Publishers protest Pakistan's unilateral curriculum reform over textbook loss fears

Lahore [Pakistan], December 3 (ANI): The Punjab government's decision to revamp the school curriculum has triggered a strong backlash from local publishers, who claim the move will inflict massive financial losses and disrupt textbook supply chains across the province, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, the provincial administration has established the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessments Authority (PECTAA), merging three key departments: the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board, the Quaid-i-Azam Academy for Educational Development, and the Punjab Examination Commission.

The move is aimed at centralising curriculum reform, teacher training, and assessment under one administrative framework to "modernise" the education system.

PECTAA, chaired by Punjab's Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat, includes senior bureaucrats from multiple departments such as finance, higher education, planning and development, and special education.

The 16-member body also features heads of the Punjab Education Foundation and the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority. The new structure is part of the government's broader plan to streamline academic reform.

However, the Urdu Bazaar Publishers Association has expressed outrage, calling the decision abrupt and financially damaging.

Its president, Khalid Pervaiz, stated that the publishing industry stands to lose approximately Rs 2 billion as thousands of printed textbooks meant for the next academic session could become obsolete.

He added that books already stocked across the province would go to waste if the government's plan proceeds unchecked.

Publishers further argued that they were excluded from the consultation process and that the government would be obligated to compensate them for the resulting losses if the current textbooks were discarded, as cited by Dawn.

In response, Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat stated that curriculum-related decisions do not require publishers' approval, asserting that the changes were meant to enhance learning outcomes and remove redundant material.

He criticised publishers for "double standards," noting that they underreport sales when paying royalties but protest when reforms affect their profits.

Despite the backlash, the government remains firm in its stance. The revised curriculum will be introduced for the 2026-27 academic year under PECTAA's supervision, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

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