As Budget 2025–26 unfolds, an intriguing mystery demands our attention: why do textbook costs vary so wildly across provinces, and what hidden factors are driving these puzzling numbers? Beneath the surface of official figures lies a story of contradictions, unexplained surges, and questions that taxpayers deserve answered.

Education budgets in Pakistan often make headlines—usually for being too small or poorly spent. But the newly released figures for free textbook allocations in the 2024–25 fiscal year raise a more precise and troubling question: why does it cost nearly ten times more to provide textbooks in KP and Sindh than in Punjab?

The numbers speak volumes. Punjab, with an estimated 12 million students enrolled in public schools, has allocated Rs 1.9 billion for free textbooks. That comes to just Rs 158 per student. By contrast, KP and Sindh, with approximately 5.9 million and 5.5 million students, have allocated Rs 8.545 billion and Rs 7.5 billion, respectively. This translates into Rs 1,449 per student in KP and Rs 1,364 in Sindh.

This disparity is baffling. Public school textbooks across provinces are printed using the same curriculum, paper quality, and production standards. A full set of textbooks from Grade 1 to Grade 10 typically costs between Rs 300 to Rs 600 at bulk rates. So what explains the inflated costs in KP and Sindh?

The likely answer lies in how the provinces structure their budgets—and what gets bundled into the term “free textbooks.” Punjab benefits from a centralised and strictly monitored........

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