Pluralistic religious education

The Sindh government's decision to expand religious education in schools by adding three textbooks for Hindus is a commendable effort to make schools more inclusive. The books will be used by students from grades three to five in the next academic year. The plan has the added benefit of costing the government nothing, as the publication costs for the next year are reportedly being borne by Prem Sagar Sanstha Karachi, a social welfare organisation. The contents of the textbooks will be prepared by Hindu groups and subject-area experts, in collaboration with the local education authorities, to ensure quality.

The policy change goes a long way in addressing a major injustice in the education system, as Hindus, like other minorities, had no opportunities to get religious education in their own faiths. Experts have blamed this approach for the rise in exclusionary narratives in textbooks and rising social intolerance against religious minorities. By allowing Hindu students to study their own faith, the state is finally fulfilling its constitutional obligation under Articles 25, 27 and 36, which prohibit discrimination and safeguard minority rights.

But practical challenges remain. An estimated 44% of minority children in Sindh are out of school, far above the national average of 27%. The funding arrangement is currently only for one year, so the Sindh Textbook Board will have to pay for books in subsequent academic years. However, the added cost will not be unsustainably high - an estimated 129,000 Hindu students are currently enrolled in grades three through five across the province. It is worth noting that the National Curriculum Council issued NOCs in 2023 for the publication of religious books for students from seven minority groups enrolled in federally supervised educational institutions. However, only a tiny fraction of students nationwide attend federally supervised schools. The best way to promote Pakistan's pluralistic identity would be to encourage other provinces to enact legislation adopting similar measures.