The Punjab government’s decision to revise the school curriculum has sparked strong resistance from publishers, who warn the move will inflict heavy financial losses and disrupt textbook supplies for the next academic year.
The government recently established the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training, and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) to overhaul the education system by merging the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board, Quaid-i-Azam Academy for Educational Development, and the Punjab Examination Commission. PECTAA, headed by the provincial school education minister, has been tasked with modernising curriculum, teacher training, and student assessments under one unified authority.
A 16-member committee, including senior bureaucrats from key departments such as schools, special education, finance, higher education, and P&D, will oversee reforms.
However, the Urdu Bazaar Publishers Association strongly criticised the government’s plan.
Its president, Khalid Pervaiz, warned the syllabus change would cause an estimated Rs2 billion loss, as thousands of books already printed for the upcoming session would become unusable.
He said publishers were not consulted before the decision and insisted that replacing textbooks would require the government to compensate them for the unsold stock.
Punjab School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat rejected the concerns, stating that the government does not need publishers’ approval to revise curricula.
He said the adjustments aim to reduce unnecessary content and improve learning outcomes. “We can change the curriculum to improve the future of children,” he said.
Hayat added that while the government is open to dialogue, the curriculum reform will proceed as scheduled. According to PECTAA, the revised syllabus will come into effect in the 2026–27 academic year.