MUZAFFARABAD:The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Textbook Board has taken the lead among the six textbook boards in the country by preparing textbooks in accordance with the National Curriculum 2022-23 at 50 percent reduced prices, providing financial relief of approximately Rs750 million to parents in the first edition alone, a cabinet member said on Friday.

`There are six textbook boards in Pakistan that regulate elementary and secondary-level textbooks. For the first time in the country`s history, such a significant reduction in book prices has been introduced,` said AJK`s Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education, Deevan Ali Chughtai at a press conference.

Flanked by Elementary and Secondary Education Secretary Inayat Ali Qazi and AJK Textbook Board Chairman Syed Tufail Hussain Bukhari, Mr Chughtai said that schoolbooks were not only physically heavy but also financially burdensome.

In light of this, the AJK cabinet decided in its meeting on January 4, 2022, to revise the textbooks by eliminating unnecessary topics and details to make the learning process more effective, he recalled.

Mr Chughtai said that the new textbooks, aligned with the National Curriculum 2022-23, were developed within a record period of six months by university professors, higher education department experts, and subject specialists from the elementary and secondary education department.

He added that the government had advertised the development of primary-level textbooks on June 28 last year through mainstream media. Subsequently, the Directorate of Curriculum Research and Development (DCRD) issued no-objection certificates (NOCs) for 276 drafts, which were published under the supervision of the Textbook Board by different publishers.

Panels comprising professors and subject specialists later selected the 35 best textbooks from the 276 drafts.

These books were officially implemented for students on January 23, 2025, after approval from the AJK Textbook Board`s board of directors. A notification regarding the revised prices was issued on February 11.

Sharing details of the old and new prices, the minister said the price reduction was achieved by reducing book sizes and curtailing the royalty and publishers` share.