Thousands of students in Punjab’s government schools will finally receive free textbooks after a long delay caused by various challenges, including increased paper costs and delayed payments to publishers. The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) has recently finished printing textbooks, which have now been distributed to the school education department.
The distribution of free textbooks is expected to resume after the summer break of two and a half months, which has negatively impacted the learning of many students across the province. According to an official from the PCTB, numerous students still needed to receive their books before the summer vacation began due to a shortage of approximately 40,000 textbooks.
The official assured that they had made significant strides in addressing the issues and are committed to ensuring that every student gets access to quality education materials. He also appealed to the school education department to expedite the delivery of textbooks to the schools as soon as they reopen.
The provision of free textbooks is part of the Punjab government’s efforts to improve the education sector in the province, which has been facing a severe challenge to ensure all children, particularly the most disadvantaged, attend, stay, and learn in school.
UNICEF estimates that 22.8 million children aged 5-16 are not in school in Pakistan, representing 44 percent of the total population under this age group. In Punjab, 34 percent of children aged between 12 and 14 still need to complete primary education.
The Punjab government has also increased its education budget by 13.5 percent for 2021-22, allocating Rs 442 billion for education development and current expenditure. The government has also announced various initiatives to enhance access, quality, and equity in education, such as upgrading schools, hiring teachers, providing scholarships and stipends, and promoting early childhood education.