The Anti-Corruption Establishment has initiated an investigation into alleged irregularities in the printing of free textbooks by the Sindh Textbook Board. The board is accused of awarding contracts worth Rs5 billion to favoured publishers without following proper norms.
The probe has been intensified against Chairman Parvez Baloch and former secretary Taimoor Khaskheli. ACE’s Karachi headquarters has summoned the officials to appear on October 2 with all relevant records.
The investigation pertains to the academic year 2024-2025, during which printing contracts were reportedly given to selected publishers, bypassing fair bidding processes.
The anti-corruption team has demanded a comprehensive range of documents, including National Tax Numbers (NTNs) of companies, which have been awarded contracts, their details, their past work, bid reports, supply orders, delivery challans, and records of advance payments, made to them.
Additionally, correspondence related to the procurement committee has also been sought.
It is worth mentioning that the Sindh Textbook Board annually prints and distributes approximately 5.5 million sets of textbooks, free of cost, to government schools across the province, making the integrity of this process vital for the education sector.
The action by the ACE highlights growing concerns about transparency and calls for accountability in public sector contracts, especially in areas directly impacting the education.
