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58 EASTERN HORIZON | NEWS

Buddhism added to

Pakistan’s National

Curriculum, along with

Zoroastrianism, Other

Minority Religions

By Justin Whitaker | March 15, 2022

Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Education has said Peter Jacob, the director of the Centre for Social Justice
that Buddhism and Zoroastrianism will be added to (CSJ), described the inclusion of religious studies in the
the nation’s religious studies curriculum, the Single Single National Curriculum as a major achievement. He
National Curriculum (SNC). Five other minority further said: “The holistic inclusion is a breath of fresh
religions will be added as well: Baha’i, Christianity, air. Finally, the government is addressing monolithic
Hinduism, Kalash, and Sikhism. The ministry also views and learning. Now we can go to parity. It’s a step
announced that experts on these religions would be forward.” (Academia Magazine).
sought to provide assistance in creating the curricula.
Pakistan is a majority Muslim country, with some
The Single National Curriculum has been established 96.4 per cent of the population following Islam. The
as a uniform education system to provide equal majority of Pakistan’s Muslims belong to the Sunni
educational opportunities to all people in Pakistan, sect, the largest sect of Islam in the world, while 10–15
irrespective of class or religious background. per cent of Pakistan’s Muslims are Shia, according to
data for 2009 from the Pew Research Center’s Forum
The draft curriculum for Buddhism was accepted 4 on Religion & Public Life. A small sect of Islam called
March, while the others are still in process. The move Ahmadiyyah, which originated in India, has as many
marks the first time in Pakistan’s history that such a as five million adherents in Pakistan, although exact
broad set of religious studies recommendations has details are difficult to determine due to the ongoing
been undertaken by the Ministry of Education. persecution of the sect in Pakistan.

Parshant Singh, a Sikh curriculum developer and the Prof. Anjum James Paul, a member of the Ethics Review
first Sikh officer of Punjab University, Lahore, said Committee of the SNC, said: “Some Muslim members of
that Sikhs would represent the third-largest minority SNC review committee questioned the absence of the
religion in Pakistan if Buddhists from the scheduled chapters of interfaith harmony in religious education.
castes were excluded. While noting that no Sikhs I argued to include it first in Islamic studies where
represented their community as lawmakers, he added: there is no chapter on interfaith harmony.” (Academia
“Still, we thank the government for involving minorities Magazine).
in designing their curriculum.” (Academia Magazine)