PROCESS OF CURRICULAM DEVELOPMENT (PRIMARY

AND SECONDARY LEVEL) IN PAKISTAN

Why Curriculum??? Education plays a vital role in nation building. Ministry of
(provisional) Education, is responsible for the cohesion, integration and
preservation of the ideological foundation of the states. Curriculum Bodies at
Primary and Secondary Levels • IN PUNJAB : PUNJAB CURRICULUM
AUTHORTY (PCA)is responsible to develop curriculum for Punjab Province. •
IN SINDH: BUREAU OF CURRICULUM AND EXTENSION WING
(BCEW) is responsible for develop curriculum for Sindh Province • IN KPK:
DIRECTORATE OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHER EDUCATION(CTE) is
responsible for develop curriculum for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. • IN
BALOCHISTAN: No Curriculum body it’s in process • IN ICT, FATA, FANA
and AJK: CURRICULUM WING is responsible for the develop curriculum for
these Areas. Main Functions of these bodies • prepare or cause to be prepared
schemes of studies, curricula, manuscripts of textbooks, standards of education
and schedules or strategy for their introduction in various classes of an
institution in connection with the implementation of the education policy of the
Government. Main Responsibilities Ministry of Education (Curriculum
Development Body) is responsible in making of: 1. Curriculum 2. Syllabus 3.
Planning 4. Policy and 5. Development of Educational Standards. Curriculum
Design and Development Process in Pakistan 1. Evolution of Curriculum
Objectives. 2. Development of Scheme of Studies. 3. Development of Syllabus
of each subject. 4. Development of Textbook, Instructional material. 5.
Approval of Textual Material. 6. Teacher Training. Evolution of Curriculum
Objectives. • Prepares the draft of objectives. (Send to inter-provincial Ministry
for discussion curriculum development). • Objectives are finalized. • Translated
to the specific teaching objectives. Factors considered in finalizing the
objectives • Be precise • Assist in the selection of teaching strategy • Produce a
designated behavior pattern • Enables teachers to evaluate the quality and

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effectiveness of learning. Developing Objectives are derived from •
Recommendation of the Education Policy • Provisional Level Seminars •
Forums of research studies • Inter Board Committee of Chairmen The studies
Scheme (Scheme of Studies) It is based on three key factors: • The Education
policy • Market Demand • Global Issues Task work in this area is undertaken
with the participation of: • Provincial government • Research organizations and
experts • Feedback of the IBCC Development of Syllabi It is based on
objectives and scheme of study. 1. Subject specific syllabi is prepared in
consultation with: 2. Subject expert 3. Psychologist 4. Serving teacher Syllabi
must satisfy the following conditions: 1. Based on the needs of learner. 2. Take
into account the existing knowledge and the environmental experience of the
learner. 3. The development level of the learner is considered in the cognitive,
effectiveness and psycho-motor domain. 4. Content should be focused on
attaining the objectives. Textbook Development • Provisional Text Book
Boards are responsible for the development of the text-books according to the
approved syllabi. How textbook is developed? 1. Establish a list of text book
writers. 2. Invitation are sent to the writers to submit the material within the
syllabus parameter. 3. Selection is made on the basis of relevance of material. 4.
The selected material is transformed into a textbook. Review the Approval
Review committee comprises on five or six members: • At least one expert form
the syllabus Formulation Committee. Two subject experts. Two school teachers
• Textbooks Review Parameter • The books truly reflects the curriculum. • It
meets the objectives stated in the curriculum. • Book does not contain any
material repugnant to Islamic and Pakistani ideology. • In case of approval,
textbook is sent for publishing and distribution. • In case of objection,
complaints are relayed with revision recommendations. Teacher Training •
Teacher training for curriculum implementation is the responsibility of the
provincial government. • It is now stressed that each textbook must have a

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teacher's guide or included in textbook. • In some cases assistance in the
training of the masters trainers is arranged by the provincial government.

