ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday stressed the need for the government to ensure official correspondence and court works in the Urdu language as envisaged in Article 251 of the constitution.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture met at National University of Technology (NUTECH) with MNA Dr Azimuddin Zahid Lakhvi in the chair.

The committee lamented that in contradiction to the constitution, successive governments had miserably failed to give Urdu its due importance.

The committee received a briefing from the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD), which highlighted its key functions and initiatives. It was informed about the department’s library resources, efforts in promoting Urdu calligraphy, publication of a monthly Urdu newspaper and the development of an extensive dictionary collection.

The NLPD has also undertaken the translation of various books into Urdu to enhance accessibility and understanding. Additionally, the committee was apprised of Article 251 of the constitution which emphasises the status of Urdu as the national language.

The meeting was told that NLPD, established in 1979, had played a significant role in promoting the Urdu language and preserving its cultural and linguistic heritage.

The committee acknowledged the contributions of NLPD and underscored the importance of its initiatives in fostering the use of Urdu in various domains. The committee appreciated the department’s endeavours and emphasised the importance of promoting Urdu in a manner similar to how other nations preserved and advanced their national languages. It encouraged further initiatives to strengthen the use of Urdu in educational institutions, official communication and everyday life. The committee reaffirmed its support to NLPD’s mission and stressed the role of the national language in fostering unity and cultural identity across the country.

The lawmakers also appreciated the education ministry for its efforts in upgrading schools and for improving infrastructure, introducing modern teaching methodologies, and providing essential resources, recognising their impact on enhancing educational standards and bridging the urban-rural divide.

The meeting was also briefed on the functions and progress of the Directorate General of Religious Education (DGRE), tasked with implementing medressah reforms. The committee was told that the key achievements of DDGRE included registering 18,068 seminaries, deploying 1,196 teachers, training seminary educators in modern education, introducing the national curriculum, and distributing textbooks for classes I to 8.

The National Curriculum Wing briefed the committee on the National Curriculum Council’s progress and initiatives. Its achievements included the notification of Adult Literacy Curriculum 2024, introduction of nursing and sports fitness groups at the HSSC level, and development of textbooks for Grades 1-5 for the Bahá’í community. The committee was informed about the introduction of specialised curricula in financial literacy, mind games, entrepreneurship, character education, ICT, and media literacy. The committee recommended the development of a uniform curriculum to be implemented across the country.

Earlier, the committee was briefed on NUTECH. The university combines academic training with practical experience, fostering innovation and industry linkages to produce skilled technologists and engineers, its officials said.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2025