Sindh govt plans new religious textbooks for Hindu students in primary classes

KARACHI: The Sindh Education and Literacy Department has planned to introduce religious textbooks for Hindu students studying in government schools across the province.

According to an official letter dated April 29, sent to the chairman of the Sindh Textbook Board (STBB), the department has requested the distribution of three religious books for students of grades III to V for the academic year 2026–27.

The decision follows recommendations made during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Sindh Curriculum Council held on April 20.

Chief Executive Advisor Dr Fauzia Khan said in the letter that the cost of publishing the books will be covered by a social welfare organisation, Prem Sagar Sanstha Karachi, for the current academic year.

She added that the distribution of the books will be handled through the Sindh Textbook Board.

Dr Khan also requested the board to allocate or adjust the budget for the publication of these religious textbooks for the next academic year.

The move comes after a similar initiative by the federal government in 2023, when the National Curriculum Council (NCC) issued no-objection certificates for religious textbooks for minority students, including Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Baha’i, Zoroastrian, Kalasha and Buddhist communities in federally supervised institutions.

Meanwhile, a study by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has raised concerns over textbook content, suggesting that exclusionary narratives may contribute to growing social intolerance against religious minorities, while noting that religiously inclusive content remains limited across Pakistan’s textbook boards.