The Punjab School Education Department has decided to stop the distribution of free textbooks to all deserving students from grade I to matric in the new academic year starting from April 1, 2024.
Sources said the students, who are studying in the schools run by the Punjab Education Foundation, receiving education under the Benazir Income Support Programme and the government’s special free voucher education scheme will no longer be receiving free textbooks.
According to sources, instead of getting free textbooks, all such students will be given funds to buy textbooks. However, free textbooks will continue to be provided to the students of all government-run primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools as usual.
According to sources, at present 600,000 male and female students are studying in all the 8,500 primary, middle and high schools run by the Punjab Education Foundation across the province, about 200,000 under the special free voucher education scheme of the Ministry of Education and 196,000 students are studying under the Benazir Income Support Programme.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Teachers' Union strongly condemned the stopgap arrangement and demanded to make the free textbook system regular.
Rana Liaquat, the union central secretary general, said heavy expenses are incurred on loading and unloading of textbooks and their delivery from Lahore to all 36 districts in addition to the rent of warehouses.
“If the government wants to give money instead of free books to deserving students, they should be paid the total cost of all the books of each class so that their parents can buy books from the open market at their will instead of waiting for the free textbooks,” he said.
“This will save the government millions of rupees in heavy rent of warehouses and transportation,” he added. “Warehouses have been set up at every tehsil level, while schools also pay additional transport charges and loading and unloading fees to bring their share of books from the warehouses.”
There are a total of 52,000 schools across Punjab in which 1.2 million male and female students are studying.
Last month, the Punjab School Education Department distributed free textbooks among students from grade 1 to matriculation in all government schools of Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, and other districts during the Eid holidays.
The move came after the department abolished Urdu medium from government schools.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2023.
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