National single curriculum a milestone in educational reform process: minister

Islamabad: Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood Tuesday said that standard of New National Single Curriculum would hopefully surpass current syllabus of premier English medium schools of the country.

He was addressing four-day National Conference on Single National Curriculum (Grade I-V) with slogan ‘One Nation, One Curriculum,’ which was organised by National Curriculum Council (NCC), Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.

Shafqat Mahmood said that it was a historic day as the government had been able to introduce uniform education system across the country..

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had been pointing out that current multi-layered curriculum was the main reason for the division and gulf among different strata of the society and had assigned him the task to work out new National Single Curriculum after assuming the office.

He said that parallel education system in the country had dampened passion and abilities of the nation by graduating the students with different thinking patterns and capabilities.

“It was the failure of state for the last 70 years, since it cannot focus on education with a national single curriculum,” he added. Shafqat lauded the Madaris role for imparting education to children of poor and deprived sections of the society.

Under the current education system, he said the education standard for rich and poor was markedly different and distinct, he said adding that English medium schools gave an edge to their students to grab key posts.

Shafqat said, “We had to face huge challenges when the prime minister tasked to bring uniform education system; especially after the 18th Amendment it was not possible to bring all stakeholders on one platform.

But I was pleased to see the full support and cooperation of the stake holders including Madaris and private schools”. “Yet, there were other challenges, especially the language of new single curriculum, and review of current examination system,” he added. He called upon participants and experts to take up the challenge unanimously and passionately.

“You have to think that how new generations would be made a true Muslim, and a good Pakistani through new syllabus. The new curricula should also teach ethics to the minorities according to their religions,” he added. Shafqat said that New Single National Curriculum would be implemented by April 2021 with the efforts of experts.

The ownership of the new curriculum would be given to all stakeholders, he added. Earlier, Joint Education Adviser in the Ministry of Federal Education Rafiq Tahir gave detailed presentation on the goals, key features of four-day conference. He said that during the conference, the stakeholders would deliberate on various areas of the new curriculum and then the recommendations would be presented to the minister.

He said that new curricula would be prepared in three phases as under Phase-I the curriculum from class 1 to 6 would be prepared till March 2020, which would be implemented by next year.