Shrinking space: K-P govt shelves plans for textbook reforms

JUI, JI protested against revised, secular syllabus.


Qaiser Butt April 06, 2012

ISLAMABAD:


Hopes for a revision in religious and history textbooks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been quashed after the provincial government retracted on its plan to introduce educational reforms, following scathing criticism from religious parties.


Chairman of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board Dr Fazal Rahim Marwat confirmed that plans for educational reforms have been shelved.

In an effort to overcome religious extremism, the K-P government had planned to reform the syllabus by removing material insinuating hate against non-Muslims in text books.  But the Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam warned the provincial government and urged it to cancel its plan of introducing a new syllabus for secondary schools and colleges.

A withdrawal of the revised book of Islamic Studies for Grade 9 was the first retreating step on part of the provincial government, while the new version of the Islamiyat book for Grade 10 will not be printed.

Similarly, the revised versions for first and second year college books on Islamic Studies will also not be printed.

Millions of rupees spent by the provincial government on the books have been wasted, said Marwat, but avoided to reveal the exact amount paid to publishers.

Religious parties had claimed that the government had removed all verses of the Holy Quran that encourage jihad and alleged that the government had distorted history. Prof Sirajul Haq, a former minister in the MMA-led government in K-P, told The Express Tribune that many verses of Surah Anfal, Surah Ahzab and Surah Taubah have been deleted from the syllabus as those verses encouraged jihad.

“By bringing changes in the syllabus the government distorted the history of Pakistan’s independence,” said Haq, a JI leader.

“The ANP and PPP-led government in K-P was trying to teach students that both Muslims and Hindus gained independence through their joint struggle in the sub-continent,” he said, while referring to the contents of the new books on Pakistan’s history.

Dr Marwat said the manuscript of the Islamic Studies and history books were prepared by the federal government in 2006 when MMA was ruling the K-P.

Sirajul Haq, while refuting Marwat’s claim, said that the MMA government had rejected the syllabus proposed by the federal government in 2006 because it was secular.

The former minister claimed that the 2006 educational syllabus was designed on the directives of the US as financial aid from Washington to Islamabad was linked to educational reforms.

Dr Marwat said that the manuscript of the disputed book for Grade 9 was written by famous Islamic scholars, such as Dr Dost Muhammad, Prof Abdul Saboor, Prof Habibul Haq, Dr Muhammad Rashid Farooqi and Prof Abdul Wahid.

Until the 18th amendment was passed, the syllabus was the domain of the federal government. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.

COMMENTS (4)

Mohammed Abbasi | 11 years ago | Reply

Yup close all borders, cut of the internet and get pakistanis to worship the mullahs instead

Hasan | 11 years ago | Reply

Does it matter whether it's secular or religious ? Shouldn't it be about what's factually correct when it comes to history ?

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