Daily Times

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal expressed a strong commitment on Tuesday to reform Pakistan’s memorization-based education system and develop a world-class curriculum during the current tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

“With the support of all stakeholders and experts, we will develop a curriculum that aligns with 21st-century requirements,” he said while addressing the National Curriculum Summit titled “Empowering the Future by Reviewing Existing Curricula to Integrate Skill and Technology,” organized by the National Curriculum Council (NCC) and the Inter-Board Coordination Commission (IBCC).

The minister said the government was pursuing a goal of equipping the country’s youth with modern education, enabling them to compete internationally and contribute to national development.

Ahsan Iqbal also expressed a desire to establish a state-of-the-art Teachers’ Training Center to improve education quality and produce skilled professionals who meet contemporary needs. The Ministry of Education has already been tasked with this initiative.

He said the PML-N government had initiated this project during its previous tenure but was unable to complete it due to political instability.

The center, in collaboration with provincial education departments, is expected to be the best in South Asia, providing students with high-quality education focused on enhancing critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and teamwork.

“It will be a paradigm shift from memorization-based education,” Iqbal said, adding that the initiative would also reform the existing examination system. Ahsan Iqbal stressed that memorization-based education was outdated in the modern era, where innovation and creativity were essential for development.

He said the country could not achieve progress and prosperity without improving education standards and developing human resources. “Today’s era is not about muscle power; it’s about brain power. Nations with superior brain power will succeed. The first step toward national progress is improving the education system.”

Commenting on the debate about whether the medium of imparting education should be Urdu or English, the minister suggested a blend of both, which he termed “Urdish.” He proposed using Urdu for the conceptual part of education and English for achieving global competence. “There should be blended learning. We need to transition from robotic learning to conceptual learning.”

“Educational power guarantees progress and prosperity for any nation and society,” he remarked.