Govt schools in KP may not get textbooks on time
Publishers stop printing books demanding release of their Rs2.5 billion dues of last year.
Irshadullah Khan
PESHAWAR: As a result of the financial crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it is unlikely that printing of textbooks will be completed and delivered to students of government schools in the province on time.
The publishers who printed the textbooks during the last academic year have been demanded that their arrears of Rs2.5 billion should be cleared. They have stopped the printing of textbooks for the next academic year 2024-25 unless the dues are paid to them, an official of the Textbook Board told this correspondent on condition of anonymity.
He said as a result of the issue, it will not be possible for the education department to provide textbooks to students of government schools on time. He added that the finance department had been contacted several times for the release of funds but it was insisting to to leave the release of funds to the elected government.
He said Punjab and KP Publishers were awarded contracts for printing of textbooks, but due to non-payment of arrears of more than Rs2.5 billion they had stopped printing of the books this year.
The Textbook Board is bound to pay 50pc to the respective publishers in advance and the remaining 50pc on printing of the books. The printing of books has to be completed by March 20 while April 20 is the deadline for handing over of the books to the districts for distribution among schools, the official said.
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