Muhammad Ilyas Khan: January 2012

Monday, 30 January 2012

K-P govt wants citizens’ help to design syllabus

K-P govt wants citizens’ help to design syllabus

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To remove flaws from the current syllabus after it was criticised for being class-based, the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has sought the help of ordinary citizens to make changes to the curriculum on social, scientific and religious grounds.

The announcement came from Sadar Hussain Babak, the minister for education in K-P." Express Tribune

Sunday, 29 January 2012

On Our Minds @ Scholastic | The official blog of Scholastic Inc.

On Our Minds @ Scholastic | The official blog of Scholastic Inc.: Book and education enthusiasts sharing breaking book and media news, stories of education and technology, and reflections on literacy. Join us!

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Guernica / The Battle over Pakistan’s Schools

"2011, Karachi. I find myself looking at an illustration of an airplane colliding with the World Trade Center. Fire and smoke plume from the buildings. Below the illustration are the words, in Urdu: “Tay—Takrao.” Translated, they are along the lines of “C is for Collide.” The image is in a textbook for first-grade students who are learning the Urdu alphabet. “Jeem—Jihad” and “Hei—Hijab” follow (the accompanying illustration shows a woman in top-to-toe niqab rather than hijab).

The fate of Pakistan is dependent on the state’s ability to impart education that enlightens students rather than pulling them into the darkness of obscurantism.

“Madrassas,” I say, shaking my head. But the friend showing me the illustrations says such books can also be found in schools that aren’t within the madrassa system. She suggests that I look at some government-issued textbooks before coming to any conclusions about the wide gap between education in madrassas, which are largely unregulated, and education that follows the National Curricula." Kamila Shamsie~ Guernica

Guernica / The Battle over Pakistan’s Schools

Friday, 27 January 2012

Let’s talk dirty

Let’s talk dirty ...The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is supposed to be a citadel of all that is holy and sacred. It’s a ‘family value’ culture, you know. Unlike the ‘selfish, immoral westerners,’ we live and die for our families and our children. Yet, a child is raped and molested every seven hours here. And this ugly statistic is just the tip of the iceberg and accounts for only reported cases. The actual figure runs many times over.
According to studies, over 60 percent of such cases involve family members and associates. Incest too is a reality but nobody dare talk about it. Married women are dying needless deaths in dingy, secret abortion facilities because nobody is telling them how to live. Young children are being exploited for asking the right questions from the wrong people. We are a nation breeding like rabbits and dying like vermin, but nobody wants to talk about sex. It’s time we did.
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