the secondary level, different companies are assigned.
These PDI and PLI inspection companies compete in tenders and often win by quoting half the expected costs. According to former NCTB Chairman Professor A.K.M. Riazul Hasan, during his tenure in February, he told Ittefaq, “Some quality-checking firms are even willing to do inspections for free.” It is alleged that each inspection company receives bribes ranging from Tk 50 million to Tk 100 million from printing press owners in exchange for favorable reports.
Before books are printed, inspection agencies are supposed to monitor quality at three stages. First, they must certify the paper quality (durability and GSM) at the press, then approve quality before printing and delivery — this process is known as PDI. Inspectors are expected to monitor presses 24/7 to ensure no low-quality books are printed overnight. However, reality paints a different picture. Out of 115 presses, each inspection company has only 30–40 staff, most of whom are unskilled. These include students employed at a salary of just Tk 8,000 per month, who lack basic knowledge of paper quality. Moreover, it is alleged that the printing presses bear the costs for inspectors’ lodging, food, and salaries, enabling owners to get away with printing substandard textbooks.
NCTB officials stated that despite the involvement of three inspection agencies and direct field monitoring by NCTB, low-quality books still reached schools. While the number of substandard books at the primary level is comparatively lower, many still failed to meet the “bursting factor” standard despite conforming to paper thickness and brightness requirements. On the other hand, most secondary-level books failed all three quality parameters — thickness, brightness, and durability. As in previous years, printing press owners tactically distributed low-quality books in rural areas while avoiding district and sub-district headquarters. This year, anticipating such tactics, authorities collected samples solely from rural areas, which revealed the highest number of substandard books.
The PDI agent for secondary-level books this year was Bureau Veritas, while Phoenix was the PDI and PLI agent for primary-level books. Bureau Veritas, working for the first time, completed the secondary-level inspections for only Tk 3.2 million — the lowest bid in the last decade. Almost all inspection firms participated in tenders with low bids, only to later engage in irregularities and corruption.
Meanwhile, a private company named Hi-Tech Survey BD was assigned to verify book quality post-printing. This firm is currently collecting samples nationwide for lab testing. Its proprietor, Md. Biplob, told Ittefaq that 17 printing presses supplying substandard books have already been identified and issued official letters.
An NCTB official said yesterday that inspection companies must be held accountable for errors in book quality. A former top official of the Printing Industry Association commented that if poor-quality books are still being delivered despite all these regulatory bodies, “there’s clearly a fox in the henhouse.” Attempts to contact NCTB Acting Chairman Professor Robiul Kabir Chowdhury for comment were unsuccessful.