The ongoing financial crisis in Pakistan is now starting to show its impacts on the education system with Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) wouldn’t give free textbooks to around 25 million students of government schools in the following academic year due to funding issues with provinces.
In such a manner, the Punjab Textbook Board has composed a letter to Punjab’s School Education Department cautioning that the students of government schools won’t be given free course books till the leeway of past dues.
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In its letter, the PTB stated that the Punjab Government owes Rs10 billion to the Punjab Textbook Board accusing that this occurred because of some unacceptable approach of previous education minister Murad Raas who printed books worth Rs18 billion from project workers.
The letter additionally uncovered that the government paid just Rs8 billion out of a sum of Rs18 billion to PTB because of which free books couldn’t be imprinted in the year 2024 if Rs10 billion wouldn’t paid.
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In Punjab, government school students get free books worth 3,000 for every individual each year while the finance ministry designated just Rs 3.5 billion with the expectation of complimentary books this year. This sum is not enough for printing books.
“If no more cash is delivered, it is tough to expect to cover the books till the year’s end”, PTB cautioned.
