LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday issued a letter admonishing the Aitchison College for not following the Single National Curriculum’s guidelines in its entirety as the college earlier issued books for grades I-V which have not yet been issued NOCs by the board.
“It is to apprise you that the PCTB reviews and issues NOCs to the books after due process not on the request of an educational institution (school/college), but on the request of book developer (person/agency/private publisher) who apply for the same,” reads the letter.
The college has been directed to issue orders to publishers of the books to submit their work for review and issuance of NOCs. “You are again requested/ advised to kindly do not prescribe those books which have not given NOCs by PCTB,” reads the letter.
“zero exemptions” as regards SNCs guidelines, said Education Minister Murad Raas, posting the letter on Twitter.
“Letter sent to Aitchison College Lahore for NOT implementing Single National Curriculum in its entirety by Punjab Curriculum Textbook Board. Zero exemptions. I will not let anyone challenge the writ of the government,” he tweeted.
Is Aitchison not adhering to the SNCs guidelines?
“So far we have not received any notification from the school saying it is moving towards the Single National Curriculum,” the mother of a Grade 4 student at Aitchison said. “All the subjects, except Urdu, are in English for now. I don’t know if that will change.”
Daily Times has seen the class 5 textbooks for the subjects of Social Studies and Islamiat at Aitchison College. Both are in English, even though Social Studies/General Knowledge and Islamiat are to be taught in the Urdu language, under the government’s Single National Curriculum (SNC), which has been rolled out across most of the country this month for primary classes.
The decision of a uniform syllabus has been taken by the present government to end disparity in the education system and its first phase was launched in March 2021. The SNC has already been implemented in Punjab, Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Grade 1- 5 this year.