ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Education has notified a 10-member committee for proper implementation of the Single National Curriculum (SNC).

According to a notification, the committee was constituted after a meeting was held between the federal and provincial education ministers. The committee is headed by additional secretary (Ministry of Education) and has representation from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

According to the terms of reference (TORs) of the committee, it will evolve consensus and contribute towards clarifying and drafting guidelines on Core Standards and Inter-Provincial Harmony.

The term “core standards” will be clearly defined in the Single National Curriculum Framework regardless of location and school type. “The term ‘Core’ will delineate clearly how schools can build upon a national curriculum with additional content such as Standards or Student Learning Outcomes within our outside textbooks,” read the notification.

While elaborating inter provincial harmony, the notification stated that the committee will devise a mechanism for streamlining the Non Objection Certificate (NOC) process such that federating units can facilitate publishers and schools operating in multiple parts of the country. “Examples include giving NOCs jointly, honouring each other’s NOC through a rapid review process, or other such mechanism etc., simultaneously adhering to their own laws,” the notification stated, adding that the committee is mandated for fostering greater public-private partnership ethos, for scaling the use of quality textbooks developed in the private sector in order to make sure that provincial resources spent on teacher trainings and assessments are utilised in a careful manner during the first year of transition whenever a new set of curriculum standards are introduced.

Joint secretary of the education ministry, director of the National Curriculum Council, secretary of School Education Punjab, secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education (KP), secretary of Education & Literacy Department Sindh or his representative (not below BS 20), secretary of Secondary Education Balochistan, managing director of Punjab Curriculum & Text Book Board (Lahore), chairman of Khyber-Pakthunkhwa Textbook Board (Peshawar), director (Directorate of Curriculum & Teacher Education KP) are members of the committee.

“Committee will meet frequently (online as well as physically) during the week, so that Honorable Prime Minister’s directive on expediting the SNC process may be fulfilled,” the notification further added.

It is relevant to note here that the government introduced SNC from classes one to five at the start of the ongoing session in Islamabad, Punjab, KP and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2021