Outline of Single National Curriculum Pakistan

 

OUTLINE:

 

1. Introduction:

An overhaul of education system; a major step toward social cohesion and national integration; controversy regarding the imposition of SNS; further improvement is direly needed.

 

 

2. What is Single National Curriculum?
1. Definition of (SNS) according to Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training(MFEPT)
2. Objectives of Single National Curriculum (SNC)

• Social Cohesion and National Integration, 

• Alleviation of disparities in education content across the multiple streams, 

• Equal opportunities for upward social mobility, 

• Equity in education, 

• Holistic development of children in the light of emerging international trends     and local  aspirations,

 • Smooth inter-provincial mobility of teachers and students 

 

3. What are the prospects of SNS?
1. Eliminate Educational  Apartheid: One ‘system’ of education
2. Regularization of Madaaris: attempt at Curbing Religious Extremism
3. Modernization of learning with progressive elements, Global citizenship & 21st-century skills
4. Promotion of Critical Thinking & incorporation of IT & ICT into pedagogy
5.  Introducing technical and vocational training in schools
6. Curb the staggering percentage of Out-of-school children

The Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) survey 2019-20, conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), According to the survey,

•  32pc children were out of school across the country in 2019-20.
•  The number of such children is higher in rural areas (37pc) than urban areas (22p)
7. Foster National Integration and social cohesion 

 

4. What is the rationale behind criticizing the SNS?
1. SNC and the Conflict with the 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan

 

2. A gigantic syllabus: subjecting a child to inordinate pressure

According to Women’s Action Forum Policy Brief, ‘The SNC syllabus is too heavy for preschoolers and classes 1-5 (ages 4-10)

 

3. The curriculum is silent on soft skills and co-curricular activities: 

 

4. Class inequality and SNC: little or no effect 

 Karl Marx said, ''The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production''

In other words, ideology follows the classes, not the other way around, as has been dangerously assumed under the single national curriculum.

 

5. The Language Conundrum 
1.  imposing ‘Urdu’ language as a medium of instruction 

 

6. Dearth of infrastructure & teacher's training

 

5. Does SNS really promote national integration and purge educational apartheid ?
• Prospects are promising; SNS, after certain improvements, is all set to purge Pakistan from educational apartheid ; the future seems bright
6. How can SNS be improved?
1. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and in particular, SDG Goal 4 (Quality Education) lays down 7 outcome targets and 3 means of implementation 

 

7. CONCLUSION