An Analytical Study on Issues, Challenges and Reforms in ...

1 International Journal of Social Sciences and EducationISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 1 issue : 3 July 2011An Analytical StudyonIssues, Challenges and Reforms in the pakistan StudiesCurriculum of Secondary Level210An Analytical StudyonIssues, Challenges and Reforms in the pakistan StudiesCurriculum of Secondary LevelKiran Study represents an analysis of pakistan studies curriculum at the secondary levelaboutissues, Challenges and Reforms . pakistan studies being a compulsorysubject promotesnationalintegration, national cohesion and patriotism along-with citizenshipconcept ineducation tothe students.

2 pakistan Studiesprovides detailedinformation about all the aspects of Pakistanranging form economy, society, population, resources, history and geography. It is the generalimpression that the subject has not achieved its desired goals although efforts have been in view the importance of thesubject andits present status,the issues, Challenges andreforms in PakistanStudies curriculum were studiedthroughqualitative research were conducted from a purposive major findings of the studyindicatedthat thecurriculum lacksobjectivity.

3 Dates andpresentedstatistics are no longerreliable, incomplete information about thedifferentaspects of pakistan s history, improperassessment techniques, gender and religion bias, influence of political system,mismatch of thecontentand above all no teacher training was established on the basis of Islamic ideology in 1947, according to the NationalCurriculum of PakistanStudies(Ministryof Education 2007). Its ideology is also wellreflected in the constitution the Islamic ideology of pakistan has beenaffirmed since the birth of pakistan , there seems to be a clash among the thinking individualsin pakistan in being in an Islamic state or a secular state.

4 This clash ofideas gave birth to a1Ph D Scholar, The Iqra University, Karachi, Journal of Social Sciences and EducationISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 1 issue : 3 July 2011An Analytical StudyonIssues, Challenges and Reforms in the pakistan StudiesCurriculum of Secondary Level211clash in the value system set for the country in various walks of life too. At different times, inview of changing needs, different values were set to accomplish the national objectivesthrough its national curriculum. This need of value-based society gave rise to the birth of pakistan studies whose major purpose was to bring about national integration among thedisparate groups of the Pakistanisociety(Edvardsson, 2009).

5 Duringthe civil war in East pakistan in 1971, it was observed that there was lack ofpatriotism among Pakistanis and national integration that could bring the two parts of thenationtogether (Rehman,1972).This lack of patriotism and nationalcohesionultimatelyresulted in the dismemberment of pakistan and the detachment of East pakistan from WestPakistan. After the Fall of Dhaka, an urgent need was felt to bring back the national unity andpatriotism among the residue (West) Pakistanis.

6 It was thought that it can only be madepossible if changes were broughtabout in the national curriculum of pakistan . So for the firsttime in 1976, the subject, pakistan studies was introducedin National curriculum ofPakistan and wasmade compulsory in 1985.(Shahid,2007)As compulsory subject, pakistan Studiesistaught at secondary, intermediate, bachelor s andmaster a multidisciplinary subject and has its correlation with almostall the subjects of social sciencesby inculcating the ability to appreciate and understand theeconomic, political, social problems and the development of social consciousness of one ssocialobligations, rights and duties, fostering patriotism, loyalty.

7 Respect for the establishedvalues and appreciation of cultural and national heritage(Hussain, 2009). Furthermore, it wasInternational Journal of Social Sciences and EducationISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 1 issue : 3 July 2011An Analytical StudyonIssues, Challenges and Reforms in the pakistan StudiesCurriculum of Secondary Level212argued that pakistan studies provides a sound knowledge to the learners not only about thefactors leading to the creation ofPakistan, but also makeslearnersappreciate various aspectsof its ideology, history, culture, geography, politics, economy and strategic position inregional and international affairs.

8 According to the National CurriculumofPakistan StudiesIX-X, 2006(Meherunnisa, 2007).According to the constitution of 1973 pakistan wascarvedout of India in 1947. The mainpurposeof its creation as a sovereign state was to protect the political rights of the Muslimsin South Asia. Since the creators of pakistan were Western educated leaders, they envisagedthat the new state would sustain the values of individual autonomy, civic equality andreligious multiplicity. They did not desire to Islamic society (Aziz, 1993).

9 Themain objectiveof pakistan studies isto promote visions of what a good citizen of pakistan needs to beacquainted with, what knowledge is of most value, what kindof society is advantageous, andwhat curriculum policies are to be implemented in the nation s the NationalCurriculum,the Government of pakistan Curriculum Wing of the FederalMinistry of Education has drafted ten objectives of pakistan studies for Grades IX and X. Forthe recognition of these objectives, the textbooks prescribed by the Ministry of Education arepublished by all the respective provincial textbook pakistan studies curricula has been borrowed directly from the idea of Quaid-i-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah where he wanted all Pakistanis to be Pakistanis irrespective of theirregional and religious differences.

10 pakistan studies have mainly been introduced to produceInternational Journal of Social Sciences and EducationISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 1 issue : 3 July 2011An Analytical StudyonIssues, Challenges and Reforms in the pakistan StudiesCurriculum of Secondary Level213patriotic Pakistanis who avoid provincial and religious discrimination. Hence, the curriculumdesigned by curriculum developers also reflects the same vision(Azhar, 2007). Manytextbooks of pakistan studies published by the public and private sector do claim thatPakistan has been made to protect the rightsof Muslims and is the land of Islam and allefforts should be directed at making it an Islamic welfare state.