The Education Ministry will introduce a well-regulated system of competitive publishing of textbooks and learning materials. According to official sources, the Ministry will take steps to transform Textbook Boards into competent facilitating, regulating and monitoring authorities.
The Boards will review and help support the process of approval of textbooks for use in schools in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Earlier, the Ministry of Education in consultation with provincial and district education departments constituted a committee to design and recommend a Textbook Policy for improvement in textbooks and learning materials.
A comprehensive dialogue, involving all stakeholders, led to the notification of a `National Textbook and Learning Materials Policy and Plan of Action' in June 2007. According to the new education policy, the objective of the exercise was improvement in the quality of education at all levels through better quality textbooks at affordable prices and other learning materials for promoting Pakistan as a knowledge-based society.
Choice and competition are major forces in achieving this objective. Choice on the part of the buyer promotes acquisition of knowledge, empowerment and participation. Competition on the part of the producer leads to a wider variety of products, improved quality, availability and better prices.
A provincial and local government committee comprising representatives of the education authorities, Textbook Boards, the private sector, teachers and other stakeholders will be formed to select and prescribe textbooks for use in public schools in the respective province or areas of jurisdiction. Private sector schools will be free to use from amongst the books authorised by the respective Textbook Board.
The federal and provincial governments will arrange for the Textbook Boards to provide assistance in capacity development for the national and provincial publishing industry to become competitive players in an expanded education publishing market. The government will ensure availability of quality paper at reasonable cost for printing of textbooks. As part of the review and approval process, Textbook Boards will seek a no objection certificate from Federal Ministry of Education, Curriculum Wing, the policy revealed.
The federal, provincial and district governments will increase investments in school libraries and supplementary reading, teacher guides, teachers' training and learning materials. An "Inter-Provincial Standing Committee on Textbook Policy" will be established to regulate operational and procedural issues, and monitor and co-ordinate further implementation process.
The Curriculum Wing of Federal Ministry of Education will be the secretariat for the committee and will be strengthened for the expanded tasks. Implementation of the new system of regulated competitive publishing of textbooks and learning materials will start with the introduction of revised National Curricula. Special textbooks will be prepared to cater to multi-grade environments. Alternately supplementary reading material that helps self-learning will be developed for such environments.