Right after the independence of,
formulation of educational policy got importance for the fact that education is
perceived as a means to mould the nation of a country and the society to
achieve the desired goals.
The same was seemingly done in the First
Educational Conference 1947, in which Pakistan was perceived as a country
having deep religious roots, hence educational policy was developed in a certain
way. Development of religious values was ingrained in the educational policies
at the cost of plurality and Western values.
Whereas, at the time of developing and
creating dominance of religion in education, the policy makers forgot and set
aside the dream of the nation’s founder of a “united nation in which people
considered as citizens of Pakistan irrespective of their religious identities”.
However, being five to seven percent in
total population of Pakistan, the representation of minorities and even their
efforts towards the progress of the country have been forgotten in the
educational discourse.
Ignorance and missing details in forming
educational policies is not a new phenomena but a process started from First
Educational Conference 1947 to the Educational Policy 2009. Such suppression of
minority representation was started even before passing of an official
Constitution of the country.
In Objectives Resolution, prepared by the
Constituent Assembly on 12th March 1949 as a base for the formulation of first
Constitution, Pakistan was designated as a state which raised concerns about
the minorities of that time and this act was criticized by them in terms of
being transferring them into second class citizens.
Other than neglecting minorities’ representation,
the mention of religion in a dominant way in educational policies in general
and in course book in particular has not only pushed religious diversity into
social exclusion but helped in submerging their identity even as citizens of
Pakistan.
How minorities were deprived of their
identities of being Pakistanis and being diverse can be seen in various
education policies.
In the “National Plan of Educational
Development 1951-1957” inclusion of religious teachings was envisioned as
necessary tool for ideological shift of newly developed nation. However, in the
“Commission of National Education (Sharif Commission) 1959”, certain measures
were taken for children form minorities along with children of the majority.
The commission also declared that
non-Muslims should be taught according to their own religious beliefs in a
subject called Dinyat (religious studies).
Nonetheless, the educational policy
formulated in General Ayub’s period criticised in almost all of the subsequent
educational policies. While keeping in view the criticism as most important
factor, the educational policy 1970 took a step further for non Muslims with
nationalization of their missionary schools.
“National Education Policy and Implementation
Programme 1979” fueled the factors of conservatism, obscurantism and
sectarianism in the nation and thus skewing the space for minorities to live in
the country.
In the same policy, factor of religion was
also introduced in science course books like biology, chemistry and mathematics.
The decision of separate electorate system for people of other religions was
also taken under this policy.
The “National Education Policy 1992” of
Mian Nawaz Sharif’s regime while widening the circle of “Ideology” in education
sector included teachers along with students. The policy had a special emphasis
on teachers to become an ideal religious teacher for students. Teachers’
training programmes, on-service and pre-service, were designed to prepare them
to become a focal point for preaching of religion and values.
The “National Education Policy 1998-2010”
was drafted, again, during Mian Nawaz Sharif’s time. In this policy, apart from
making the subject of the book compulsory from grade I to B.A, B.Sc levels,
students from other religions got attention and they were provided with “Moral
Education/Ethics” as an alternate subject.
While following the same pattern “Education
Policy 2009” also talked about separate Ethics book for minorities. Moreover,
removal of any type of material against religion or against any cultural or
linguistic minority was also there in the policy.
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