By: Salman Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: Due to the lack of funds, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) failed to deliver books, school bags to the students of the merged districts of the province, which has been negatively impacting the region’s children future.
The provision of free textbooks and school bags to students in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing significant challenges due to a lack of funds.
According to official documents, the total amount owed for the printing and distribution of these free textbooks has surged to over Rs 2.44 billion from the fiscal years 2021-22 to 2025-26.
In light of this serious financial crisis, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has formally requested the Finance Department to release additional funds. The documents indicate that a total of Rs 2.54 billion is needed to provide free books and school bags to students in the merged districts; however, only Rs 100 million has been released so far, which is insufficient.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been supplying free textbooks to students from nursery to 12th grade since 2006. Unfortunately, the funds necessary for this initiative have not been released for several years. Although one billion rupees have been allocated for printing free textbooks, this amount is inadequate given the current financial situation and outstanding arrears.
Education Secretary Masood Ahmed stated that while the government has approved funds for printing books, payment delays are hindering the timely delivery of these books to schools. He also mentioned that efforts are ongoing to provide free books and bags to students in the merged districts, but the lack of available funds remains a significant obstacle.
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