‘Supremacy of merit only way forward’

National Curriculum Council head calls for conceptual learning of students

The only way for Pakistan’s development is the supremacy of merit, Dr Mariam Chughtai, director of the National Curriculum Council (NCC), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Education, has said.

“To improve the education system, there is a need to adopt conceptual teaching programmes like the International Baccalaureate. However, we have to further improve our matriculation and intermediate system,” she opined while talking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

“Consultation with the provinces on the curriculum for classes 9 to 12 is going on and it will be implemented in April this year. We have done away with the rote learning system and focused on conceptual learning,” she claimed.

In a special interview, Dr Chughtai said that she always gave top priority to merit. “Some external institutions try to give dictation on curriculum preparation but we have never paid attention to it,” she revealed.

“Many donor associations have worked with the ministry, including the International Baccalaureate and the Oxford University Press,” she added.

Delving into the details of her work, she disclosed that the NCC was working on a three-year project.

In the first year, during 2021, the curriculum for classes from pre-primary to V, in 2022 from VI to VIII and in 2023 from IX to XII has to be prepared, she explained.

At present, the curriculum from kindergarten to 8th standard has been prepared and the books are ready, she said, adding after consultation with the provinces, the curriculum for classes IX to XII will be implemented in April 2023.

The educationist went on to say that while language was taught as a skill all over the world but in Pakistan rote system was prevalent. “Our children cannot speak English even after doing MA in English,” she lamented.

“For the first time, such books have been created which are based on language. In the beginning, some people tried to make this curriculum controversial but it failed by the grace of Almighty Allah,” she said.

Dr Chughtai said that for the first time in the country’s history, seven subjects have been created for students belonging to minorities including Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Parsi, Kalash, Hinduism and Baha’ism. “During the period of Islamic studies in the school, the children belonging to the minority communities can read the book of their religion,” she said.

The NCC has focused on Student Learning Outcome (SLO) by getting the child off rote learning and introducing conceptual learning.

“We are preparing the textbook and capacity building of the teachers. We have made model textbooks for KP and books for minorities in Punjab. Sindh required capacity building so a pilot project has been launched in three divisions, including Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. Gilgit-Baltistan has asked for STEM training from VI to VIII grades. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will soon inaugurate a huge teacher training program in Islamabad,” she said.

The problem of private educational institutions is that they do not want to change themselves, she said and lamented the fact that the students of these schools cannot even speak proper Urdu.

Dr Chughtai suggested that there should be an alternate for the O and A levels. “Like matric and FA, O and A level system also have problems. There is the Aga Khan Board and so is the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. There are such international programs that provide good education. IB is a concept-based system with fewer books and more conceptual and inquiry-based education,” she said.

Together with the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC), we have convened a conference of six education boards. “We are improving the examination system because as the examination system improves, capacity building will also take place,” she maintained.

She said that the subject of entrepreneurship was included in the curriculum. “We want to make children job givers and not job seekers. Capacity building of teachers according to modern times can lead to better results,” she added.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2023.