SC takes notice of petition for religious education in schools

The constitutional bench deferred further hearings on the petition indefinitely.

Listen to article

Supreme Court (SC) has issued notices on a petition seeking the mandatory inclusion of religious education in schools across the country.

The case was heard by a seven-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, who directed that notices be sent to relevant parties for further review, Express News reported.

The petition, filed by Advocate Aneek Khatana, calls for religious education to be made compulsory in schools under the provisions of Pakistan's Constitution.

Khatana argued that the inclusion of religious studies in the curriculum is essential, in line with the country's constitutional framework that mandates religious education for all students.

During the proceedings, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi referred to past efforts in Sindh, noting that religious education, including Quranic studies, was incorporated into schools in the region as early as the 1970s.

Similarly, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan mentioned that a similar law for Quranic education had been implemented in Balochistan.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar added that any potential misinterpretation or incorrect translation of religious material could be addressed by blocking such content, emphasising the importance of accuracy in teaching.

The bench, after hearing the arguments, decided to adjourn the case indefinitely for further deliberation, instructing the concerned authorities to take appropriate action on the matter.

Few years ago, for the first time in the country’s history, the National Curriculum Council (NCC) allowed the publication of religious textbooks for students of seven minority religious groups enrolled in educational institutions supervised by the federal government.

The issuance of the no-objection certificates (NOCs) by the NCC will allow the National Book Foundation (NBF) to publish textbooks on Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Bahai, Zoroastrianism, Kalasha and Buddhism.

According to the seven different NOCs, students of the minority communities from grade one to three will be taught religious textbooks in schools in the federal capital or educational instituworking under the ambit of federal government.

NCC chief Maryam Chaghatai told The Express Tribune that the decision is only applicable to the schools that are under the administrative control of the federal education ministry and added that education is a provincial subject under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

However, the NCC chief said they were also sharing the draft of the religious textbooks with the provincial governments.

“If any province wants, they can publish these books through their respective boards. We have also received a request in this regard. Punjab is interested in teaching religious textbooks to the students of the minority communities in their schools,” she added.

Moreover, according to the NOCs, initially these books will be published in Urdu language. The textbooks for the Bahai will be published from the first to the fifth grade, while for Hinduism, Kalash, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Sikhism, from grade 1 to 3.

For Christian community, the textbooks will be published for students of grades 1 to 4.

According to the notification, the textbooks will be published as per National Curriculum for Religious Education and will be free of any kind of cultural, linguistic or ethnic prejudice, while these textbooks will not include any material against any religion or the state of Pakistan.