If we look at NCTB from two decades ago until today, there is no room to appreciate it. Every year, heaps of allegations, complaints, problems, and corruption of various types and forms appear instead. This year, the NCTB is providing low quality books.
When we studied in school, we saw the papers and books were of excellent quality and looked good. Then, the Physics, Chemistry and Biology books were different from grade nine, whose price was minimal so far as I remember, one taka fifty paisa or seventy-five paisa. Excellent colour and quality, and the look easily attracted the students!
We could not understand so much complexity of this world that we learn and meet today. We just then thought so good quality books could not be prepared with this small amount. Definitely, it received a subsidy from the government. The books were published by private publishers.
NCTB began experiencing its demeaning culture when we studied in college and university in the eighties. That means it started seeing its doom many years back and reached its culmination in the previous government when serious corruption, nepotism, and producing the lowest quality books engulfed the institution and threw the entire teaching and students’ community in the dark in the name of introducing a new curriculum.
All these absurdities took place just for monetary gain and political motivation. Producing extremely low-quality books in terms of quality and paper, using newsprint instead of white print, black and white pictures, free books instead of selling books for a minimal price, and printing books outside the country marked the entire period of the fallen regime.
The principal reason behind these was first politics and then money means unriddled corruption. When money was involved, the ministry also did not take time to control the affairs of NCTB, even though it’s an autonomous body. Selecting writers and press and buying papers- everything was controlled by the ministry.
The final doom was made in the name of introducing a new curriculum and its process began in 2018 and was introduced in 2022. Huge money matters here! So, they did not bother anybody’s request or protest. The students, teachers and guardians were dead against the so-called new curriculum.
However, they were adamant to introduce it. Why? Just to implement the ill-motif of politics and deal with a large amount of money. It finally made the entire teaching and learning situation standstill for three years, and its adverse effect will continue for several more years.
The bi-products of these irregularities include producing extremely low-quality books even today, books to be available in the rationing system and not for all. Books will be with the designated commercial dealers!
Selecting NCTB Chairmen is based only on political considerations, without giving a little thought to whether they are acceptable to the education community and have a clear idea about education and the education system.
The staff and officials of NCTB found the institution to be just a good earning place, as it was posted in Dhaka at the recommendations of corrupt high officials or ministers. The officials of this institution enjoy five festival bonuses instead of two because of their greater service to the nation!
Their dealing with dealers, contractors and publishers opens another avenue for earning money for them. NCTB people feel very proud running after contractors, press owners, foreign press owners, and paper businessmen, leaving their actual work of developing age-befitting curriculum, finding out whether the curriculum is working with the students, whether teachers can disseminate it perfectly, what problems arise, how to address those issues professionally.
All these principal works seem foreign to NCTB people. They feel more comfortable running after the business people as money matters there. They never raise the issue that their business must be different, and they do not negotiate with the businessmen.
After the fall of the AL regime, the current education secretary, Siddiq Juabayer, supervised the activities of NCTB to curb irregularities and corruption and found that 33 per cent of the books given to the students were of very low quality in the 2025 academic year reached students late (till May).
On 04 June, the education secretary faced the journalists when he made the comments that the students will get good quality books, not low quality, in the coming year. But we apprehend that the party government will take over the charge of the government, which means NCTB will again see all the business, commercial and political points as it saw earlier.
It further means it will be difficult for the ministry to control those as things will go into the hands of political people who have very little interest in education and more in money. However, we appreciate the intention and pronouncement of the secretary.
Every year, students get their textbooks late, extremely late, and the lowest quality books produced from lowest quality newspapers that students tear within two or three months. The publishers, who were mostly the cronies of the previous autocratic regime, did not follow the brightness of the books.
The lowest quality gum to bind the books was used. The illustrations, pictures, and pages also show very irregular matters. This year, 40 crore books were published, of which 13 crore saw all kinds of low-quality materials.
Of course, others were not tested. If tested, more books would fall in this category. The ultimate loss goes to the students. However, nobody has any headaches about students’ loss or learning loss. The dishonest publishers, NCTB and other related officials were managed illegally to commit the corruption.
More than 30 printing presses have so far been identified as having committed irregularities and corruption, regarding providing low quality books. It is learnt that NCTB has given letters to 20 press institutions which actually will see no effect. NCTB says these intuitions will be asked to replace the books they have provided.
If they cannot provide quality books, they will be penalized! That also we know fake! As they have a big syndicate created by the previous government, NCTB’s small number of honest officials have failed to take any punitive measures against them. From 2018 to 2023, a corruption case of more than fifteen hundred crore taka for printing free textbooks has been under investigation.
Oxford Press and Publication printed a science book for class three, in which they used 73 grams per square meter of paper, even though the agreed quality was 80 GSM. Redwania Press and Publications used 65 GSM quality papers instead of 70 GSM for General Mechanics books of class nine of Vocational Education.
Anupam Printers used 61 GSM paper, ignoring the agreed 70 GSM for Chemistry books of class nine, Shafin Press and Publication published BGS books for class seven where they used 59 GSM paper instead of 70 as agreed.
Subarna Printers did Mathematics books for class nine using 55 GSM instead of 70 GSM. These are some examples of low-quality papers used in printing books that will not last for many days, and they are also not eye-catching.
In the midst of these types of huge corruption, dishonesty, business and politicization, can we trust on the promise of the education secretary who promises to hand over good quality books to the students in the coming year? Is this possible for them to provide quality books?
The party government may come to state power next year, and its supporters, leaders, and cronies will upset everything about NCTB, positioning it according to their own business style as we have experienced so many years.
It, however, seems difficult to determine whether NCTB will be free from the clutch of nasty politics to give us quality books. Whether students will get the quality books on time. Time will give us a decision, and we are waiting for it!
About the Author
Masum Billah works as a President of the English Teachers' Association of Bangladesh (ETAB), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He previously worked as an Education Specialist at BRAC, an international NGO in Bangladesh.