The books approved by Single National Curriculum (SNC) have been subjected to criticism for promoting regressive and orthodox roles of women.
The content of the textbooks designed for the students has been in the crosshairs as netizens argued that the course highlight women performing traditional roles. The book does not support a progressive outlook regarding women. A picture has been circulating on social media that shows an ideal daily routine for women to follow.
It shows women are expected to wake up around 5 am to offer morning prayers and then prepare breakfast for their husbands and children. She should then work in the kitchen and clean up the house as well. Afterward, the women should prepare lunch offer afternoon prayers, feed food to children and then take nap. In the evening they should prepare snacks for the family, arrange dinner offer prayers and prepare for the next morning.
Netizens say the content is enforcing stereotypical gender roles for women. The critics have argued that the books contain very few lessons on the women role models and them excelling in academics and other careers and fields.
The SNC was launched in all provinces except for Sindh for classes 1-5 with the intent to end disparity in education. All the private and government schools including madrassahs would be teaching the same curriculum. The second phase of the SNC will start in March 2022 for classes 6-8 and the following year for classes 9-12.
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However, Azhar Mashwani, the focal person of CM Punjab Usman Buzdar called it a baseless accusation on the SNC. He said that SNC is not responsible. He said that SNC is just a “syllabus” under which any publisher can publish his book after the approval of the “textbook board”
تو ثابت یہ ہوتا ہےکہ یہ اعتراضات یکساں نصاب یعنی سنگل نیشنل کریکولم (SNC) پر نہیں کیونکہ SNC سے ان باتوں کا لینادینا ہی نہیں
کتابوں پر اعتراض پبلشرز پر بنتےہیں ناکہ SNC پر
لیکن ایک مخصوص مذہب بیزار / پاکستانی کلچر سے نآشنا طبقہ صرف اپنی مرضی کےصفحات اٹھا کر پراپیگنڈا کر رہا ہے
— Azhar Mashwani (@MashwaniAzhar) September 8, 2021
It is foolish to target SNC for the published books belong to the respective publishers. However, the rebuttal had been in response to the women and young girls being shown wearing hijab and sitting on the floor while men were shown wearing western clothes and sitting on the couch.
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No response has so far been given by the government on the alleged promotion of the stereotypical roles for women in the curriculum.