Yet another mission of Prime Minister Imran Khan accomplished as the premier launched the Single National Curriculum (SNC) on Monday to transform the nation into a unified entity.
The prime minister formally launched the online portal with the uniform syllabus, which has been developed by the National Curriculum Council, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in consultation and collaboration with education departments of all federating units of the country.
Addressing the launch of the SNC, the prime minister said the launch of SNC was the fulfillment of his 25-year-old dream to end educational disparity among different sections of society.
He regretted that the difference of Urdu and English-medium schooling resulted in creating a wide gulf among different social classes with the ills of intellectual inferiority or superiority complexes. English, he said, did not remain limited to a language to learn knowledge, but became a status symbol.
“Breaking the shackles of minds is more difficult and we are determined to bring the nation out of such complexes,” he said, stressing that no nation could rise until it relied on its original values and morals.
He expressed satisfaction that in the new curriculum, special emphasis had been laid on the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) as an inspiration of ethics and morality. He mentioned that the minorities would also be taught about their religions.
Single National Curriculum had been a big issue for Pakistan as the country was divided on the base of the education.
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said for the first time in the country’s history, the national curriculum had been launched in Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said consultations would be made with the Sindh government as well for its implementation.He said several developed countries including the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Japan followed their own national curriculum, adding that a uniform framework would help the Pakistani students a level-playing field in academics.
Director National Curriculum Council Dr Mariam Chughtai said the new syllabus would act as a ‘living document’ with always room for improvement and would be made accessible for all students across the country through technology.
The SN will focus on Pakistan’s constitutional framework, national policies with their aspirations and standards, alignment with Sustainable Development Goals, the Quaid and Iqbal’s vision, a focus on values, respect for diversity in cultures and religions, and the development of 21st-century skills including analytical, critical, and creative thinking.