It would also be good if the government were to make some other kinds of changes in the national curriculum
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: Pakistan’ prime minster has directed the Higher Education Commission to make necessary changes in the curriculum at all levels to highlight the importance of constitutional democracy, rule of law, supremacy of parliament, etc. One wishes that the traits of democracy could be disseminated in our society merely by teaching these subjects in the classroom. Our children are living in the 21st century and this is an era where they have ready access to all kinds of information, not just the information found in their school textbooks. Not many political parties practise democracy within their own ranks, and most political party leaders happen to be in posts that they inherited and not won through an open internal election.
How many political parties are interested in holding local government elections — the third tier of democracy? In fact, they are busy dodging the Supreme Court, which has rightly told them to hold local government elections immediately. Similarly, how many of our political parties believe in gender equality; a prime example is the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, which has no female minister.
Along with subjects as highbrow as constitutional democracy and the rule of law, it would also be good if the government were to make some other kinds of changes in the national curriculum. Take the case of our history textbooks, which have been under attack from conservatives since long. One military dictator popularised the use of the term ‘ideology of Pakistan’ while another reshaped our history books to support his neo-conservative views. The present government can start by including the Quaid’s speech of August 11, 1947 in all Pakistan Studies textbooks.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2014.
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