Speakers at the meeting of Shura Hamdard Karachi chapter urged the government to implement unified curriculum in the country, make Urdu, a lingua franca of Pakistan, medium of instruction which was also favoured by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The meeting was held recently on the theme: "The real purpose of education in Pakistan and combination of scientific knowledge and Islamic values," presided over by Justice Haziqul Khairi (Rtd) at a local hall.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Sadia Rashid, President, Hamdard Foundation Pakistan said that Hakim Said, who was a great advocate of education in Pakistan, wrote a 'Case of Education' and highlighted all aspects of education and training and suggested necessary actions, to be taken to promote education in the country in order to make it a modern, developed and welfare state. Hakim Said also wrote that Pakistani nation could not progress without a unified curriculum and positive system of education, based on scientific knowledge and Islamic values, she added.
Addressing the meeting, Haq Nawaz Akhtar, former Chairman, Pakistan Steel Mills said: 'A strong decision is needed to correct the direction of education, because correct direction of education plays a key role in character and nation building. All developed nations progressed and developed through the education, given to them in their own languages. No language than Urdu is most suitable for Pakistan, as it is spoken and understood in each and every corner of the country, and deserves to be the medium of instruction and national language of Pakistan'.
Books of Maulana Hali, Maulvi Nazeer Ahmed, Rashid ul Khari and poems especially "Masjid Qurtaba" and "Saqi Nama" of Allama Iqbal should be made a part of curriculum, because these writings would give students the understanding of the rise and fall of Muslims, evolution of Muslim history, glorious past and culture of Muslims, he maintained.
'In Holland, children are taught three languages, Dutch, French and English in schools, children can learn simultaneously three languages, mother tongue, Urdu and English in Pakistan also,' he concluded. Justice Haziqul Khairi (Rtd) said that Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had very clearly stated in his speech in March 1948 in Dacca that Urdu and only Urdu would be the national language of Pakistan.--PR