The Punjab government is preparing a revised curriculum for students from nursery to Grade 5, but the new syllabus has not yet been made public, raising concerns about the timely availability of textbooks for the upcoming academic year.
According to sources, the provincial government is considering a new primary-level curriculum based on the federal model. However, the syllabus has reportedly not been shared with education experts or publishers for review and textbook preparation.
In previous years, new curricula were uploaded to the Education Department’s website several months before implementation. Education experts from relevant fields were also consulted during the preparation and finalisation of the syllabus.
This year, however, the curriculum for classes from nursery to Grade 5 has reportedly been kept confidential. The delay has raised concerns among publishers, particularly because many private schools in Punjab begin their new academic year in January after completing annual examinations in December.
Publishers have said they have yet to receive the new curriculum. They generally require around three months to prepare, design and print textbooks after receiving the final syllabus. Any further delay could therefore create difficulties in ensuring textbooks are available when the new academic year begins.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat confirmed that a new curriculum for students from nursery to Grade 5 is being prepared. He assured that textbooks would be available to students at the beginning of the new academic year.
The government’s timely release of the curriculum will be important for publishers, schools and education stakeholders to complete preparations before the start of the academic session.
