Updating curriculum: Technology must feature in updating academia

Seminar on ‘Curriculum: theory and practice in Pakistan’ commences at IIUI

Technology must be utilised while making changes to the curriculum at all levels of education.

This was stated by International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) President Professor Dr Ahmed Yousif Al Draiweesh during the inaugural session of a two-day national seminar titled “Curriculum: Theory and Practice in Pakistan”.

The seminar is being organised by the Department of Education, the Faculty of Social Sciences of IIUI in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at the Allama Iqbal Auditorium at its Faisal Masjid Campus.

He added that the practical lives of all Muslims must be nurtured in the light of the teachings of the Holy Quran.

The seminar centres around a discussion on national needs and curriculum for educational institutions. It will provide an open forum for a discussion to identify discrepancies between the national needs, the educational policy and curriculum and to identify ways to bridge the gap between them.

Moreover, the organisers are aiming for a discussion which would lead to practical suggestions apart from seeking expert views on how to design a curriculum to meet the future demands, including which fields of education would help to align the curriculum with national needs and priorities in a shortest possible span of time.

The organizers of the event maintained that the event will also help provide a platform for policymakers, curriculum developers, teachers and students to share their knowledge and experiences regarding curriculum reforms, while exploration of various ways to bridge the gaps.

During first day of the seminar, Professor Dr Hashim Abbasi spoke on curriculum reforms while IIUI Social Sciences Faculty Dean Prof Dr Samina Malik, IIUI Distance Education Director Prof Dr NB Jumani also spoke about planning for prioritising educational needs of the country and for the importance of need-based curriculum for the modern era especially in the context of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being built in the country. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2018.