The provincial government of Punjab has faced criticism for its failure to provide new textbooks to students as the new academic session began. Reports from a private news channel indicate that instead of receiving new textbooks, students were issued old and damaged ones.
Students start new academic year without books in Punjab
The delay in printing new textbooks has led to students not receiving them on time, forcing them to make do with old books. In Punjab, where there are over 15 million enrolled students, the demand for textbooks exceeds 50 million.
According to sources, the printing of new books may be completed during the upcoming summer vacations. Teachers have expressed concerns about the difficulties students face when studying from old books.
They noted that studying from old, often torn books poses significant challenges for students, and there is a noticeable lack of interest among them in using outdated materials.
Rana Liaqat Ali, General Secretary, emphasized that it is the responsibility of the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) to ensure the provision of essential facilities in schools.
Textbooks shortage mars new academic year
Regrettably, this year, no school has received the necessary textbooks for the new academic year, leaving students to attend classes without their essential learning materials.
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He emphasized that the PMIU bears the responsibility for ensuring the timely printing of books, pointing out that even with changes in government, the officers within the PMIU have remained unchanged.