Lop-sided Equality

“If we are to make any real, speedy, substantial progress, we must bring our educational policy and program on the lines suited to the genius of our people consonant with our own history and culture and having regard to the modern conditions and vast developments that have taken place all over the world… what we have to do is mobilize our people and build up the character of our future generation which means highest sense of honour, integrity, selfless service to the nation and sense of responsibility and we have to see that they are fully qualified or equipped to play their part in the various branches of economic life in a manner which will do honour to Pakistan.” (Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah)

The lines spoken by the Quaid give a far-reaching insight into the reason and causes behind creating a progressive society. Since independence, many educational policies have been implemented. Despite the reforms, the state fails to provide free and quality education to all.

What are the reasons?

The biggest reason is perhaps the fact that Pakistan is a polarized society. There have been divisions at every level - religious, political, economic and social. More divisions took root during Zia-ul-Haq’s era. With the fervour of Islamization combined with the surging private schools, the class system was endorsed.

The single national curriculum introduced by the incumbent government of Imran Khan is no doubt a noble cause to remedy the class hierarchy, but its sustainability is questionable. It is definitely a step forward but it cannot be implemented overnight. On the face of it, the SNC is a fantastic concept, but there are many hurdles. The provision of teacher resource material and practice textbooks are a big void that needs to be filled.

Another question is, will the SNC provide equal opportunity for all? The question of equality can be seen through the example of a child with mental and physical impediments in the rural area and a boy of a rich family studying in Aitchison College? Are they equal at any level? The reader needs to ponder over the question.

Another concern is whether the SNC with the slogan of ‘One Nation, One Curriculum’, promoting uniformity? Is it not opposed to diversity? Is it not taking away its pluralism? Pakistan has four provinces, all with different cultures, traditions, language and literature. And what about the large Urdu-speaking population, mainly in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other parts of Pakistan? Are we not eliminating our identity through the SNC?

Coming to the curriculum, is it an issue or not. The logical answer is that it is not! What is important is how you deliver the concepts. And for that the need of the hour is to introduce teacher training workshops, assessment learning outcomes and good educational books.

Looking in retrospect, the 18th Amendment in which the political system was decentralized and the provinces were given power to decide their own matters and each province made its own educational policy is a major factor obstructing the way forward to an integrated national curriculum. The decision-making power must rest with the federal government. With so much diversity in language and culture, it is not possible to achieve a uniform education system across the country.