Punjab Textbook Board says it can’t restrict entire religious content to Islamiat

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) has said that it can only implement the SC’s one-man commission’s direction -- calling for the exclusion of all religious content from different subjects and restricting it to Islamiat -- with the approval of the provincial cabinet, Muttahida Ulema Board (MUB) and National Curriculum Council (NCC).

In its letter written to the concerned authorities on April 20, 2021, the MD PCTB said that the ‘decision’ of the one-man commission, as conveyed to it by the HR and Minorities Department, was placed before the PCTB’s board in its 81st meeting on April 19.

The board, according to the letter, unanimously decided that in order to implement the one-man commission’s decision, the PCTB is bound to take approval from the provincial cabinet, MUB and NCC.

The PCTB underlined that following the 18th constitutional amendment, the subject of education has been devolved to the provinces. Consequently, the government of Punjab enacted The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Act, 2015 under which the board cannot publish any textbook/Supplementary Reading Material (SRM) or curriculum with content or matter related to Islam --including Islamiyat, History, Pakistan Studies, Urdu, Literature or any other subject --without the approval of the Muttahida Ulema Board, Punjab.

It added since the content to be removed from books as per the decision of the one-man commission comprises religious content and clearance of those books was given by the PCTB, hence the consent/advice of the MUB is also a legal requirement.

The PCTB also maintained that since the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Islamabad, is preparing Single National Curriculum (SNC), it is more appropriate to request the federal government to contemplate on the one-man commission’s decision.

The MD PCTB in his letter added that the Punjab provincial cabinet, in its 39th meeting dated December 17, 2020, accorded its concurrence and adoption of the Single National Curriculum for grade pre I-V and 30 model textbooks in all streams of education in Punjab.

After the approval of the provincial cabinet, the PCTB presented its 76th board meeting dated December 31, 2020. The board also accorded the approval of the SNC and 30 model textbooks for grades pre- I-V. As a result, the PCTB notified the implementation of the SNC and 30 model textbooks from the next academic session 2021-22 on January 1, 2021.

The letter recalled that the one-man commission on November 19, 2020 took the following decision: “Religious content must be excluded from the books of other subjects and must be restricted to the books specifically intended for religious knowledge (Islamiyat/Ethics).” This decision, it is said, was to be implemented by the Higher Education Department, School Education Department and consequently by the PCTB.

The PCTB has also sent a reference on the one-man commission’s controversial decision to MUB. The board, according to the sources, is also approaching the HR and minorities department to convey its viewpoint on the implementation of the commission’s decision.