THE chronic failure of the Sindh Textbook Board in ensuring the timely availability of textbooks to school and college students across the province is a matter of grave concern. This is not a sudden or isolated lapse, but a shameful tradition of ad-ministrative negligence that has plagued the education system for decades.

This is no longer a simple matter of inefficiency or delay as it appears to be nothing short of a plot against education itself, a deliberate barrier preventing the proper education of the province’s youth.

At the start of every academic session, parents and students wait anxiously for the prescribed books. But every year, their hopes are crushed by the same unacceptable excuse that the books are not ready yet. What kind of planning is this where an institution given the sole responsibility to publish textbooks cannot meet a fixed, publicly known, annual deadline?

In the absence of proper course material, the students are left with no means to study effectively. This is a case of depriving them of their basic right to education. Their learning is disrupted, and their academic performance is severely impacted. Parents and students are frustrated, disappointed and mentally distressed, watching precious time slip away, while officials continue to make excuses.

This is not just poor governance; it is a crime against our children and their future. The constant failure to deliver textbooks on time suggests either deliberate sabotage or criminal negligence. In either case, it is unacceptable.

All the relevant authorities, including the provincial chief minister, should take immediate corrective measures in this regard. The Sindh Textbook Board must be overhauled, timelines should be enforced, and those responsible for repeated delays have to be held answerable. Our children deserve better. Their future should not be a collateral damage at the altar of prevaling bureaucratic inefficiency.

Zafar Imam
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025