Education policy focuses on religious education

 

Source: The News Monday, September 28, 2009 Islamabad The new education policy of the federal government has focused on teaching of human rights as envisioned by Islam. In line with the policy, religious education will be promoted through hiring of qualified teachers and publication of quality textbooks. The objective of religious education is to teach ethics and good behaviour to the students and make them learn the basic principles for spending their daily social life.According to the policy, Islamiat will be taught as a compulsory subject from Class 1 to 12. Students will be instructed about morality through examples set by Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in his day-to-day affairs and dealings with Muslims and non-Muslims. The government will ensure that the Islamiat textbooks and other learning materials do not contain anything contrary to Islamic injunctions or any controversial material regarding any sect or religious and ethnic minorities.  The policy will make sure that the Islamiat textbooks allow the children to learn, understand and apply the fundamental principles in their lives, with an aim to change and build a society based on the principles of Quran and Sunnah. The policy will focus on the rights and duties of parents, relatives, neighbours, teachers, friends, companions, children, women, orphans, widows, patients, handicapped persons, elders, travellers, guests and non-Muslims.  There will also be lessons on tolerance, forgiveness, patience, honesty, piety, chastity, enlightenment, service to humanity, punctuality, simplicity, love for the country and countrymen, Islamic brotherhood, truth, dignity of labour, equality, commitment to vows, ‘halal’ earnings, discipline, respect for law, national unity, mutual co-existence and purity in the light of Islamic teachings. The policy says that qualified teachers will be appointed to teach Islamiat and Arabic, adding that training programmes in the two subjects will be provided for pre-service and in-service teachers. The government plans to arrange for the printing of rare books on Islam and charts and materials relating to Islamic injunctions, and will distribute them amongst the libraries of schools, colleges, universities, research institutions and madrassas.  The government will award scholarships to students, who want to get higher education in Islamic studies. The new policy also has a provision for non-Muslim students to study ethics and moral education in place of Islamiat.