‘Non-Muslims to be taught their own religious values’

Islamabad : Federal Minister for Education and Vocational Training Shafqat Mahmood on Tuesday said that non-Muslim minority students would be taught their own religious values instead of Islamic studies.

During a meeting with British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner, the minister said that separate articles for the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Baha'i and Kailash communities had been prepared in consultation with the leaders and scholars of these religions and would be taught to their students.

Discussing the uniform curriculum, the Federal Minister said that English, Mathematics and Science would be taught in English, Urdu and Islamic Studies in Urdu till the fifth grade. Social Studies and General Knowledge in Urdu while English terms will also be included in these subjects. However, from the sixth to the eighth grade, the English components will be gradually increased. And after the eighth, students can choose the international qualification or national qualification of their choice.

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said that private publishers have been allowed to publish books and provinces and private educational institutions can read any book. However, the Federal Ministry of Education has ensured two things in this regard. First is that private publishers The books should be consistent with the "uniform curriculum" and the second is that no offensive or hateful material should be included in the book.

Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that everyone has the right to comment on a uniform curriculum, so it was first posted on the website of the Ministry of Education. He said that many observers criticized the same syllabus without reading it and without studying its comprehensiveness and usefulness. The Federal Minister said that since it is rare to get a full consensus in a democracy, there will be some people who will continue to criticize this high-purpose move for their own reasons or interests.

Talking about uniform curriculum up to VIII, the Federal Minister for Education further said that provinces and private educational institutions have been allowed to teach additional materials, elite private schools are free to give music and dance classes as well as madrassas. You can read additional material from your teaching system.

Discussing the registration of madrassas, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said that registration of madrassas was in progress across the country and 16 offices were set up under the Directorate General of Religious Education, a subsidiary of the Federal Ministry of Education. There are and so far two thousand madrassas have been registered. Some madrassas had demanded the formation of new education boards, but five new boards have also been formed.

The minister said the function of Madrassas was to impart education but their affairs were looked after by the Ministry of Home Affairs before us. We have brought them under the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and they are also making sure that no provocative or hateful literature is taught in any madrassa and that no political leader can use madrassa students for his political purposes.