Earlier this year, the Prime Minister launched the Single National Curriculum (SNC), with an aim to unite the children of the country under the umbrella of a single curriculum. The objective was to level the playing field, and to counter the current situation where children educated by English medium education system are disproportionately advantaged in securing higher-earning jobs and better higher education opportunities. According to the Prime Minister, the system will help eliminate the rote learning system and hone the skills of the students.
However the SNC has been criticised for not doing enough to counter extremist content and mindsets. The government now seems to be tackling this by reviewing the content to identify the unacceptable and extremist content that might have seeped through in our various education institutes. One attempt has been to delegate this duty to the Muttahida Ulema Board , which has decided to cleanse textbooks and the curriculum of extremist material. According to the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, over 300 books have been cleared of possible extremist content in this process.
It is appreciable that the government has listened to concerns and responded accordingly. This was necessary to counter the rise in domestic terrorism. The Sialkot lynching incident has made even previously reluctant segments, like the Council of Islamic Ideology wake up to the necessity of countering extremist and potentially violent narratives to the young. However, as the horrific Sialkot incident has demonstrated, this issue is far more deep-seated and perhaps more complicated to just be relegated to religious leaders and religious affairs. It is now a national problem that needs to be countered at the grassroots.
