LAHORE: The Punjab government’s decision to change the school curriculum has triggered strong opposition from publishers, who warned that the move would financially damage the publishing industry and disrupt the supply of textbooks for the upcoming academic session.

The Punjab government had formed the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) to overhaul the education system by merging three key departments to streamline educational reforms.

The PECTAA is replacing the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board, Quaid-i-Azam Academy for Educational Development, and the Punjab Examination Commission — previously responsible for curriculum development, teacher training, and student assessments, respectively.

The Punjab minister for school education was chairing the authority, with the parliamentary secretary for schools education serving as vice chairperson.

A 16-member committee was formed, comprising senior bureaucrats, including the secretaries of schools, special education, finance, higher education and planning & development board, Punjab Education Foundation managing director, Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority chief executive officer and the school education department’s programme monitoring implementation unit’s programme director.

Urdu Bazaar Publishers Association President Khalid Pervaiz condemned the decision and said the change in syllabus would cause losses of around Rs2 billion to publishers.

He said books already printed for the next session and currently stocked in Urdu Bazaar and bookshops across the province would go to waste if the government proceeds with its plan.

Publishers said they were not taken into confidence before the curriculum revision. They said if textbooks were replaced, the government would have to pay millions in compensation to them.

Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat said the government did not require consultation with publishers for curriculum-related decisions. He said the curriculum was being adjusted to improve children’s learning and reduce unnecessary content. “We can change the curriculum to improve the future of children,” he said.

He said when royalty on Punjab Board books is demanded, publishers claim sales were low, which he described as contradictory.

He said the government was willing to hold discussions with publishers but made it clear that the curriculum changes would go ahead as planned. According to PECTAA, the revised syllabus will be implemented for the 2026-27 academic year.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2025