From 1 April 2024, the Punjab School Education Department will no longer provide free textbooks to eligible students in grades 1 through matric.
This change would have an impact on students enrolled in Punjab Education Foundation institutions, as well as those receiving education under the Benazir Income Support Programme and the government’s unique cheap voucher education initiative.
The students will be given money to purchase the textbooks rather than getting them for free. However, free textbooks will continue to be provided to students in all government-run primary, middle, high, and upper secondary institutions as usual.
According to reports, there are currently about 600,000 pupils registered in the 8,500 high, middle, and elementary schools managed by the Punjab Education Foundation. In the unique free voucher education programme run by the Ministry of Education, about 200,000 kids are registered, while 196,000 are part of the Benazir Income Support Programme.
The Punjab Teachers’ Union has vehemently opposed this change, protesting the removal of free textbooks and calling for the continuation of the current arrangement.
According to Rana Liaquat, the central secretary general of the union, if the government wants to provide financing to deserving children instead of free textbooks, they should be given enough money to cover the cost of all the books so that parents can choose to purchase them on the open market instead of waiting for free textbooks.