The previous government led by former prime minister Imran Khan had introduced the single national curriculum, through this initiative the main goal was to demolish the disparity among all the economic classes of the students, private schools and public educational institution. Which would allow all the students to study same course, including Islamic madrassa’s. This would give equal opportunity of exposure to students of madrasa’s who were lagging behind in the competition with other students. This age of technological advancement demands that there should be an equal modern syllabus which should be taught to the students of madrassa’s too.
The first phase of this project was near to completion, but the government was changed. The current coalition government of Pakistan democratic movement has abrogated this project of the previous government and according to the report of Dawn News. The provincial government has barred the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) from publishing books for grade 6 to 8 under the Single National Curriculum (SNC).
The madrassas are not happy by this initiative of Shehbaz led coalition government and they are demanding to reconsider these orders given by the government of province Punjab. They are demanding to give equal opportunity of exposure to the students of madrasas as it is provided to privileged students of English medium schools. According to the patron and chief of Madina Academy; Umar khan; that this decision by Punjab government is unacceptable. We demand a reconsideration on this order from Punjab government, khan said.
According to representatives of the government, the previous government was day dreaming to bring the madrasas to the level of schools but this single national curriculum is rather changing schools into madrassas. According to government sources the previous government was adding agenda driven content to the syllabus, which should not be acceptable. Contrarily, the student and the teachers of madrasas are applauding the initiative of the previous movement. The student of madrasa named Hamza Ismail stated that this initiative of the previous government was good because it could have provided us (the students of madrassas) the avenue to compete the other students of English medium schools. Hamza also demanded from the current government to revert this decision and reconsidered their approach on this single syllabus policy.
The madrasas are considered as the backward institutes of education in the country and comparatively less privileged than schools. According to madrasa teachers, this action of the current government would do nothing to the schools as they are teaching good syllabus already
but it would inflict major dent to the education of the madrassa students. Who have been doomed back to the low standards of education. All the literary circles of the country are also ranting against this decision of abrogation of the single national curriculum.
The parents and teachers of the madrasa students are demanding single national curriculum because this would give the hope to their lads for the aspiring future. Mr. khursheed Ahmad, a father of a madrasa student rejected this decision of the government, he said that there should be an equal right to the information to all the student. The constitution of Pakistan gives this right to every citizen and government cannot snatch this basic right from my children.
The state like Pakistan which is suffering from extreme level of polarization and disparity cannot afford more disparity among any class and this abrogation in single national curriculum would lead to the immense disparity in the students. The madrassa students would lag in competing with the other student. This would lay burden on the state eventually. When the graduates of the madrassas will go in the job market they would be unable to compete the other students and this would increase the unemployment ratio in the country.
