TURBAT:
The Single National Curriculum has received criticism from many educationists. According to Rubina Saigol, religion and nationalism are being used to ideologically unite the nation by violating Article 22 of the Constitution and shadowing ethnic and cultural differences. Furthermore, it is a recipe for promoting a narrative of nationalism that rejects plurality of ideas and diversities of cultures. The government and the state do not want the coming generations to question their policies by linking everything with religion and patriotism.
According to Pervez Hoodbhoy, the SNC massively prioritises ideology over education quality and acquisition of basic skills. Moreover, in the current design of SNC, the federal government has transgressed upon the constitutional domain of the provinces. Imposing a centralised curriculum on provinces would generate more hatred and more acrimony. Pakistan does not need a single curriculum to be a united nation as we have countless examples of countries such as the US having diverse curricula and yet a strong sense of common nationhood. Instead, we need a system of uniform education where equal facilities should be given to every citizen. We must appreciate the differences within the country and must not use religion as a tool to entrench patriotism. We must ensure the rights of our minorities, which are already suffering a lot, while implementing the SNC.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2021.
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