Single National Curriculum

Letter September 09, 2021
Single National Curriculum

KARACHI:

The education system of Pakistan has been in the doldrums for decades. An outdated and heterogeneous curriculum was one of the blemishes which were responsible for creating class divide and social inequality. The present government of Pakistan aims to implement the Single National Curriculum (SNC) across the country. The ambition is magnanimous and there may be hurdles, which unless resolved cannot fulfil the dream of having a standardised curriculum.

The division of the education system is a key obstacle in the practicality of a uniform curriculum. The Single National Curriculum may bring uniformity but it cannot guarantee equality when it comes to socio-economic conditions. Even if the SNC addresses this anomaly, adapting to it will remain a challenge unless there are backup policies and training programs. For example, textbooks are not suitable for a modern-style education system. Contemporary topics such as STEM education require interaction with high-end technology. Government schools cannot carry out the practice with the meagre budget they are provided with. Furthermore, a shift from teacher-based curriculum to the student-centred curriculum requires an investment in educators in terms of teacher training programs.

Ensuring the provisions of education without gender discrimination, addressing the problem of ghost teachers and schools, increasing the number of student enrolment at the primary and secondary levels, providing distance and adult education programs should also be a priority concern of the government. Moreover, ascertaining optimum use of the budget for educational development without any spot of corruption and mismanagement, coupled with teacher training programs should be the main agenda of policymaking of the government. The education system is in dire need of an overhaul. Working on the SNC alone will not bear the desired results.

Sidra Shahid

Karachi

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2021.

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