Despite the commonly held belief that the Single National Curriculum (SNC) will bring all strata of Pakistan on a level playing field, it is worth pondering that a coin always contains two sides. Apart from its numerous merits,this step taken by the PTI-led government exposes the fissures and frailty present in the curriculum.
There is no doubt in the fact that the SNC can prove to be counter-productive due to the reason that rather than binding the diverse society together, it will create woes for cultural diversity of provinces. It is laid down that there would be one single language and well-integrated curriculum like one size-fits-all solution to different outlooks existing in Pakistan’s disorderly class education system. On the other hand, with the incorporation of such unifiying forces, it must be kept in view that it would engender cramming learning patterns, critical thinking is likely to be a casualty of a such stragnant approach, creativity and cognitive development would certainly lose ground.
In addition to these,Pakistan’s diversity in culture cannot help it gain wide acceptance, since each province is possessed of its respective language. In fact, it is local languages that must be the foresmost medium of instruction and overall learning process, as far as established learning standards are concerned. It will be difficult enough for children to study subjects in a language which is alien to them, considering their initial learning stages.
In modern times, when the entire world is moving at a rapid pace with the aid of IT, information and above all, scientic achievements, developing countries like Pakistan need to take full advantage of pure science subjects and minds should also be equipped with modern practical knowledge of science. By contrast, the Single National Curriculum is designed in such a way that it carries the seeds of religious dogmas,thus mixing two different entities together. One of the core articles of faith says that “man is required to live this temporal and trial-based life for the Hereafter. This life is useless, holds no value and is full of trials and tests.” That is to say, one is supposed to devote one’s life for the cause of Allah.
The 18th Amendment provision states that education is the subject matter of provinces and falls under their jurisdiction. In the presence of such constitutional provisions, the step goes against the very spirt of the Constitution. Imposition of this move is similar to the One Unit that was introduced by the Ayub regime regarding the language concerns.
For these reasons, the PTI goverment is requested to overhaul the education policy and it needs to develop such a holistic approach in which all of provinces must be on one page. It should make a clear distinction between material and hereafter life, since both of them have their own requirements and needs. I hope this write-up will serve as a warning to the PTI led government that this imminet SNC might endanger the very existence of culture, historical status of each state and significance of local languages in Pakistan’s multi-linguagal, multi-cultural and thickly ethnic society.
ABDUL QADEER SEELRO
Larkana
