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OPINION JUNE 11, 2021 | The Indian Eye 18

imran Khan’s single national

curriculum: an Overdose of religion?

This policy change is more ideological than educational as it has an overdose of

religion that leads to fear of indoctrination of children at a young stage

ZainaB aKhTer

fter assuming power
in August 2018, Prime
AMinister Imran Khan
and his party Pakistan Teh-
reek-e-Insaf (PTI) promised to
usher in a ‘Naya Pakistan’, one
which would be corruption-free
and care for the common
people. Most importantly, he
promised to transform Pakistan
into Riyasat-e-Medina (State
of Medina), based on the mod-
el of governance adopted by
Prophet Muhammad during his
years of migration to Medina.

additionally, his govern-

ment also talked about

implementing a single na-

tional curriculum (snc) all children have a fair and with deeniyat (religious books al ambiance and the safety of
equal opportunity to receive on Islam).
students is an open question.”
to recast the education high quality education”. The PTI Government is of It has also been observed that
system in Pakistan and According to the Pakistan the view that since every edu- “The backdoor entry of semi-

make sure that private, Education Ministry, multiple cational institution runs its own nary teachers into mainstream
comparative studies with the curriculum, implementation of educational institutions may be
public schools and ma- educational curricula of Singa- a single curriculum is the only the dream of some people but
drasas follow a uniform pore, Malaysia, Indonesia and way to enforce it in private it will be a nightmare for the
the United Kingdom (UK) were schools. Madrasas may also country. It is something that
curriculum. Known in conducted to align the SNC be forced to adopt it. Analysts even Zia did not do. It is poison.”

Urdu as Yuksaan Taleemi with international standards. in Pakistan are of the view that For the critics of SNC, this
According to the Pakistan religious seminaries should be policy change is more ideo-
nizam, it means the same Education Ministry, the SNC brought under this umbrella logical than educational. They

education system for all is driven by some key consid- only after taking their stake- would argue that it has an over-
erations but the teachings of holders into confidence (read dose of religion that leads to
students irrespective of Qur’an and Sunnah tops them the religious groups/leaders). fear of indoctrination of chil-
their economic and social all, others being introduction If a uniform curriculum is dren at a young stage.
As pointed out by Nadeem
to the Constitution of Pakistan, imposed on madrasas forcefully,
background. and the vision of Muhammad it may do more harm than good. Paracha, Pervez Musharraf

Ali Jinnah and Muhammad According to Pervez Hoodbhoy, tried to introduce non-religious
The SNC was conceived Iqbal. The SNC will be adopted “Normal schoolteachers being subjects in madrasas after 9/11
as ‘One System of Education and developed in three phases. under-equipped religiously, as “they were seen as hotbeds
for All’, which intended to in- In the first phase, which SNC calls for summoning an of religious radicalisation.”
troduce a uniform system “in started from March 2021, the army of madressah-educated However, he added, “Not only
terms of curriculum, medium government is making it man- holy men – hafiz’s and qaris – did the move fail, this ploy also
of instruction and a common datory for students from class as paid teachers inside schools. failed to take into account the
platform of assessment so that one to five to be acquainted How this will affect the gener-

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