The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has failed to keep its promise. Even after 15 days of the new academic year, more than 10 million secondary-level textbooks have yet to reach students. In Dhaka metropolitan area as well as in many upazilas across the country, classes are continuing without textbooks.
On December 28, Education Adviser C. R. Abrar, accompanied by NCTB officials, had stated that all textbooks would be distributed by January 15. The NCTB has now sought an additional 15 days to deliver books to all students.
Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced against more than a hundred printing presses of attempting to embezzle large amounts of public money by hurriedly printing low-quality textbooks for the 2026 academic year at the last moment. Recently, the NCTB’s inspection company cut up and destroyed 2.5 million low-quality secondary-level textbooks.
Earlier, more than 1.7 million primary-level textbooks from 67 printing presses had also been cancelled and destroyed. As a result, a total of 4.2 million substandard textbooks have been rejected in the current academic year. According to sources, the NCTB, inspection companies, and a “ministry team” jointly identified these low-quality books during inspections of printing presses. Related sources confirmed this information to Ittefaq.
The longer the delay in getting new books into students’ hands, the greater the damage to their education. NCTB officials say they are pressuring printers to deliver books on time.
They also claim that in the past one and a half decades, textbooks have never been delivered 100 percent within January; sometimes it has taken until March or April. In that sense, if all books are delivered by January 30 this year, it would be a new milestone for the NCTB.
For children, the joy of receiving new books in a new class at the start of a new year knows no bounds. Beautiful new books increase children’s enthusiasm for reading—they smell them, hug them to their chest. This is why in almost every country, children’s books are printed on good-quality paper and made colorful and attractive.
Bangladesh, however, is an exception. For the past 16 years, many printing presses have printed textbooks on low-quality paper and embezzled hundreds of crores of taka.
Some press owners have even arrogantly admitted to printing textbooks on substandard paper. In an audio recording obtained by Ittefaq, Nazrul Islam Kajol, owner of Janata Press, is heard saying, “For over a decade, all presses have printed textbooks on low-quality paper—I have done it too.”
In this way, thousands of crores of taka were allegedly looted over the past one and a half decades during the Awami League government by printing substandard textbooks.
It is known that in the past, 90 percent of Nazrul Islam Kajol’s textbooks were printed on low-quality paper. Multiple attempts to contact him by phone were unsuccessful. His company’s substandard textbooks have been cut and destroyed again this year as well. Sources say the NCTB has decided not to compromise on textbook quality this time, and any book found to be substandard is being destroyed.
Rafi Mahmud Biplob, Project Director of Control Union BD, the pre-distribution agent involved in monitoring secondary-level textbooks, told Ittefaq that any books failing to meet tender specifications are being seized. He said books were cancelled due to various defects at the printing, cutting, and binding stages.
“For the 2026 academic year, we removed 3,000 tons of printing paper from printing companies at the secondary level. In addition, 4.5 million printed forms and 2.5 million ready-made books were rejected and destroyed at different times from various presses. To ensure the supply of quality textbooks, we have taken multiple measures, including round-the-clock monitoring of presses by separate teams, without any compromise on quality,” he said.
NCTB sources say printing press owners are so strategic that they sign contracts at the very last moment, allowing them to hurriedly print and supply low-quality books due to time constraints. In the past, they allegedly used this tactic to embezzle government funds. This time, the Ministry of Education and the NCTB have taken a firm stance against such practices.
Sirajim Munir, Managing Director of Infinity Survey and Inspection BD, the pre-distribution agent for primary-level textbooks, said that a total of 25 million primary textbook forms were cut this year due to various irregularities and defects.
More than 1.7 million books from 67 printing presses were cancelled for issues such as missing forms, duplicate forms, lack of ultra varnish, binding defects, and other irregularities. Most of the presses awarded contracts were involved in these irregularities. He also said that owners of more than fifty presses had tried to bribe him with money to pass off low-quality paper as good quality.