Before 1972, there was no permanent institution responsible for curriculum

development in Pakistan. Saeed (1977) noted that before this time, curriculum
development was not visualized as distinct, separate and specialized function.
The entire curricular activity was carried out through committees which were
created for a specific purpose at a specific time and were dissolved as soon as
U1e task was over. To fulfill the gigantic task of curriculum revision and further
development, the National Bureau of Curriculum in Islamabad was reorganized
and strengthened in 1972. A primary feature which distinguished the education
system in general and curriculum in particular, however, in all four provinces of
Pakistan, parallel Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Wings were established
in 1972 independently aimed at revising the school curriculum in close
collaboration with the Central Bureau of, Curriculum and Textbooks,
Islamabad, but the role of the Provincial Bureau of Curriculum and Extension
Centre was somewhat limited (Memon 1989). The present processes of
curriculum development are based on the center-periphery approach which
emphasizes achieving the desired objectives with the formulation of aims and
goals by the bureaucrats at the central level under the directives of the education
policy. The goals provide a platform for the development of curriculum and
textbooks. The provincial curriculum committees consist of concerned teachers,
heads of schools, teacher educators, subject experts and curriculum experts who
work on the proposals. After prolonged deliberation, the provincial committees
formulate and tryout the draft and arrange the test edition of the textbooks and
training of teachers. After necessary amendment, the modified provincial draft
is placed before the national curriculum committee under the control of central
government for formulating a uniform draft for the whole country. It may be
noted that the central government is the only guiding and controlling authority
in this matter, and final approval is therefore, only sought from the central
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government. Therefore, the textbooks and relevant instructional material are
published in collaboration with the Provincial Bureau of Curriculum and
Extension Wings. In reality, the renewal of the curricula is either based on 'arm
chair research' or 'intuitive knowledge' of the so called experts of curriculum in
general or imported innovation from western countries in particular. In some
cases, donordriven innovations are also introduced and their impact on the
improvement of education as a whole has to be examined. Under the current
situation, the schools are effectively discouraged from devising and using their
own curriculum. Teachers are legally bound to use the printed books which are
approved by the relevant provincial Textbook Boards which acts as
'gatekeepers' to make sure that prescribed books are in use in the schools. One
of the Textbook Boards in its circular mentioned that all the heads of schools,
teachers, parents and students are requested to see that the textbooks prepared
and published under the 'authority of the Sindh Textbook Board alone are
purchased. and no book other than these is used in the classroom (Sindh Tex
book Board, 1987). This indicates that the teachers' authority is restricted to use
of the prescribed books in order to avoid running any risk that students will not
be specially prepared for the relevant examination which is all based on the
official syllabus. Public prestige and status of secondary schools is primarily
based on the relevant success of their students in the examination.

An educational system depends upon a curriculum to systematize and execute

the process of education. Curriculum is a channel that helps teachers and other
agents to impart education to approaching generations. There is a lot of
difference between theory and practice that is why only experts are not enough
to develop a curriculum unless and until it involves practitioners who have
relevant and sufficient experience of teaching and learning to develop
curriculum at a grass root level. No doubt it is a very difficult and a hard nut to
crack like task that the developers of curriculum has to face while fitting a
curriculum into a specific context under certain conditions. Keywords:
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Educational system, curriculum development, Pakistan Introduction The
questions like these mostly put the curriculum developers into trouble for
example; what content is suitable for teaching, why a certain cluster of content
is necessary to teach, what way is suitable enough to impart this knowledge to
the learners, and when the process of assessment and evaluation is necessary to
know whether the set objectives have been achieved or not. In Pakistan the
whole process of curriculum development is contradictory to a standardized and
generalized process of curriculum development prevailing in the developed
countries. Here experts are inducted to develop curriculum rather involving
practitioners in this process. These experts tend to address the question of what
content should be delivered to the learners rather than addressing the question of
all those above mentioned questions being addressed in developed countries.
Until the whole process of desired curriculum is overanalyzed into mainstream
teaching and learning environment, the desired outcomes seem to be
unattainable. Till day people have defined curriculum in various ways according
to their perception, conception and interpretation. Curriculum is not a static
process, rather it is a dynamic process that evolves according to the needs and
demands of the, society and learners. This process of evolution is life-long and
demands attention to run along the main stream. So for its smooth sail and
better development both practioners and theorists must evolve it according to
the needs of learners, society and specific context and conditions. These
conditions are apparent and known to us. This neither challenges to the
centralization of the curriculum nor threats any national integrity. The
participation of the teachers in the process of curriculum development will help
them update and improve not only to the curriculum but also for the better and
effective teaching and learning process itself. If we really want to see our
curriculum and education successful there is a dire need to involve the teachers
who are fully aware of the dynamics of curriculum, in the process of curriculum
development. A conventional concept of curriculum that curriculum is a

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combination of all planned and unplanned academic activities that are carried
out inside the four walls of a school must be revised and re-defined. It must go
beyond the academic activities to the collected vision, national ideology and a
philosophy of a nation and country. Curriculum must be such a dynamic one
that may have direct influential effect on the teachers and their belief systems.
In a country where educational experiences for learners are very rare and even
nothing to none curriculum must become an agent of change from non-
productive academic activities to a productive vehicle for providing practical
and activity based academic experiences to the children. This new concept of
curriculum may provide our policy makers, practitioners, and learners’ broader
implications of curriculum. Curriculum as has multidimensional meanings,
aspects, types and definitions for example; implicit curriculum, explicit
curriculum, hidden curriculum and core-curriculum, however a single line
definition of curriculum is a difficult task. Its definition depends upon the
national ideology, value system, the belief system of a nation and the context
where this curriculum evolves. This concept of curriculum makes context or
situation, the role of teachers, head teachers and supervisory personnel very
significant. In fact, the school curriculum becomes operational when it is
enacted by teachers through teaching. However, curriculum contains four major
elements objectives, content, teaching methods and students assessment
evaluation. Each component is considered to be equally important. In the
context of Pakistan, curriculums referred to as an official curriculum excluding
hidden curriculum whereas the latter also plays a very crucial role in the
educational institutions. Thus, curriculum is considered as a vehicle to transfer
the societal values and norms through the teaching learning process in the
educational institutions. Therefore, curriculum should respond to the societal
needs and values so that the young generation could be physically, socially,
morally and intellectually developed as active citizens. The following sections

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will discuss the curriculum development process and its implications for
education in Pakistan.

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