The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports is launching an official investigation into the purchase of textbooks at inflated prices

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) will conduct an official investigation into the purchase of textbooks for children with special educational needs at inflated prices by the Institute for the Modernization of the Content of Education (IMZO). About this informs the press service of the Ministry of Education and Culture on its official website.

The Ministry of Education and Culture stated that it had received information about IMZO concluding agreements to purchase textbooks at an inflated cost. The Institute for the Modernization of the Content of Education is a separate legal entity that organizes competitions and purchases of textbooks and manuals for schools. The Ministry emphasized its commitment to anti-corruption principles and thanked media representatives for their attention to possible violations. The results of the official investigation will be made public.

According to the publication of NGL Media, in June-July 2024, IMZO concluded 83 agreements with Atlant Publishing LLC worth almost 163 million hryvnias without conducting tenders for the publication of textbooks for schools with languages ​​of instruction of national minorities (Polish, Hungarian, Romanian) and for students with special educational needs. In December last year, another 21 agreements worth 15 million hryvnias were concluded.

The terms of reference and planned costing of transactions include printing services in the amount of 4.8 million hryvnias, general expenses and royalties to authors in the amount of 370 thousand hryvnias. The profitability of production does not exceed 5% and is less than 260 thousand hryvnias. According to these data, one textbook from the “Atlant” publishing house costs about 455 hryvnias.