Federal govt introduces SNC to raise standards of education: Economic Survey

Federal govt introduces SNC to raise standards of education: Economic Survey

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Government took various initiatives at federal and provincial levels to raise standards of education in terms of quality as part of its commitment to accomplish Goal 4 of SDG during lat ten months of this Fiscal Year 2021-22.

According to Economic Survey 2021-22 issued by Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail and Minister Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal at Press Conference on Thursday, Single National Curriculum (SNC) has been introduced to minimize disparity in country’s education system where three main education systems are in place, i.e. Public schools, Private schools and Deeni madaris.

According to the Survey, these systems are poles apart and often result in different mind-sets thus fractured psyche of the nation. SNC is aimed at providing equal learning opportunities to all segments of society and will provide equal opportunity of learning, help the students and parents in case of inter provincial mobility.

Ministers while revealing the survey data said that development of SNC is driven by key considerations like teachings of Quran and Sunnah, Constitutional Framework, National Policies, Aspirations and National Standards, Alignment with the SDG-4 goals and targets, vision of Quaid and Iqbal, focus on values, Life Skills Based and Inclusive Education, respect & appreciation for different cultures & religions in local and global context, focus on project, inquiry and activity-based learning, development of 21st century skills including analytical, critical and creative thinking.

Single National Curriculum is being implemented in three phases i.e Phase I: SNC and textbooks Pre I-V (Academic Year 2021-22), Phase II: SNC and textbooks VI-VIII (Academic Year 2022-23), while Phase III: SNC and textbooks IX-XII (Academic Year 2023-24), the survey showed.

In first phase, quality textbooks, teachers training, modules and assessment frameworks for Grade Pre I-V have been developed on the basis of SNC which have already been shared with all federating units.

SNC has been implemented in all streams of education for the students from Grades Pre I-V from academic year 2021-22. Implementation has already been started in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GilgitBaltistan from Academic year 2021. In Balochistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, implementation will start form the academic year 2022.

Sindh was an active part of the development of the SNC. However, for implementation, discussions are going on with Sindh government.

As per key features of the SNC, english has always been taught as a subject in public schools. Now English will be taught as a language with focus on skills. Islamiat used to be started from Grade 3 onwards. At Grade 1 & 2 Islamiat was a part of General Knowledge.

Now Islamiat be taught as a separate subject from Grade 1. In Islamiat curriculum, a complete framework of Seerat un Nabi (PBUH) is ensured focusing on practical aspects of the blessed life of Rasulullah (PBUH).

For students from minorities, a separate curriculum with the title Religious Education has been developed for seven religions, i.e Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha’i, Kalasha, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. Social Studies is developed to encourage patriotism and global citizenship. Human rights and peace education are important areas focused in the curriculum and textbooks. Mathematics and Science are updated as per modern trends in teaching and learning.

Teacher Training modules and Assessment framework, based on SNC, are developed for Grades Pre I-V to ensure proper implementation of SNC.

Challenges Since the SNC is a major reform in the country, there are a few challenges in order to implement it in true letter and spirit. These challenges include, capacity building of the existing teachers, induction of new teachers as per the requirements, and uplifting of the educational facilities in the far-flung areas of Pakistan.