Pakistan’s Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board had a problem with an image of a woman in a Grade Two picture book — her legs were showing in a western dress. “Redraw keeping in view our own culture,” the Board’s hand-written comment read, according to a tweet by Yassar Latif Hamdani, Barrister and a former Harvard Law visiting fellow. The cartoon has now been reworked and the woman in it now wears a full-length gown salwar-kameez and dupatta.
“Mother Sing To, Sing sing sing, Sing Mother Sing, Can Mother Sing? A mother can sing,” read the text below this image showing a young boy playing drums and his mother seated in a chair next to him. According to Hamdani’s tweet, “Pakistanis are so scared of women’s legs. Here is a textbook rejected by Punjab Textbook Board. It is clear that Pat cannot be a Pakistani name but we must raise the culture angle nonetheless. I mean live with it bro.”
Pakistanis are so scared of women’s legs. Here is a textbook rejected by Punjab Textbook Board. It is clear that Pat cannot be a Pakistani name but we must raise the culture angle nonetheless. “Redraw keeping in view our own culture”. I mean live with it bro. pic.twitter.com/LAdzkgMiRl
— Yasser Latif Hamdani (@theRealYLH) September 22, 2021
Shahzad Ahmed, who heads a human rights organisation in Pakistan, was quick to point out what women in Pakistan’s Punjab villages actually wear. “It seems that Punjab Textboard people never visited a Punjabi village, where they would see a lot of women wearing a lungi and not always it will cover the legs as Shalwar or Jeans will do. And it is truly cultural and totally acceptable. Are they going to ban Lungi?” he asked.
It seems that Punjab Textboard people never visited a Punjabi village, where they would see a lot of women wearing a lungi and not always it will cover the legs as Shalwar or Jeans will do. And it is truly cultural and totally acceptable. Are they going to ban Lungi?
— Shahzad Ahmad (@sirkup) September 22, 2021
This is not the first time that the statutory body’s decisions have elicited striking responses. Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board, which acts as a regulator of textbooks, is one of many bodies tasked with executing the Single National Curriculum (SNC) put in place by the Imran Khan government. It aims to put an end to differences in education at madrasas, private and public schools. However, the SNC has faced the ire of many.
Earlier this month, journalist Gul Bukhari shared a photo of a textbook that had a question on why we must treat women kindly.
Gems from the Single National Curriculum introduced by Imran Khan: pic.twitter.com/H8cQ6zwuBv
— Gul Bukhari (@GulBukhari) September 9, 2021
Underlining the issues with SNC, Hamdani pointed out the introduction of religious content. “For example, Muslim students from grades 1 to 5 are now required to do Quran Nazra. Additionally, religious content has also been added to English and Urdu textbooks. Since the minorities also read the same textbooks, this violates Article 22 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan which says that no one should be forced to be taught a religion other than his or her own,” he told ThePrint.
Calling an earlier suggestion involving the textbook Board “most hilarious suggestion”, Hamdani recounted an example of changing the names of Lady Bird’s famous Peter and Jane to Pervaiz and Jamila.
“What is new is that Punjab Textbook Board is now also overseeing textbooks in private schools such Cambridge O-level and IB schools, books by Oxford etc.,” Hamdani added, calling this rejection of books based on cultural norms an “inane” exercise.
Despite rising criticism of the SNC, the first phase for primary school students has already been rolled out — in March this year — while the second and third phases for Classes VI to XII are expected to be in place by 2023. At least nine per cent of the content in English textbooks for IIIrd Standard, 23 per cent for the IVth Standard and 21 per cent for the Vth standard violate Article 22 of the Pakistani constitution, The Indian Express reported, citing a team of educationists who worked with public policy expert Peter Jacobs.
However, the ministry of education has stated that students belonging to religious minority communities are not required to study this syllabus and can instead refer to the first ever religion-specific textbooks for Hindus, Christians, Bahais and Sikhs.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)