Punjab Cuts Free Textbook Printing by 60% Despite Enrollment Claims

Punjab's plan to print free textbooks for government schools has fallen sharply, even as provincial officials report a significant rise in student enrollment. According to official figures, more than 60 million textbooks were printed for the 2022-23 academic year, but only 24.1 million copies are planned for the 2027-28 session, a decline of roughly 60 percent.

The drop comes as enrollment in Punjab's government schools is said to have crossed 10.5 million. Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has claimed an increase of 2.5 million students. The gap between the enrollment figures and the reduced printing plan has raised questions about how free textbook demand will be met.

Under the new plan, about 14.8 million textbooks will be produced for primary classes, 4.3 million for grades 6 to 8, and 3.2 million for grades 9 and 10. Officials from the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) say the lower printing requirement is being managed through the book bank system, which allows schools to reuse textbooks collected from previous students. They added that the outsourcing of several government schools has also reduced demand for newly printed books.

The reduction follows existing supply problems. In September, newly enrolled students reportedly faced delays in receiving free books after the summer holidays. A separate report in October highlighted a shortage of approximately 839,000 textbooks, which prompted authorities to issue additional printing allocations to close the gap.

The figures point to a tension between the government's enrollment claims and its textbook procurement planning. For families relying on free books, any shortfall can affect access to learning materials at the start of the academic year. Officials have not publicly explained how the book bank and outsourcing measures will fully cover demand if enrollment continues to grow.