The Balochistan government has achieved a historic milestone by distributing over 12.8 million free school textbooks for the 2026 academic year across all 36 districts, ensuring students have study materials ready at the start of classes.
Provincial Education Minister Raheela Hamid Khan Durani praised the Balochistan Textbook Board for ensuring full transparency in the printing tender process, saving the provincial treasury Rs. 1.25 billion. She credited the achievement to Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Khan Bugti, the education ministry, and guidance from Education Secretary Lal Jan Jafar.
Dr. Gulab Khan Khelji, Chairman of the Textbook Board, noted that printing costs for 2025–26 were just Rs. 0.88 billion, sharply reduced from Rs. 2.12 billion in 2023–24 and Rs. 1.09 billion in 2024–25. The board also updated the decades-old 1977 curriculum with a modern syllabus aligned with the National Curriculum of Pakistan 2022–23, covering primary to intermediate levels, including Quranic studies, computer education, environmental studies, health and physical education, citizenship, ethics, and artificial intelligence.
The demand for textbooks increased by 3.5 million books compared to the previous year due to the reopening of more than 4,000 schools and recruitment of over 10,000 new teachers. All textbooks underwent internal and provincial committee reviews, along with a two-level quality check supervised by the Education Secretary.
Printing costs were kept exceptionally low at Rs. 0.65 per page, compared to Rs. 0.79 per page in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, making this one of the most cost-efficient textbook programs in Pakistan. Future plans include prioritizing English-medium textbooks printed on high-quality bleach card paper to improve durability, and reducing non-essential content to help students complete the curriculum on time.
The program is being hailed as a model for other provinces and is expected to continue in the coming years, reinforcing Balochistan’s commitment to high-quality, affordable education for all students.
