The Process of Textbook Approval: A Critical Analysis

Up to the recent past, Textbook Boards were the only institutions in Pakistan that had the mandate to develop textbooks for both government and private schools affiliated with public examination bodies of the country. These boards have been working under their respective provincial governments. This situation developed a culture of using a single-textbook in schools across the country. However, availing the provision given in the recent National Educational Polices of Pakistan, various private publishers have also been developing textbooks for both private and government schools. As per policy, before launching any textbook in the government schools, it is presented to the Ministry of Education for review and approval. Under this policy decision, the Curriculum Wing, Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan has approved various textbook series by private sector for classes 1 to 5 along with that of the Textbook Boards’ during 2001-2004. This study analyzes these approved textbooks and their approval procedure by using CIPP Model. Data were collected through (a) interviews of the officials of the Textbook Boards, textbook developers and the Ministry of Education (b) analysis of the approved textbooks and (c) document analysis. The study discovered that there is a need to improve the existing procedure of the ministry for acquiring textbook approval.