Without hindsight: With exception of UoP, K-P varsities sans history dept

Alumni urge changes in curriculum to keep up with the times.

PESHAWAR:

Graduates of the province may be vulnerable to repeating the past. This is because apart from the University of Peshawar, all other public sector universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have no history department.

This was revealed during an event arranged for the alumni of University of Peshawar’s History Department.

The session was chaired by Benazir Shaheed Women’s University Vice Chancellor Dr Razia Sultana.

In her speech, Dr Sultana said history is taught in schools, colleges and the universities of the world, but has little value in Pakistan.

She added there were no contemporary history courses taught in the country and graduates of the subject were left with little choice but to find employment as lecturers. The vice chancellor said a curriculum must be designed that allows options for history graduates.



The event was also addressed by University of Peshawar History Department Chairman Taj Muharram Khan. In his address, Khan stated that any new curriculum must keep up with the times.

The alumni also elected its new representative body for 2014-15. It was the body’s newly-elected president, Asfandyar Durrani, who pointed out that 18 out of the 19 public sector universities in K-P lacked a history department.

Alumni’s focal person Syed Suhaib Abdullah demanded the government take steps to create history departments in all public sector universities and colleges across the province.

He also urged authorities to introduce world, western and US history in the curriculum as it is essential for students.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2014.