Prime Minister Imran Khan recently launched the first phase of the Single National Curriculum. According to the prime minister, it was his vision to bring a uniform syllabus and end the class-based education system in the country. The motive of a Single National Curriculum is ‘one system of Education for all’.The SNC scheme aims at bringing about a revolution in education in the country. It main goals are elimination of the duality in the education system and promoting moral values in line with the teaching of Islam, taking due care of the followers of other religions, and to link it up with the demands of modern times by focusing on the teaching of science and technology subjects and on vocational and technical training. Since the SNC will encourage inculcation of morals, based on religious teachings, it will foster tolerance and help achieve national cohesion.
During the launch event, it was encouraging to learn that minorities will also be provided with opportunities to learn about their respective religions. This is in line with the SNC’s vision of promoting an inclusive and tolerant culture in the country. However, questions have been raised over whether pluralism is being implemented in its true spirit, as there have been concerns regarding Islamic content being included in non-religious subjects such as Math and Urdu.Some of the above concerns are understandable and is it important for the government to engage with the concerned stakeholders. New initiatives always face some resistance, and it is best to work out such issues in a collaborative manner at the earliest possible stage to prevent a rollback.
There is however, no doubt that the intent of the government here is sincere and that the disparity in the education system is a structural issue that needs to be addressed. It is a reality that currently a small group of students are at a significant advantage compared to the masses when it comes to opportunities for excelling in life. At the same time, while the vision is sound, certain experts have pointed out that the content in the curriculum falls short in some regards when it comes to achieving the desired end goal of raising education standards across the board. The objective here should be to increase the competitiveness of students that are behind, not to bring others back to their level.
The PM is upbeat about the scheme’s success, saying “the process that has been started is irreversible.” We have long been imparting an education largely based on Macaulay’s model, to produce only an army of pen pushers and clerks, and the need for dumping this has long been felt. The introduction of English in all schools will need the appointment of thousands of teachers thus opening up vast job opportunities. As for detractors, the government should take only constructive criticism.
Shafaqna Pakistan
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