Determining quality educational content has no straightforward solution – particularly in an era of rapid AI advancement, where benchmarks shift almost daily.

Proposal aims to reclaim publisher role and cut Rs60m ($215,000) annual royalty payments

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board (KPTBB) has petitioned the provincial government to amend the 2017 Textbook & Learning Material Policy, seeking authorisation to develop and publish schoolbooks directly rather than outsourcing to private publishers.

Historical Context: From Publisher to Commissioner

Established under the 1971 KPTBB Ordinance, the board originally held a dual mandate to both produce and publish textbooks for nursery through Grade 12.

This changed after Pakistan’s 18th Constitutional Amendment (2010), which abolished the Concurrent List and devolved education to provincial jurisdiction.

Following this constitutional shift, the 2006 National Textbook & Learning Material Policy was replaced by the KPTLM Policy 2017, which restricts the KPTBB to commissioning content from private publishers against royalty payments.

Financial and Operational Rationale

Board officials claim the proposed amendment – adding Clause 3.2-B to the existing policy – would save approximately Rs60 million annually in royalty payments. A single textbook can generate royalties for private publishers for 50–60 years, with critics noting that publishers allegedly inflate manuscript lengths to maximise returns.

Additional concerns include:

Quality control: No evidence suggests privately developed textbooks outperform board-produced materials

Supply chain delays: Limited oversight of review schedules causes distribution bottlenecks

Pedagogical burden: “Bulky books” waste teacher and student time, officials argue

Industry Opposition and Bureaucratic Gridlock

Private publishers have reportedly lobbied authorities to block the proposal. The education department’s summary to the chief minister has – don’t laugh – remained in administrative circulation for three months without reaching cabinet consideration.

If approved, the board intends to engage “prominent educationists” directly, potentially improving content quality while reducing public expenditure.

The View From The Beach

What contribution “prominent educationists” might offer remains unclear.

Determining quality educational content has no straightforward solution – particularly in an era of rapid AI advancement, where benchmarks shift almost daily.

Transferring responsibilities from private publishers to a state enterprise offers no inherent safeguard. The opportunity demands instead a comprehensive review of what educational content Pakistan requires in the late 2020s, and how best to deliver it to children and teachers in the most effective, affordable format.

Yet this raises further complications. Any substantive reform would necessitate widespread teacher retraining – adding considerably to implementation costs.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.