PM launches new school curriculum in Capital

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday launched a new curriculum for schools in the federal capital, saying a revamp was needed to keep up with the modern trends and progress as a nation, according to Geo News report.

Addressing the launching ceremony here, Abbasi expressed confidence that the new curriculum would prove to be an important milestone towards shifting the focus from cramming to promoting analytical skills and generating thought process among the students.

He lauded the Ministry of Education for implementing the new curriculum in the federal capital from class one to five. In the next phase, he said, the curriculum would be revised up to higher secondary school. No country could progress without education and it was time to review the existing curriculum to ensure Pakistan is able to meet the emerging challenges, he said.

The prime minister pointed out that it was imperative to train teachers and introduce curricular reforms to keep up with the needs of modern times and improve the quality of education imparted to the youth of the country.

He said Islamabad Capital Territory would be made a model for the provinces in the education sector and the process of updating and revising the curriculum would continue.

Pointing out the role of the private sector, the prime minister said the federal government remains committed to fulfilling its responsibilities. But the private sector must also play a proactive role in promotion of quality education.

He also launched programmes aimed at 100 per cent enrolment, 100pc retention and 100pc graduation in the federal area.

APP adds: PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the federal government had set high standards of education in the country by providing modern curriculum and quality education to the students and asked the provinces to emulate.

He said the Islamabad Capital Territory would serve as a model for other provinces to raise their standards of education. The Prime Minister also called for setting up a National Testing Service so as to standardise the level of education, being imparted by different educational boards across the country. He said at present it was difficult to judge the different standards, being followed by the provinces and hoped the next government would take up this challenge.

He said that following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, education was now a provincial subject.

He said the provinces have huge budgets and equally large responsibilities, however pointed out they lacked the capacity that needs to be built.

Abbasi said at present the government was spending Rs5,000 on each student in the government schools and regretted that still the results were not satisfactory.

He said on the contrary the private schools were getting better results by spending far less money.

The event was attended by Minister for Professional and Technical Training Muhammad Balighur Rehman and Secretary Education Akbar Hussain Durrani.

Later on, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi visited the residence of Colonel Sohail Abid, who was martyred during an anti-terrorist operation in Balochistan, and expressed his condolences with the bereaved family.

The prime minister offered Fateha for the departed soul and prayed for patience for the grieved family to bear the loss with equanimity.

He said the Pakistan Army had rendered numerous sacrifices to purge the country of terrorism. He said the brave sons like Colonel Sohail Abid were a source of pride for the whole nation.