Balochistan Launches ‘Book Vehicle’ Project to Expand Learning Access for Children

The Balochistan government has taken a historic step to promote education and ensure direct access to learning for children across the province under the education-friendly vision of Chief Minister **Mir Sarfraz Bugti** and Provincial Education Minister **Raheela Hameed Durrani**. For the first time in the province, the **Book Vehicle Project** has been launched.

The project was formally inaugurated by Education Minister Raheela Hameed Durrani at Government Girls Lady Sandeman High School in collaboration with **UNICEF** and the **Global Partnership for Education**.

In the initial phase, **book vehicles are being deployed across 13 districts**. Each vehicle carries more than **1,000 storybooks and informational titles** provided by Pakistan’s top 10 publishers. These mobile units include storybooks, curricular and extracurricular reading materials, activity resources, learning tools, and reading programs to provide children with a complete learning package in one place.

A team of trained youth will accompany the book vehicles, visiting villages and neighborhoods to encourage reading habits, teach book-handling skills, and conduct reading sessions. These vehicles will operate **throughout the year**, including during seasonal vacations, to ensure that children in remote areas are not deprived of learning opportunities.

Described as a combination of a **mobile library and mini-classroom**, the book vehicle is designed especially for children in mountainous, desert, and underprivileged regions who lack access to schools or library facilities. Trained primary teachers will drive these vehicles and also engage children through teaching, guidance, and learning activities on-site.

Additionally, the Balochistan government has established **90 new libraries** across primary, middle, and high schools in 15 districts—45 in girls’ schools and 45 in boys’ schools. These libraries aim to improve learning environments and increase access to books for as many children as possible.

The provincial government believes that the Book Vehicle Project will not only foster a reading culture among children but also help raise education standards, reduce inequality in access to learning, and significantly decrease the number of out-of-school children.