SNC implementation in Pakistan

 

SNC implementation in Pakistan: great work

SNC is an intervention that will disrupt the very structure of our society.

The Department of Education and Vocational Training recently decided to implement the School National Curriculum (SNC) in all public and private schools. The aim is to introduce a “single curriculum for all, in terms of curriculum, learning style and common platform so that all children have equal and equal access to quality education”. Many consultations with various stakeholders are planned to include their views. An in-depth review of past education policies and stakeholder inclusion highlights the conflict between the principles of the SNC and the social structure of Pakistan. Therefore, the government will have to strive, if it fails, to make the most of it.

The divisive social structure of Pakistan

Pakistan has inherited some cultural heritage from traditional Indian society, where people have been divided into dynasties based on their karma (work) and dharma (duty). The Brahmins were to be priests or scholars; Khathatrias to be kings, rulers, and warriors; Vaisha to be cattle herders, farmers, artisans, and traders; and Shudras to be employees and service providers. Each of these groups represents an institution, which must follow certain customs, traditions and customs. Herbert Spencer, a prominent English sociologist, called such a society a “working class” in an environment in which the institutions, in which the various institutions, are interdependent, and must work in harmony. The success of such a society is based on the idea that the members of each institution and their descendants live in the same institution. Therefore, the son or daughter of Brahmin had to be an expert and Shudra to be a worker. Over time, these terms have disappeared, but the size of the general population remains the same in modern-day India and Pakistan.

School programs to strengthen social diversity

Modern-day Pakistani society is still divided into such social groups and our school system feeds and protects these social divisions. Five parallel school programs operate in Pakistan that generate human resources for various social organizations. For our elite athletes, we have established what Dr. Tariq Rehman has called “English private schools” that offer high-quality, affordable education. In our offices and in the military, we have state-of-the-art government-sponsored schools that offer high quality education at subsidized rates only in the upper class. In middle and middle class, we have allowed anyone to open a “so-called English school (SCES)”, which offers affordable middle-class education. For the common people, we have indigenous government-run (VMG) schools that offer free basic education. Eventually, we became very poor, establishing darassas. Each school program produces resources for a particular social class. The structure is complete - including fees, entry points, and the most important unique curriculum - of these schools which ensures that only representatives of the right social class join these educational clubs.

The social diversity reflected in higher education

This practice was maintained in schools until the 1980s considering that only a few universities operate in Pakistan and that most of the good graduates and a few “reformers” from poor schools continue their higher education. All other people have joined their workforce. However, the emergency of globalization has brought Pakistan to light with a lower percentage of high school graduates. This international pressure and domestic politics have ushered in an explosion of private universities in the country. Now, we see a variety of institutions of higher learning that reflect our school system that divides society.

The previously prestigious universities in the public sector have been forced by the process to make entry and exit easier for ordinary people to obtain a higher education certificate. Many consolidated colleges are set up without any means of quality assurance or eligibility. These institutions offer affordable higher education certificates for graduates of indigenous languages ​​and cheap so-called English schools, especially those filling low-paying staff positions. Therefore, the contribution of these institutions is twofold: to improve the staff qualification, and to improve our numbers of graduates in the global literacy program. At the same time, we have established private and government-sponsored higher education institutions that require potential candidates for financial and educational excellence. Only members of the social class can join these institutions to become Brahmins and Khathatriyas of our society. In this active public structure, introducing the SNC will be a major challenge for government.

Challenges of using SNC

The biggest challenge in using the SNC is to confront the monitors of each social institution. People who have been involved in the management of various types of schools have worked hard to legalize their practices and have made great efforts to place barriers in the expectations of parents and students in their school programs. It is difficult for them to raise or lower their standards. For example, English special schools will not be able to justify downgrading the use of SNC to their special “clients”. If these schools offer the same quality and features as those offered in VMS and SCES, then they will lose their choice, thus losing their special customers. In fact, their special clients will not want to lose these specialized education companies. Therefore, there will be controversy from both school owners and their customers.

Likewise, SCES monitors enjoy the government's quality control and lax regulation. So they teach whatever suits them and their minor customers. They hire untrained teachers at a very low salary and opt for a lesser curriculum to meet the needs of their middle class clients. The SNC will put pressure on both school owners and their teachers to raise their quality standards that will disrupt their system. While parents may be happy to receive a high-quality education, they may fear that school administrators will make the implementation of the SNC an excuse to raise money.

Finally, the custodians of our public schools have created a culture where untrained teachers, employed by political influence, teach outdated subjects without observation and evaluation from the government or parents. There is a shared conscience among all participants on how things work in such schools. Introducing the SNC to these schools will create conflict not only in school management and teachers but also in provincial government. Therefore, concerted efforts will be made to undermine the functioning of the SNC. In short, the SNC is an intervention that will once and for all affect our social structure, and implementing it requires a systematic and strategic, non-existent approach - at least for now.