The progress and development of any country rely
upon the quality of its education system. The nation that compromises on its
educational standards can never keep pace with the contemporary advancing
world. The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, has categorically warned
the newborn nation about the importance of education, saying “Education is a
matter of life and death to our nation. The world is moving so fast that if we
do not educate ourselves we will not only be left behind but also be no more.”
As education had never been made a priority, thus, Pakistan is falling a long
way behind different nations in all the development indicators. However, the
introduction of the Single National Curriculum in Pakistan to revive the flawed education system is heartening. Moreover, the uniform
education system will also eradicate a number of social evils.
The Structure of the Education System of Pakistan
The education system of Pakistan is divided into
three broad categories; private, public, and madrassah systems. The individuals
from the lower class of the society generally get education from madrassas
owing to poverty, the public sector belongs to the middle class or the lower
middle class, while the upper-middle class and the upper class (also known as
‘the elite class’) opt private sector institutions for the education because of
the quality of education imparted in top private educational institutes of the
country. This division in the education system leads to further division and
disparity in the socio-economic status of people. Thus, Pakistani society is
deeply ridden with class disparities which further result in many social and
economic issues.
Single National Curriculum
(SNC)
Against this backdrop, the present government
has set out to reform the education system of Pakistan in order to put Pakistan
on the right track. Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has rightly underscored that
the poor education system is the root cause of all the socio-economic issues in
Pakistan. In order to reform the education system, the PTI government has
introduced the Single National Curriculum (SNC) to be implemented across the
length and breadth of the country. Once implemented, all the existing tiers of
education in Pakistan will be mainstreamed in the uniform curriculum, and
individuals from all the classes of society would be able to obtain a uniform
education. Madrassahs will be mainstreamed in the new education system. All the
contemporary subjects would be taught in madrassahs and their students will
appear in the board exams. According to the curriculum development team,
some 35,000 seminaries will get registered as schools.
Objectives of the ‘Single
National Curriculum’
According to the Ministry of Federal Education
and Professional Training, the aims and objectives of the ‘Single National Curriculum’ are
to ensure that all children have equal opportunities for high-quality education
and for upward social mobility in Pakistan. This will ensure social cohesion
and national integration. Tolerance for diversity in Pakistan would be achieved
by teaching students respect for different cultures and religions. The culture
of rote memorization would be jettisoned and the focus would be laid on
inculcating critical and creative thinking. Students would be taught the use of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The uniform curriculum will
ensure a level playing field for all. In short, the PTI government has set out
to meet the ambitious targets in order to do away with the class-ridden
Pakistani society that would ultimately end the menace of economic disparities
in the long run.
Challenges in the
Implementation of the Single National Curriculum
The viability of the Single National
Curriculum is a vexed topic. Critics highlight a plethora of challenges in the
way of these educational reforms in Pakistan. It is often argued that the
attempt to mainstream madrassahs is not new. In the 70s, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
moved to formalize madrassahs. The move faced strong opposition. After that,
the Islamisation drive made during the Zia regime highly radicalized madrassas
that led to militancy and sectarianism. During his era, Pervez Musharraf
endeavored to scale those trends back by endeavoring to present model
madrassas. Only three out of a hundred madrassas got enrolled under this
project, where the students were acquainted with contemporary subjects. But
this project too fizzled out. Even under SNC, reforming, and mainstreaming the
education system of madrassah would not be an easy task. It is destined to face
criticism and opposition by religious parties.
In addition, the addition of Islamiat in the new
educational program from grade 1 under with its hefty ideas requiring the
learning of the texts and Nazras will affect the learning capabilities of kids,
as likewise brought up in the ASER report.
Little or No choice for Minorities
Another structural challenge that comes with the
implementation of a uniform curriculum is that the students belonging to the
minorities would also be dealing with Islamiat subject (not by choice, but by
compulsion) at the primary level, on the grounds that a lion’s share of schools
in Pakistan does not provide course choices. Ultimately, it would negate
Pakistan’s commitment to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
The Dearth of Trained Teachers
The government has taken initiative, concerned
departments have structured the policies of SNC, and the new curriculum is
being formalized. After the implementation of the uniform curriculum, the onus
of achieving all the ambitious goals associated with SNC would be on the
shoulders of the teachers. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of trained
teachers, especially at the primary and secondary levels in Pakistan. If the
teachers failed to fulfill their responsibility, all the goals and objectives
would remain unachieved. There is a dire need to train the teachers
first. The vocational training programs should be organized at all levels
before the implementation of the Single National Curriculum across the country.
Budgetary Constraints
The objectives associated with the ‘Single
National Curriculum’ could be achieved only when (i) all the out-of-school
children are brought to schools, (ii) the gender disparity in education is
minimized or brought to end, (iii) all the basic infrastructural requirements
are made available in the schools, (iv) teachers are held accountable for their
negligence or undue absenteeism, (v) books, pencils, uniforms, and transport
facilities are provided to children, and (vi) the article 25-A of the
constitution is implemented in letter and spirit. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s
weak economy does not allow for these steps to be taken. Thus, budgetary
constraints are a serious impediment in the way.
Possible Central-Provincial Disharmony
The ‘Single National Curriculum Framework’ is
formulated after bringing all the stakeholders on one page. It is believed that
the center and all the provinces see eye-to-eye on the subject. After the 18th
amendment to the constitution of Pakistan, the subject of ‘education’ has been
devolved to the provinces. Now, the provincial governments are fully authorized
to reform the education system of their provinces as per their requirements and
needs. Ergo, the possibility of disharmony between the center and the provinces
on the subject of SNC in the future cannot be ruled out.
Way Forward
For the ‘Single National Curriculum’ to become
viable, the government must work on structural shortcomings like making choices
of subjects available at all levels for minorities, training the teachers,
bringing all the out-of-school children to school, etc. In this regard, special
attention must be paid to female education. The societal obstructions placed in
the way to education for girls must be removed. Moreover, more budgets should
be allocated to the educational sector. Also, corrupt practices or white-collar
crimes must be curbed to make SNC viable. The religious parties and religious
scholars of the country must be brought on one page for reforms in madrassahs.
Bottom Line
The introduction of the ‘Single National
Curriculum’ by the government is a welcomed step. For a society like Pakistan,
it will prove to be a panacea for all socio-economic problems. It is heartening
to see that the long-neglected education sector has finally caught the
attention of the authorities. With the reformed education system and the
resulted classless society; Pakistan would soon start making strides towards
betterment, development, and progress.
