Why a Single national Curriculum is necessary for Pakistan? Since Pakistan’s inception queries of national identity is always mounted up. To address the government of Pakistan came up with a system of educational assimilation under the umbrella of SDG-4 proponents. This scheme a.k.a. Single National Curriculum (SNC) is being put into the air to adhere to uniformity in our educational system.
Enacting Single National Curriculum in three tiers.
Single National Curriculum is implemented in three phases. The initial phase was hurled in March 2021 and it subsumes primary school students _ Grade I to V. The other phases will be executed in 2023 embracing 6-12 class.
Many clerics questioned its existence that why Pakistan is in dire need of a Single National Curriculum. Let’s dive in for further breakout!
The philosophy behind SNC is to vanish out the disparities of private, public, and madrassah’s curriculum. And recast the National Curriculum of Pakistan for all students regardless of their economic and social background. This theorizes that Imran Khan wants to inculcate a common medium of instruction, curriculum, and assessment so that every other student shares an equity and fair amount of opportunity while schooling.
Enables upward social mobility for a low-income family
PTI’s broad-based educational reform tackles the class-based society and the ongoing fiscal discrepancies. This ensures a level-playing field for all the students and eventually defined the national character by establishing a framework for social cohesion and national integration. This targets a holistic advancement of students in the arena of international trends and local aspiration. Moreover, it causes a horizontal inter-provincial mobility of not just teachers but pupils as well.
SNC enkindles the syllabus for Pakistani students.
Moreover, this SNC altered the entirety of the Syllabus for Pakistani Students. How? Well, it kind of balanced what is taught in our private or public schools and madrassahs. As if in one place, students ingrained basic learning like English, sciences, or maths, then, on the other hand, most of them only studied religion. These extremes must be addressed properly.
Further for national cohesion, our children must learn the struggles of our leaders. For this matter, the inclusion of Quaid’s and Iqbal’s vision with the constitutional framework is required in the syllabus for Pakistani students.
This didn’t just end here, as skill development is the focal point of a Single national Curriculum so students in the future could become independent and move to an upward trajectory. Due to this Government made amendments in the learning style targeting public and madrassahs students. Hence, diverging from rote memorization and focused on Projects, Inquiries, or Activity-Based Learning. The burgeoning of 21st-century skills including Analytical, Critical, and Creative in students parallel with the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
Single National Curriculum and inclusion of Minorities
Single National Curriculum yoked minority groups students instead of ruling out. It didn’t scale out non-muslim students from its matrix and designate ethics or religious education as a discipline for our five minority groups. It is learned that this curriculum syllabus is inclusive for all students.
Bottom line
Thus, Single National Curriculum is vital for the Pakistani educational system as it transcends the lower strata of our population to acquire those standards of education which are mostly available for the elites. Now, the government must make sure that this program is rooted deeply in the educational system and the curricula.
Zunaira Ali is the Freelance writer. She is graduated from the School of Politics and IR Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. She frequently contributed to Pakistan’s leading newspaper. She is working at STUDENTINN SOLUTIONS as Intern Content Writer.
