KARACHI: The school year in Sindh began in April, but nearly two months later, many students still lack textbooks for classes one to matric. Most stores do not have complete sets of books for any class.
A private newspaper reported that a visit to Urdu Bazaar showed a shortage of mathematics, English, biology, Urdu, and Islamic studies books. Other books are also in low supply.
In Karachi and other parts of Sindh, parents and students line up at major bookshops hoping to buy course books. However, shopkeepers often say certain books are out of stock and ask them to return later.
A distributor at Urdu Bazaar told private newspaper said that no complete set of textbooks for classes one to matric is available because not enough books are being printed.
The Sindh Textbook Board (STBB) has supplied 2.1 million books so far, while the demand is 4.5 million, according to an education department spokesperson. He said power outages are affecting printing, causing the shortage.
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A parent of a class two student said his son’s school uses both STBB and Oxford University Press books. He faces the same issue every year, as complete sets are unavailable. He described waiting in long lines at Urdu Bazaar in the heat, only to find some books missing.
He also said private publishers change books or chapters to increase sales, making used books less useful for students the next year. He believes this adds to the shortage of new books.
Madiha Ali, whose son Rohaan is in class eight, said they tried to buy course books in the last week of April but could not find them. They eventually bought second-hand books because new ones were unavailable.
Another parent questioned why the provincial government starts the school year at this time if it cannot provide books on time, a problem that happens almost every year.
In a separate development, the Sindh government approved scholarships for 2,723 students pursuing higher education. The decision was made during a meeting of the Sindh Education Endowment Fund Trust (SEEF), led by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah.
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The scholarships, for the 2023–24 academic year, support students from Sindh studying at universities across Pakistan. The meeting took place in Karachi on Tuesday and included College Education Secretary Shahab Qamar Ansari, School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Additional Secretary Judicial & SEEF Iqbal Jamani, SEEF board members, and other officials.
Minister Shah, who chairs the SEEF Board of Trustees, said the fund was created to help talented students from low-income families pursue higher education. He noted that SEEF scholarships allow students to study at over 90 public and private universities in Pakistan.
The board also renewed scholarships for 4,877 existing students, making a total of 7,600 students supported this year. The SEEF’s total capital is Rs9.2 billion, and the profit from this amount covers students’ fees. Over the past two years, an additional Rs2 billion has been added to strengthen the fund.
