ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood Thursday said that the single national curriculum (SNC) would not only do away with the division within the nation but also provide a level playing field to the students.
The minister, addressing the distribution ceremony of awards and prizes among the position holders of Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education here, said the SNC had already been enforced from class 1-5. For class 6 to 8, it would be introduced this year and in the upcoming year for classes 9 and 10. He said contrary to the international practice, the country had three education systems in the form of English medium, Urdu medium and religious seminaries. However, the SNC would end this discrimination as it had been the main target of the incumbent government.
He said the ministry was also striving to overcome the difficulties being faced during the SNC’s implementation. The minister congratulated the position holders as well as their parents and teachers, besides lauding the FBISE for introducing reforms in education as well as the examination system. He said having around 2,652 educational institutions linked with it including the Pakistan international schools across the world, the FBISE was in the process to do away with the rote learning by introducing examination patterns based on the students learning outcome.
Moreover, he said the government had also established the first National Skills University where 600 students were getting skill training in multiple fields. He also urged the Higher Education Commission to review the universities’ curriculum to conform it with the market needs.
Earlier, the education minister along with Secretary Education Naheed Durrani distributed awards among the toppers of secondary schools certificate (SSC) and higher secondary school certificates (HSSC) of 2020 and 2021 sessions. The first position holders were given gold medals while those on second and third slots got silver and bronze medals respectively besides a laptop, certificate and cash prizes given to all the toppers.
In his remarks FBISE Chairman Qiaser Alam apprised the audience of the ongoing educational and examinations reforms being enforced by the Board across the country. He said the Board had introduced biannual exams replacing the supplementary examination besides carrying out the GIS mapping of all examination centres. He said the students would be given three sets of models and papers and their solved copies.
Moreover, a pilot project for the computer-based examination would be executed this year besides introducing e-marking of the papers.