Free textbooks rollout begins across Punjab

The Punjab Education Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTA) has published a total of 30.163 million textbooks for the new academic session 2026–27, including revised syllabi for Matric (Grades 9 and 10). These books are intended for students enrolled in approximately 38,000 government primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools across the province. In the first phase, around 23.97m textbooks will be distributed free of cost to newly enrolled students. Distribution from PECTA's central warehouse to district and tehsil education offices has already commenced, with formal dissemination to students scheduled to begin on 6 April. According to sources in PECTA, the first phase of distribution will proceed as follows: 100% provision of textbooks for students from Nursery to Grade 3, 80% provision for Grades 4 and 5, 50% provision for Grades 6 to 9 and 100% provision for all students in Grade 10. Students not covered in the initial phase will receive textbooks in a second phase, based on written requisitions submitted by schools. To date, 23.97m books have been delivered to tehsil-level warehouses out of the total 30.163m, with the remaining consignments expected shortly. Distribution will be aligned with updated enrolment figures, and Assistant Education Officers have been directed to ensure transparent allocation in accordance with attendance registers. Initially, textbooks will be issued from the "old book bank", comprising volumes collected from students who have successfully completed their examinations. These books are currently held by class teachers in schools and will be distributed immediately upon reopening. Subsequently, newly printed textbooks will be supplied to teachers for free distribution among attending students. Representatives of the Punjab Teachers Union and Educators Association, including Hamid Ali Shah, Akhyan Gul, and Basharat Iqbal Raja, confirmed that used textbooks have been retrieved from all promoted students and will be redistributed accordingly.