Pashto recommended to be taught as compulsory subject

A cabinet committee on Tuesday finalised its recommendations under which Pashto would be introduced as compulsory subject in 17 districts. The recommendations would be placed before the provincial assembly for legislation after approval by the provincial cabinet.
“As per recommendations of the committee, Pashto will be included as compulsory subject in 17 districts from Class-I to XII, while in the remaining seven districts mother tongue will be included as compulsory subject in the curriculum,” said a communiquÈ issued after the meeting.
Besides Minister for Information and Public Relations Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the meeting was also attended by Secretary Administration Hifzur Rahman and officials of the Primary and Elementary and Higher Education and Textbook Board Peshawar.
It was decided that Pashto as compulsory subject would be introduced in 17 districts including Swat, Swabi, Buner, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Mardan, Charsadda, Shangla, Malakand, Nowshera, Hangu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Bannu, Tank, Kohat and Battagram. It was also decided that mother tongues would be introduced in the remaining seven districts in class 6 from the next academic year 2011-12.
Pashto and other mother tongues will be included as compulsory subject in class 7 from 2012-13, in class 8 from 2013-14, in class 9 2014-15, in class 10 from 2015-16, in 1st year from 2016-17 and in 2 year 2017-18.
Besides nine districts i.e. Swat, Swabi, Buner, Dir Upper and Lower, Mardan, Charsadda, Shangla and Malakand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where Pashto is already being taught as compulsory subject since 1984 in classes one to five, it will also be introduced as compulsory subject in another eight districts including Nowshera, Hangu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Bannu, Tank, Kohat and Battagram from the next academic year 2011-12. The other mother tongues will be included as compulsory subject in the remaining seven districts from the next academic year 2011-12 in classes one to five.
The meeting also decided to look into the bifurcation of Peshawar district into urban and rural areas. In urban areas, the relevant mother tongue and in rural areas Pashto will be introduced as compulsory subject.
The chairman of the committee, Mian Iftikahr Hussain, directed the authorities of the Education Department and Textbook Board Peshawar to focus on the early preparation of curricula of Pashto as well as the other mother tongues and finalise timelines for preparation of curriculum, contents and script so that the students don’t face difficulties in this connection. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will follow the Education Policy 2009 in letter and spirit and curricula of mathematics and science subjects will be in English.