ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has said that the Single National Curriculum (SNC) will not only bring uniformity in the education system of the Country but also promote love, interfaith harmony, and tolerance.
“I am personally reading model textbooks to ensure that no hate material is its part which could stir hostility and impedes the way of developing a tolerant society,” the minister said on Thursday when he held a virtual meeting with Lord Tariq Ahmed of Wimbledon, the Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth and the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
While discussing the SNC, Shafqat Mahmood said that our educational system was divided into three streams; resultantly producing three different mindsets and ultimately causing a divide in the nation.
The minister said that for minorities, first time, there shall be freedom to study their own religion and every faith will be respected.
Lord Tariq Ahmed of Wimbledon congratulated the government of Pakistan on exceptionally well administering to combat COVID-19 and reopening of Schools after six and a half month closure.
Shafqat Mahmood apprised the steps taken by the Federal Education Ministry to keep the educational activities continue during the closure of schools, through teleschools, online classes and workshops from which almost eight million students benefited on daily basis.
The minister underscored that the girls’ education is the highest priority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and to encourage the poor families towards education, our government has introduced a cash transfer program which pays Rs 2,000 per girl for a quarter.
Exchanging views on issues of female’s education in certain far-flung areas of the Country, the minister said that if the school is just one mile away from home, the parents feel insecure to send their girls to school, hence the government is providing tablets to them and also arranging online classes by developing informal educational set-up in that community.
