Chowrangi

New Pakistan Studies Curriculum Unveiled

The Daily Times reports today:

The government has made drastic changes in the new Pakistan Studies curriculum, including new chapters on the Musharraf government’s economic and privatisation policies and “enlightened moderation”, and less biased explanations of the Two-Nation Theory and Partition.

The new National Curriculum for Pakistan Studies for grades IX and X explains the Two-Nation Theory and Pakistan’s ideology “with specific reference to the economic and social deprivation of Muslims in India,” an official involved with the formulation of the curriculum told Daily Times.

“An effort has been made to exclude all such material that promotes prejudice against the non-Muslims of pre-partition India,” he said. “Pakistan’s ideology has been explained with reference to the pronouncements of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam,” he added.

Bravo, I say! Previously, I have looked in detail at the impact of our xenophobic nationalist syllabi on out national psyche and I have also emphasised the need to have a debate on ideology.

This one is a step forward in the correct direction. If we can get rid of the rhetorical and biased reading of our history, there is a chance we would stop producing such droves of misguided young people – who are taught to hate other countries and religions – all in the name of nationalism. In that regard, it would be interesting to study how the explanation of the TNT based on “specific reference to the economic and social deprivation of Muslims in India” turns out – whether it is able to get rid of its current anti-Indian/anti-Hindu outlook or not. Before I have people protesting that it doesn’t, I would point them to this report: titled “The Subtle Subversion” which published a few years ago by SDPI. Spend a few minutes looking through this report and their shocking observations will also begin to haunt you.

Going back to the proposed changes, I would also like to see the persona of Quaid described in rather human terms in contrast to one of a deity or a miracle-worker. Further, I also hope his secular nationalist ideals are brought to the fore in their true colors. And not smudged over deliberately.

On another note, according to the news report the new curriculum seems to contain a lot of self-congratulatory and narcisstic material. But oh well, you can’t have the cake and eat it too!

Once the syllabi is out in the market, I would try to carry out a comparative analysis and make an attempt to determine the efficacy of the changes. Solely out of academic interest, if nothing else.

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Ayesha Saeed

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8 responses to “New Pakistan Studies Curriculum Unveiled”

  1. khalida shaikh Avatar
    khalida shaikh

    why don’t we include javaid chodri colums in our cuuriculum. one more thing i must say that their are four elements in curriculum , 1 aims and objective
    2 content ( syllabus or text book)
    3 methodology
    4 evaluation
    unfortunately govt does not touch last two elements of curriculum, these are also very impotent

    Reply
  2. Pak textbooks build hate culture against India – Page 5 – Pakistan Defence Forum

    […] Re: Pak textbooks build hate culture against India New Pakistan Studies Curriculum Unveiled | Pakistan Politics, Current Affairs, Business and Lifestyle | Chowrangi OMG!!! Really good read… Pages 14, 18, 19, 27, 35, 36, 37, 38, 50, 69, 75, 76, 77, 78, 81-88, 89-93, 97-101, 135 first para from http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/report…&TextBooks.pdf This report begs to differ with you. Somebody must have already mentioned this before. […]

    Reply
  3. Adnan Siddiqi Avatar
    Adnan Siddiqi

    I wonder why didn’t they remove Two nation theory chapter?

    Reply
  4. Adnan Siddiqi Avatar
    Adnan Siddiqi

    Forgetting past is going on “Right Direction”? huh? I bet the new syllabus would have priased of Millitary dictatorship and twisting figure of so called ecnomical boom.

    When Zia came, he made changes according to his intrest so Mush is following his track. Supporter [Chumcha] of Zia declared that syllabus perfect like today Mush’s supporter saying. Very Intresting similaries! :>

    Reply
  5. Muhammad Dawood Avatar
    Muhammad Dawood

    Ayesha, I know SDPI very well and had studied its report when it was revealed. Couldn’t understand at that time, what implication the essays on Hazrat Khidija,(RA) the wife of Holy Prophet(PBUH) and on Soldiers who received Nishan e Haider for laying their lives for the motherland, will have on our younger minds. But, now I know, after reading your response, that these sort of things were better removed as soldiers who died shouldn’t be glorified coz they just died saving economic and political development which we got in Pakistan and nothing else. SDPI report, in your opinion, was justified in saying religion should be kept confined to Islamiat subject, only for those who wanted to study religion and shouldn’t be included in other subjects.

    Afterall, religion is just a private matter and doesn’t fall in our social and political life, to the writers of SDPI report atleast, which was ofcourse funded by foreign donors.

    Quaid e Azam was champion of Hindu Muslim brotherhood and Iqbal was proud to sing about Hindustan, “Hum bulbulain hain iski, yeh gulsitan hamara”, but what changed them? Have you tried to think what made both these leaders change their minds. Do you try to think what happend under Congress Ministries in 1935 and how muslims felt when they were forced to sing Bande Matram and were forced to change religion.

