Quran teaching soon to be compulsory until class X: minister

Says Senate and NA have already adopted resolutions backing the move

MANSEHRA: The government is shortly going to make teaching of the Holy Quran compulsory from pre-school to class 10 in all public and private educational institutions, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yusuf said on Monday.

The minister announced the plan at a private school event on Friday. Mansehra District Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam and Principal Cadet College Batrasi Brig (retd) Hafeez were also in attendance.



The minister said that the Senate and the National Assembly have already adopted resolutions recommending that students from pre-school to 10th grade levels should be taught the Holy Quran, both recitation and translation.

Following final recommendation and approval from the National Assembly’s standing committee on religious affairs, all provincial governments including G-B and AJK have been asked to ensure implementation through legislation.

The minister pointed out that as per recommendations every school would teach recitation from Nursery to class 5 while translation will be taught from class 5 to class 10 as a compulsory subject.



The federal minister also said that since Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, the understanding of Muslim children regarding the Quran and its teaching was to be developed from the outset.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2016.