CII proposes integrating religious teaching into a uniform contemporary education system

A child should not be enrolled in school before the age of seven, says CII chairman

ISLAMABAD: Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Thursday proposed a uniform education system in the country which integrates religious teachings with the contemporary and mainstream education system. It also proposed that children should not be enrolled into schools before the age of seven.

Presenting their recommendations during a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, CII Chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani urged that the syllabus for primary education in government institutions should follow certain core principles covering of religious practices, intellectual awareness, social and ethical grooming.

Sheerani said the curriculum should be molded according to cultural and social values making students responsible citizens of the country. He also emphasised on the need of inculcating the love of religion and country in students.

Pointing out flaws in the existing primary education curriculum in the country, Sheerani proposed inclusion of stories mentioned in Holy Quran, struggle for the independence of Muslims in the Indian sub-continent, rights of people and humanity and character building as well as the ethical aspect of the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

He further proposed that the curriculum should discourage interfering in other people’s religions.

While calling for greater accessibility to education, the CII chairman suggested that a child should be enrolled in the school only after attaining the age of seven.

Sheerani also recommended that the primary education be imparted in the mother tongue and teachers must refrain from burdening students with excessive examination procedures. He, however, did not clarify how medium of instruction will vary region to region in a multi-lingual Pakistan.

Another recommendation proposed by the council focuses on familiarising students with post-9/11 history of the Indian-subcontinent through different eras, events and policies in the Muslim world in general, and Pakistan in particular.