    History of religious conflict social and cultural differences goes back to ages and Have Hindues forgotton what Babur and Mahmood Ghaznai did with them? What made them destory Babri Mosque?

    Only, we have forgotten and want to show them, we are their brothers, Are we really? Can you imagine about your lives under Hindu Raj?

    Pakistanis forget very easily and they can backup Indian cricket team if it wins in Lahore but How Indians responded when Amir Sohail was kicking runs in India? What made them burn the Stadium. You also forgot how Indian Prime Minister was threatening Pakistan after her nuclear blasts and only stopped after Pakistan responded by declaring her nuclear status.

    We think we have opened travel links, invited Indian stars to Pakistan, opened their TV channels and things have become rosy and we can dream of becoming economic giant and will become sister nation to India. It may look rosy to SDPI writers and many Pakistanis who are dreaming of economic boom and friendly ties with India.

    When Musharraf govt took over, he initiated many bold steps, including all those mentioned above, in the hope that it will force India(morally and through international pressure) to sit on the table. He has gone back from traditional pakistani stance, coz he knows war in the region means catastrophic damage, to both. All the measures were carefully and intentionally taken, and were not by chance however, see what he has got. India, taking advantage of ceasefire in Kashmir, has consolidated her military might in Kashmir and instead of showing flexibility on Kashmir, is taking time to strengthen her attack capabilities, latest her nuclear deal with US, meanwhile with the help of Afghanistan, it is systematically destablising Pakistan’s borders.

    And, here we are dreaming of Peace, economic progress, and resolve of Kashmir issue on table, on the hope that we are frontline state with US. Besides, our new generation do not find any reason of becoming separate to India coz they don’t find any difference in race, culture, afterall, we have learnt through SDPI. And one friend has said India and Pakistan separated due to linguistic differences. He needs to study history again and Bangladesh went away due to our forgotten of Two-nation theory, afterall, the religion which was only uniting factor was forgotten, like it is being ignored today. If two nation theory is forgotten, it will further weaken Pakistan.

    Independence is not a cheap thing to get and people pay heavy price for it. See the palestine and Kashmiri people. Besides, we need to have our unbiased opinion, and not by parroting the history books and was said by you and nor by taking SDPI report, a final verdict.

    Perhaps, we need sometime to come to a conclusion. May be a year or so to see whether through softening our image and nation’s history we get problems with India resolved on table or get to a point of no-return. May be next year we’ll be seeing a clearer picture.

    Reply
  6. yousaf Avatar
    yousaf

    Musharraf government’s economic and privatisation policies and “enlightened moderation” cannot b part of history results ye to come. and two nation theory is NOT a theory it was assumption on which people migrated to both sides. if two nation is theory then bangaladish libration war is justified because they had same excuse “languistic difference” they wanted bangali to become official language so if we continue on 2-nation thory then race is endless 3,4,5 how many nation thoery this is simply digrace idea of “disintigration” of federation anyone can stand and would come up with his differnces. i wonder when someone say “oh his business name is makah or madina PVT LTD” and he is doing this business “using name of islam” and something like people often say “why they put haji prefix on their name” so if a whole country can be made by using name of islam then why not these small things….
    knowledge is open do google or use wikipedia children no more need state sponsored “history”

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  7. Ayesha Saeed Avatar
    Ayesha Saeed

    Muhammad Dawood, you just valdiated the very need for revision of our history-telling and text books. And yes at the end of the day it was ecnonomic and political deprivation that led to the partition of the sub-continent – more than religion or any other factor. And that is also the reason Quaid was willing to accept the Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946 – which called for an Indian Union (and not two separate states) and the plan was called off only owing to the change of heart at the Congress camp. This little bit of history is conveniently left out from our books. I wonder why.

    You are just parroting what you learnt through the Pakistan Studies and Social Studies books in school and college. Nothing new. Kindly go through the SDPI report I put in there. I put it there precisely because I was expecting this sort of response. Just give it 10 mins and you’ll see for yourself.

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  8. Muhammad Dawood Avatar
    Muhammad Dawood

    Changing books is easier than changing history and it may not help in attaining peace as its not pakistanies who have waged war on India. Its India who is occupying Kashmir. Besides, economic and social deprivation couldn’t be termed as case for having separate homeland for muslims of sub-continent. The fact is muslims and hindues are a separate entity. The fact was reality before 1947, on 1947 and after 1947 and was the sole reason for making Pakistan (Separate homeland for muslims).

    We should live with peace with India and whosover who is not hostile to us, but we shouldn’t create doubt in minds of our young generation about our very own existance.

    Economic and social deprivation is present in many parts of Pakistan today. What would we say to them if someday, they ask for freedom?

    Reply

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