|
"Education should
not be viewed as a means of acquiring wealth through lucrative jobs,
but of producing people of integrity and high moral standing and
this is the basic objective of a curriculum" said Maulana Fazle
Ali, Minister for Education, NWFP. He was the chief guest at the
research and policy dialogue on curriculum review and reforms, organized
by Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED)
in Peshawar on January 29 and 30, 2003.
AKU is part of Aga Khan
Development Network, a group of private international development agencies,
founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, which work in the developing countries
of Asia and Africa.
The objective of the dialogue
was to provide a forum to share views on current trends and practices of curriculum
development and its implementation and assessment. It also provided an opportunity
to exchange initiatives being undertaken by public and private sectors, as well
as to facilitate sharing of experiences and lessons to be used in curriculum
reforms and policy formulation. Participants included curriculum and textbook
developers, teachers and head teachers, examination board representatives from
the private sector and from provincial and district levels, NGOs and other stakeholders.
"The education sector serves
as the backbone in the success of any nation," the Minister said, adding that
the government was serious about curriculum reforms. He said that to review
the curriculum of classes 1 to 12 and to make recommendations for its improvement,
the government of NWFP had established a task force which would soon put forward
its recommendations for improvement. Lamenting that an outdated curriculum was
still in place in many educational institutions in the country, the Minister
informed the audience that the task force intends to revise the curriculum in
keeping with modern standards. "Our government places emphasis on the Islamic
curriculum. Developing a curriculum based on Islamic principles, its values
and ethics, and adapting that to modern standards is an essential part of our
manifesto," the Minister added.
"We do want our children
to become the best doctors and engineers, but they should also be upright Muslims
- Islamic teachings and injunctions should be reflected in their behaviour,
their habits and their actions," the Minister continued. Just like the Muslims
of the past, who are acclaimed for many an invention, we too should seek modern
and meaningful knowledge, the Minister said. "In order to do so, a much better
curriculum needs to be developed, followed by better systems leading to proper
implementation," he emphasised.
Lauding the role of AKU-IED
in the education sector, the Minister said it was important that the dialogue
be positive, allowing a critical review of the curriculum and practices for
its development, by application of critique and the best possible strategy.
Dr. Haroona Jatoi of the
Ministry of Education, said that curriculum development is an ongoing and dynamic
process deriving its goals from national policies and directives of the government.
"Curriculum development is based on broad areas of concerns, such as incorporating
changes at national and global levels, preparing students for job markets, and
human resource development to ensure sustainable development," she explained.
"A country without reforms
is a country without the means of survival," said Muneer Ahmed, a subject specialist
at the Directorate of Curriculum, NWFP. He said that in regard to education,
the Provincial Curriculum Bureau and Teacher Education, NWFP, in collaboration
with the Ministry of Education in Islamabad, had developed 30 curricula in different
disciplines after consultations and meetings with experts, teachers and other
stakeholders.
Dr. Iffat Farah, Head, Research
and Policy, AKU-IED, said the dialogue was not meant to focus on any particular
curriculum or syllabus. "Rather, through this, we want to broaden our view of
a curriculum, and to perceive it as a process rather than a document, illustrative
rather than prescriptive, as it is used - written taught and assessed - in a
variety of ways in different contexts, and ensure the involvement of all key
stakeholders," she explained.
Welcoming the chief guest,
Dr. Mohammad Memon, Head of Professional Programmes at AKU-IED, said he hoped
that the Minister, through his suggestions, would help in critically reviewing
the existing educational policy from an Islamic vantage point, and highlight
areas of improvement.
Taking the concept of curriculum
beyond books, Dr. Bernadette Dean, a professor at AKU-IED, said "Our curriculum
is only information focused, and does not take into account such factors as
classroom arrangement, assembly, as well as diversity." She highlighted that
diversity teaches children to respect each other, and helps them appreciate
interdependence. She also proposed that in view of drastic increase in the amount
of information available with the advent of the Internet, children should be
taught ways to seek the right kind of knowledge, as well as the competency to
put that knowledge into practice.
The dialogue, which included
group discussions, question-and-answer sessions, presentations and panel discussions,
revolved around such issue as decentralised curriculum; innovative assessment
practices; initiatives by provincial representatives in curriculum reforms and
the roles of teachers and examination boards. Recommendations included clarity
of structures and processes of curriculum development; greater involvement of
teachers in curriculum development at the federal, provincial and district levels
and a systematic analysis initiated by the government and with professional
expertise from the private sector.
This was the fourth in a
series of dialogues on key issues in education undertaken by AKU-IED. Earlier
dialogues focused on teacher education, decentralisation in education, and effective
resource utilisation through public-private partnerships.
|
