Pakistani society comprises of people from different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds. Ninety-five per cent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim while the remaining 5 per cent is referred to as religious minorities (Pakistan Country Profile 2011).

According to economic survey of Pakistan (2010-11), in the fiscal year 2009-2010, the literacy rate in Pakistan remained at 57.7 per cent. While the province of Punjab has the highest ranking with a literacy rate of 59.6 per cent followed by Sindh which is 58.2 per cent, the province of Balochistan ranks third with 51.5 per cent literacy rate, and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province was reported as the least literate province at 50.9 per cent.

There are three education systems in Pakistan; public school system, private school system and madrassah education system. Madrassah system is deeply embedded in Pakistan and has a strong set-up in the country. Madrassahs are Islamic education institutions where Qura’an and various Islamic practices are taught. According to a report by the Ministry of Education (2007-08), in Pakistan, a total of 12,448 Deeni Madaris (religious institutions) have been established and are functional in Pakistan. In these madrassahs, a total of 55,680 teachers have been recruited, of which 77 per cent are male and 23 per cent female.

This paper aims to find out the perceptions of female madrassah teachers about minorities living in Pakistan. Although, minorities have their constitutional rights, unfortunately their rights have been usurped in the past which is unfortunately still in practice (The Subtle Subversion 2005). The attitude of the female teachers will be analysed in the perspective of their teaching practices and social interaction with students of other religions and families, respectively.

This paper is based on a report prepared by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on “The Relationship between Education and Religious Discrimination in Pakistan -- Analysis of Curriculum and Teaching”. The female madrassahs of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa are a focus of this paper. Due to accessibility issue, only KPK female madrassas were chosen for the study. During the analysis, the teachers’ attitudes were found to be biased. The biases were formed by social and behavioural attitudes and interaction. It was seen that not a single teacher at madrassahs ever taught a non-Muslim individual. Biasness and un-biasness was captured through social interaction with minorities. However, certain good behaviours were also found during the analysis. These good behaviours were based on high tolerance level. For instance, the teachers were of the view that in case of a dispute between Muslims and non-Muslims, the righteous one would be supported irrespective of religious views of female madrassah teachers.

Economic Survey of Pakistan 2010-11, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, Pakistan

Nayyar, A. & Ahmed, S. (ed.) 2005, The subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan - Urdu, English, Social Studies and Civics, SDPI, Islamabad, Pakistan                                                                      

Pakistan Country Profile 2011, Indexmundi, viewed 02 August, 2011

Ministry of Education, Pakistan Education Statistics, 2007-08, Ministry of Education, Islamabad, Government of Pakistan, Pakistan