Inclusion of Constitution in curriculum to benefit students: NA Speaker

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf has stressed that the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan reflects resilience and strength of the nation and its inclusion in the curriculum would benefit students by fostering civic education, legal literacy, and constitutional awareness besides promoting democratic values, critical thinking and long-term stability in society.

He made remarks while chairing the 7th meeting of the Advisory Committee constituted to oversee preparations for the Golden Jubilee of the Constitution 1973 at Parliament House here on Saturday. He said that inclusion of the Constitution in the curriculum would also empower students to understand their rights, participate actively in civic life, and contribute to a more inclusive and democratic nation.

Minister for information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, while providing an update on the proposed introduction of a syllabus on the inclusion of the Constitution, said that fundamental elements of the curriculum had been developed in consultation with the HEC and Federal Education Board. She said that following the committee’s approval, the fundamental elements would be taken up with other educational bodies for further consideration.

She also suggested revising the current curriculum to better connect it with the nation’s democratic values. She also highlighted that in order to broaden the scope of the effort, the committee mighty consult with provinces. The ideas presented by the minister were approved by the committee. The committee also took stock of the progress on construction of Bagh-e-Dastoor, restoration of old National Assembly Hall and thoroughly examined various designs for Yadgar-e-Dastoor (Constitution Monument). The National Assembly held various activities in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, like issuance of a special booklet of the Constitution, holding all Pakistan declamation contests, national and international Constitution conventions, issuance of commemorative stamps and coins, launch of Constitution App, photo exhibitions etc. Whereas, ongoing activities include construction of Yadgar-e-Dastoor, Bagh-e-Dastoor and restoration of old National Assembly Hall, among others.

The Speaker praised the committee’s work in his concluding remarks and expressed his hope that all stakeholders involved would keep working with the same zeal to ensure the timely conclusion of all ongoing endeavors.

Besides Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and Convener Mian Raza Rabbani, the meeting was attended by Federal Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb (virtually); Members of National Assembly Engr. Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani, Dr. Nafisa Shah, Ms. Asiya Azeem, Mohsin Dawar, Mehnaz Akber Aziz; Senator Kamran Murtaza Special Invitees Farhatullah Babar, Zafarullah Khan and officials from CDA, NADRA, NESPAK and representatives from National College of Arts.