Bobby Hajjaj Orders Delivery of All Primary School Textbooks by November 5

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has directed the authorities concerned to complete the delivery of all textbooks designated for government primary school students by November 5. He also stressed strict compliance with prescribed quality standards and specifications for textbook printing, warning that printing houses using old machinery would no longer be awarded contracts from next year.

The state minister issued the directives during visits to Bornomala Press and Global Printing Equipment in Matuail, Dhaka, on Thursday (October 29). He inspected the printing process, machinery, paper quality and overall print quality of the textbooks.

During the visits, Hajjaj said that taking responsibility for textbook printing meant ensuring that the work was completed in accordance with the prescribed standards. Any limitations in a printing house's capacity should be considered before participating in a tender, he said, adding that no compromise on textbook quality would be accepted on the grounds of machinery capacity or technical limitations.

He said printing houses were responsible for maintaining the quality specified by the government when awarding contracts for textbook production.

While examining the printed books, the state minister identified inconsistencies in colour arrangement and alignment in several copies. He cautioned those concerned against allowing such defects to affect a large portion of the printed books and stressed the need to strengthen quality control and supervision throughout the printing process.

Hajjaj said completing the printing work alone was not enough; every book had to meet the prescribed standards. Ensuring that students receive quality textbooks was the government's responsibility, and negligence or substandard work would not be acceptable, he added. He instructed the printing houses to ensure delivery of all books within the stipulated deadline and prepare to use modern printing machinery with adequate production capacity in the future.

Representatives of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, along with officials from the printing houses concerned, were present during the visits.