MUZAFFARABAD: Rejecting reports that school textbooks had been changed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the region’sTextbook Board on Mar 6 clarified that while it had maintained the prices of textbooks for the primary classes, the prices of textbooks for middle classes had been considerably reduced compared to last year.
In a press release, the board reiterated that it served as the regulatory body responsible for textbooks and supplementary learning material for classes one to twelve in AJK.
The board prepares textbooks in accordance with the government-approved National Curriculum 2022–23, under which textbooks for classes one to twelve have already been developed, it said.
The board further stated that under the amended AJK Textbook Board Act, determining the prices of textbooks and supplementary material also fell within its official mandate.
Exercising the powers conferred by the law, the board fixed textbook prices while making every effort to ensure that students in the region were provided quality textbooks at the lowest possible cost.
According to the press release, the board had last year reduced textbook prices by up to 50 per cent by lowering its own share of revenue, providing relief worth millions of rupees to students across the region.
Continuing the same policy this year, the board said the prices of primary-level textbooks had been kept unchanged, while the prices of middle-level textbooks had been significantly reduced compared to last year to lessen the financial burden on students.
The board said that an official order issued by its office had fixed textbook prices for 2026. However, it noted that on social media the decision had been misrepresented as a change of textbooks, which it described as contrary to facts.
It clarified that textbooks from nursery to class nine and for classes eleven and twelve, prepared under the National Curriculum 2022–23, had already been introduced and were being used for teaching purposes. This year, textbooks for class ten prepared under the same curriculum would come into force, while books for all other classes would remain unchanged. The board urged all stakeholders not to pay heed to unverified reports and advised them to contact the AJK Textbook Board directly for any information regarding textbooks.
Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026.
