Schools to teach cultural history

PESHAWAR: In a bid to preserve and promote the culture of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the government will introduce culture as a compulsory subject in educational institutions.

The provincial minister for Information & Culture Mian Iftikhar Hussain said this while inaugurating the Cultural Resource Centre on Tuesday at Peshawar Museum. The centre will be handed over to Bacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation.

Hussain said the provincial government has sent a summary to the chief minister to approve additional marks in examinations for the subject, so that students have an incentive to take interest in the culture and art of a region that was the centre of the Gandhara civilisation.

He said, “The young generation is not aware of the culture and traditions that form the basis of our identity.”

Hussain added that teachers will be hired for the subject and artists will be trained in the culture resource centre.

He said that art should not be considered a stigma anymore and artists should feel pride in themselves. “Nations that do not remember their culture and traditions do not last long as it encompasses our entire life. Countries that have rich cultures are respected everywhere,” he added.

The provincial minister dispelled the impression that only Pashto language or culture would be preserved and revived under the new policy, saying that K-P hosts a diverse array of culture and languages, each adding a new colour, and the culture resource centre will promote and preserve all these cultures.

He added that cultural resource centres will be set up in every district of the province, with links to the main centre in Peshawar. He said more than 20 languages are spoken in K-P and all of them will be rejuvenated by this initiative.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2011.