Provincial govt to give free text books to school children

Rs50 million worth of books printed to be distributed among secondary school students

ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan government will provide free text books to the students at secondary level to ensure free education for the poor in the province – as part of its efforts towards achieving the education goals at primary level.

Talking to APP on Monday, an official of the Balochistan Education Department said, “The process of publication of books for spring academic year 2019 has been completed. The process of books distribution in 13 districts of the province will start from March 1.

“The government wants to enrol the maximum number of out-of-school children to minimise illiteracy in the province.”

He said the government printed Rs50 million worth of books through the Balochistan Text-Book Board, adding that the Balochistan government also planned to educate youth about water and environmental issues in the province to create awareness about water scarcity and environmental hazards.

“In this regard, the government will introduce a special academic course in the syllabus at the secondary level to get rid of water-related issues and crate awareness about climate change.”

The official said the authority would also update the existing syllabus at college and school levels according to the directives of Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan.

He said the government planned to start a campaign from next week to enrol maximum number of out-of-school children, saying the youth and civil society should also play their role to highlight education-related issues, especially to curb the illiteracy ratio.

“The government has given a task to the educationists to review the present syllabus and to upgrade it in accordance with the current days’ requirement,” he added.