Sindh to introduce religious textbooks for Hindu students in schools

The Sindh Education and Literacy Department has decided to introduce dedicated religious textbooks for Hindu students enrolled in government schools across the province.

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

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

In the letter, Chief Executive Advisor Dr Fauzia Khan stated that the publication costs for the books will be covered by a social welfare organisation, Prem Sagar Sanstha Karachi, for the upcoming academic session.

She added that the distribution process will be managed by the Sindh Textbook Board.

Dr Khan also urged the board to allocate or adjust funds in its budget to ensure the continued publication of these textbooks in the following academic year.

The initiative comes in the wake of a similar step taken in 2023 by the National Curriculum Council Pakistan, which issued no-objection certificates for religious textbooks tailored to minority students — including Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Baha’i, Zoroastrian, Kalasha, and Buddhist communities — in federally administered institutions.