KARACHI:
The Sindh Education and Literacy Department has initiated measures to introduce religious textbooks for Hindu students enrolled in government schools from third to fifth grade, it emerged on Thursday.
According to a notification issued on April 29, the Sindh Textbook Board (STBB) had no financial budget available for the publication of religious thematic books for the current academic year.
Therefore, permission has been granted to a social welfare organisation, “Prem Sagar Sanstha”, Karachi, to publish thematic religious books for Hindu students studying in public schools of Sindh for the academic year 2026-27, according to the notification.
The notification further added that the books would be taught from third to fifth grade to Hindu students, while the distribution of the books would be carried out through STBB.
Furthermore, the STBB was requested to allocate and adjust the budget for the publication of religious books for the next academic year.
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Following the directives of Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the process was formally initiated to ensure that Hindu students in government schools were provided with religious education materials.
The textbooks would be given to Hindu students enrolled in public schools across the province.
Currently, 129,119 Hindu students and pupils are enrolled in government schools across Sindh.
The highest number of students was recorded in Tharparkar district where 26,642 students were studying, followed by Umerkot with 21,584 students in government schools.
