Standardisation of education: Government set to launch curriculum secretariat in February

Inter-provincial committee to give final approval

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Education and Professional Training is all set to establish a national curriculum council secretariat to develop the “minimum standards” and structure of school curricula for centre and all the federating units.

The council secretariat will start functioning after a go-ahead from the inter-provincial education ministers committee (IPEMC), which meets in Islamabad on February 10-11.

The government has already approved a budget of Rs100 million for the council.

A delegation headed by Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Balighur Rehman also briefed President Mamnoon Hussain about the initiative on Thursday. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who is looking after a schools development and upgradation programme in the capital, also attended the meeting.

Provinces, particularly Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been skeptical of the proposal maintain that the education was a provincial subject. The minister, it seems, has been successful in allaying their concerns and bringing all stakeholders on the board.

Rehman said Sindh government had a few reservations but in essence agreed to the proposal.

He said the secretariat will coordinate with federating units on development of minimum standards and will conduct seminars and workshops on curriculum development. It will also provide professional and technical expertise to provinces and other units in curriculum development.

Rehman said that education was a provincial subject under the 18 Constitutional Amendment. He, however, said that this forum was important to have minimum and basic standards of education.

“We will cooperate and move forward along with the federating units and help them implement the curriculum standards,” he said.

Senate Chairperson Mian Raza Rabbani criticised federal government last week for not fully devolving the health and education sectors to provinces as per the 2010 constitutional amendment.

Rehman said ideology of Pakistan, religion, religious tolerance, culture and traditions will be part of curricula in addition to problem solving, creativity, innovations and character building.

According to the documents shared with the president, four working groups have deliberated on social sciences, natural sciences, languages and policy and planning.

“We are not getting control of anything in education but coordinating with provinces to provide a level-playing field to every student in the country,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2016.