Federal Minister for Education Lieutenant General Javed Ashraf Qazi (Retd) has stressed that revision of curricula was necessary to implement a uniform education system. Inaugurating the readership scheme at National Book foundation, he categorically dismissed the allegations that syllabus was being revised on the behest of the US.
The minister said that the curricula had not been revised for last 18 years and lacked innovative material pertaining to the current era.
"Keeping in view the needs of our society the necessary changes have been recommended in the existing curricula," Ashraf Qazi argued.
The minister said concrete steps are being taken to do away with the existing mediums of education. As a first step, he said the ministry has selected 10 schools from all over the country wherein all the science subjects would be taught in English.
Gradually, Qazi said, this method would be implemented in other 50 schools and then in all schools to bring about uniform education system.
The minister criticised the present system of education, saying it has been the major hindrance in our socio-economic development and warned that it would be suicidal to further continue with this system.
"Present system of education and examination has miserably failed to deliver," Qazi said.
He said adoption of English as medium of learning was essential and in the revised curricula it would be made obligatory for Urdu-medium schools to teach math and science in English.
The minister also hinted at expunging all that material from the syllabus, considered to be inciting hatred for other religions than Islam.
He said the government wanted to equip the students of Madaris with skilled education so that they could play a positive and constructive role in the society.
Javed Ashraf Qazi said the ministry has been striving to develop consensus among provincial and federal governments to commence the educational session from August.
This, he said, would extend the educational session to nine months from the existing six months.