Religious Impact on the National Educational Policies in Pakistan (1972-79)

Abstract

Established to ‘experience’ the implementation of the tenets of Islam as a ‘code of life’, History of Pakistan has witnessed a very strong and vital role of religion. Therefore, from the ‘Objective Resolution’ to the current constitutional format, the state of Pakistan has demonstrated an ‘Islamic will’. As education system is considered a basic tool for the shaping of the lives of masses and application of state policy, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate how ‘Islamic will’ has affected the state’s education policy and how education policy has affected the educational curriculum? Exploring the relationship between state ideology, education policy and education system, the paper aims at understanding the nature of education being imparted on the generation of Pakistan. For the study, a very important period of the History of Pakistan, i.e., after the establishment of New Pakistan, and the first period of the application of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, is focused in this study. The paper analyzes in this context National Education Policies from 1972 to 1979. In this way, the paper also provides an opportunity to have a comparative insight into the regimes of democracy and Marshal_x0002_Law. After the independence of Pakistan, it has been considered as the key element for developing the national unity, integrity and consolidation of Pakistan. Education is the basic source for attaining the national objectives. Education system is organized according to the national educational policies. Educational policies are formulated for achieving some specific objectives. National unity, integrity and stability of Pakistan have been the main objectives in the national educational policies in Pakistan. So, the religion has been taken as the basic instrument for attaining the above mentioned objectives in the national education policies. It has been viewed as the basic binding force among the people before and after the independence of Pakistan. That is why it has been emphasized in all the educational policies that education system should be based on the Islamic lines. Especially the core of common subjects (Islamic. Studies, Social Studies and Urdu) have been focused for organizing on Islamic lines for getting the above mentioned objectives in the national educational policies. Mainly the subjects of Social Studies and Islamic Studies have been considered earlier compulsory up to the class VIII. Then these subjects have been declared compulsory up to the class X. Later, these subjects have been proposed compulsory up to the degree level (i.e., class XIV) of education in the national educational policies.