“More than 40 million textbooks are being supplied free of charge by the provincial government to schools this year,” Punjab Teachers’ Association General Secretary Rana Wilayat said on Friday.
He said the academic year would start from April 1, 2014. “The government has made arrangements to supply the books by February 15, 2014.”
He said the government had sought help from the Asian Development Bank and the International Development Bank for provision of books till 2019.
Recalling that books fell short last year as demand increased, he said the print order had been raised by 20 per cent.
“The books will also be provided to private schools approved and chartered by the Punjab Educational Foundation,” Wilayat said.
Executive District Officer (Education) Shamsher Ahmed Khan told The Express Tribune that seven truckloads of books had already arrived in Multan.
He said the books were meant for 1,650 government schools and 1,200 private schools in the district.
“We are expecting five more trucks… some seven trucks brought 500,000 primary school books,” he said.
Khan said 50,000 of the books were related to science practical. He said these would be distributed from January 1, 2014.
The books are being stored at warehouses at the Government Comprehensive Boys High School and the district education office for schools.
There are more than 75,000 schools in the Punjab. These include primary, middle, higher secondary government schools as well as private schools.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2013.