PESHAWAR: The privately-owned printing companies commissioned by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board have stopped producing school textbooks over the provincial government’s reluctance to release funds triggering fears about a delay in the provision of books to students at the start of the upcoming academic year.

Sources told Dawn that the provincial government hadn’t provided the board with a single penny from the projected costs of Rs10 billion for printing 60 million textbooks in the academic year 2023-24, which begins on April 1.

They claimed that the KPTB issued reminders to the finance department every week for the immediate release of funds to ensure that the books are printed and distributed on time to prevent the students’ learning loss.

“It is once again requested that balance amount of Rs9 billion as committed by your office vide letter No BOV/FD/2-47/2022-23 KPTBH dated 15-11-2022 may kindly be released the earliest as some of the printers have completed 100 per cent supply of the textbooks for the academic year 2023-24 and demanding of payment according to the contract agreement executed by this office with printers concerned,” read a letter written by the textbook board to the finance secretary on Jan 10.

Minister claims production of books under way, Rs1bn released lately, Rs4bn to follow by 20th

The government provides textbooks to the students of its schools free of charge.

A printing company’s owner told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the new academic year began in April, so the textbook board, in order to ensure the distribution on time, began supplying books to the district education offices on March 1.

When contacted, elementary and secondary education minister Shehram Khan Tarakai claimed that there was no funding issue for payments to printing firms.

“According to my information, the printing of textbooks are in progress,” he told Dawn.

The minister said the finance department had released Rs1 billion a couple of days ago and would release Rs4 billion more by Jan 20.

He said the finance department had also promised the textbook board to release the required funds on time.

“I will take up this issue with the chief minister for speedy disbursement,” he said.

Sources in the textbook board claimed that the textbook board used to pay printing companies from its own resources whenever the funding was delayed by the finance department, while that money was reimbursed by the government afterwards.

They, however, said that was no more the case as the board had already exhausted its savings for payments to printing firms and was left with money only to pay salary to employees until June.

The sources said printing firms had so far delivered 11 per cent textbooks to the board and submitted bills to it in Dec, but payments were delayed as the board was short of money.

“As the province’s financial conditions are bad, we cannot take risks and have linked more printing with the payments for the books already printed and supplied,” the owner of a printing firm said.

He said usually, printing firms delivered part of the order and went for the rest after first payment, but for the next academic year, the government hadn’t released funds.

“I printed some books and stopped production 20 days ago,” he said.

The company’s owner said under the agreement between the textbook board and printing companies, the latter was to print 50 per cent of the books by Jan 22, but half of the target might not be achieved due to a halt to production.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2023