Single National Curriculum for Primary School

Single National Curriculum (SNC) implemented by Federal government is an upgraded and improved version of National Curriculum 2006. Several amendments and improvements are made in competencies and expected learning outcomes for primary school i.e. Grade I to V. Moreover, the detailed overview of activities and strategies offered by education ministry alongside training of teachers is a major step towards successful implementation of SNC. This article highlights the updated curriculum for primary school under SNC.

Read More: Summary of the Single National Curriculum in Pakistan

Science Curriculum

The curriculum for Science is one of the most interesting initiatives by current government in SNC as it aligns with the aim of Federal government to introduce and expand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) education in Pakistan. The Science curriculum under SNC is considered as basis or foundation on which standard of education in Pakistan will be raised to match 21^st century. Following initiatives are taken under SNC for General Science subject:

• The curriculum is based on 3 main Strands of science and benchmarks against them as well as cross-cutting elements including Skills, Attitude and STEM.
• Life Sciences is the first element where students will learn about ecosystem, structure, characteristics and needs of living things and their interaction with environment. The concepts will be include life cycle, reproduction, environmental pollution, balance diet, human health, microorganisms, and life process of animals and plants.
• Physical Sciences is the second strand where focus will be on concepts of force, motion and energy, properties of matter, physical experiments with various elements, gravitational force, practical application of frictional force and use of simple machines, use of electromagnetic devices and understand science behind it.
• Earth and Space Sciences will elaborate on movement of Earth, moon and sun, planets, weather system, space exploration and practical use of devices to explore satellite.
• Students will be encourage to participate in projects and experiments while promoting self-review, peer review and teacher-review strategy.
• STEM based learning will be given enormous significance developing teaching techniques to make students understand the relationship between science and technology. Students will be taught how STEM can affect life in general and how it can positively affect societies.

Social Studies Curriculum

The Social Studies curriculum designed under the Single National Curriculum aims at making Pakistani students active and informed citizens of tomorrow. The curriculum is shaped to instill patriotism and inculcate tolerance and empathy towards others by sharing history of different sects, religions and socio-economic realities. The key features of new curriculum for Social Studies (Grade I-III) under SNC include the following:

• Learn basic Ethics and Values: Including daily habits, resolving conflicts, sharing, respecting others, fairness in all dealings, greetings etc.
• Demonstration of being Respectful Citizens: Discipline at school, home, streets, respect for law, under functions of important places in neighborhood and city, recognize diversity present in population around and appreciate it, understand rules of playing, cleaning of houses, roads and parks, sustainable consumption of water, respect for worship places.
• Discover Self and Immediate Environment: Students will be able to identify themselves and their role in communities and country they live in. Understand importance of cleanliness, family members, their achievements, common traffic rules, cultural and religious events, conservation of natural environment, indoor and outdoor safety, and difference in past and present things.
• Knowledge of Pakistan: Learn about Pakistan, its provinces and cities, their history, languages, their founders and important events that took place in Pakistan.
• Life Sciences: Understand basic processes of living and non-living world around them. Describe senses, body parts and functions, causes of illness, healthy habits, major crops of Pakistan, animals and plants.
• Physical Sciences: Understand matter and energy, physical effects of heat and light, machines and their uses, forces and motion.
• Earth and Space Science: Understand physical features and environmental factors of Earth. Pollution and its types and ways to reduce it.

For Grade IV-V following concepts will be added to SNC:

• Economics: Economy of Pakistan, goods and services, trade, evolution of money, banks, supply and demand, natural and man-made resources of Pakistan.
• State and Government: Democracy, components of government, legislative, executive, judiciary, formation of political parties, constitution and accountability.
• History and Geography: Prehistoric mankind, ancient civilizations, historic systems of governance, historic personalities, wars, skills for reading a map, understanding of BOLTS (Border, Orientation, Legend, Title, Scale), physical regions of Pakistan, and climatic regions.

English Curriculum

The English curriculum designed under the SNC has placed higher emphasis on teaching English as a language rather than subject. This means that the greater focus is placed on competency achieved in speaking, listening and reading English language. There are several interactive and collaborative pedagogy strategies designed to address the loophole in previously designed English curriculum of 2006. The training of teachers in equipping themselves with relevant skills and assessment criteria are being provided across the provinces.

Government has also provided guidelines for assessment along with scoring rubrics/marking schemes for all four language skills including listening and speaking which was not included in curriculum 2006. The main highlights of English curriculum including competencies and their expected learning outcomes include the following:

• Oral Communication Skills: Recognize and articulate sound patterns and stress in words, learn basic intonation patterns, use of formulaic expressions for routine greetings, use of linguistic expressions for presenting opinions, apologies, requests and instructions. Use of role play and recitation of poems.
• Reading and Critical thinking skills: Identify and articulate digraphs, silent letters, paragraphs, interpret factual information, comprehend information from visual cue to explain events, and sequences. Express personal reactions to characters, events.
• Formal and Lexical aspects of language: Build vocabulary through affixes and compounds, classifying words into different categories, concept of time, tense and punctuation. Use of correct spelling, rhymes, common phrases and formulaic expressions.
• Writing Skills: Students should be able to write descriptive, narrative, expository, argumentative piece of writing for academic as well as creative purpose. Interpersonal and transactional texts will be a part of competency for instance, greeting cards, dialogues, formal notes etc.
• Appropriate Ethical and Social Development: Themes under UN’s SDG-4 target are added as well including Gender Equality, LSBE (Life Skill Based Education) and Inclusivity, Diversity of Cultures, Personal Safety, and Health and Hygiene.

Urdu Curriculum

There are few changes that are made in Urdu national curriculum compared to previously implemented curriculum. Some of the highlights from Single National Curriculum (SNC) includes

• Develop Urdu language skills and competencies with focus on word recognition, grammar, and sentence formation.
• Urdu speaking and writing skills will be developed through speech, creative writing and aesthetic sense.
• The whole curriculum is integrated with themes of patriotism, citizenship and social cohesion for inculcating aspects of responsibility in children.
• Language learning will also be linked with various aspects of life where Urdu language is used such as science, religion, technology, culture, office, education, arts and official meetings.
• Different aspects of culture including diversity in religion and ethnicities is included in curriculum to increase tolerance and peace among younger generation.
• For Grade III onwards, understanding and application of critical media literacy is also included in curriculum for more socially aware students.

Islamiat Curriculum

Under SNC, Islamiat is now a separate subject from Grade I onward, instead of being part of General Knowledge. For creation of curriculum, Federal government involved all relevant members including Federating units as well as members of Ittehad Tanzimat-e- Madaris Pakistan. The SNC 2006 had no competencies and expected learning outcomes for Islamiat while for SNC 2020, following are the competencies and learning outcomes expected:

• Under the Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Act 2017, Nazra Quran and reading of 200 Ahadith has been made compulsory for Muslim students from Grade I-XII.
• Competency of two strands; “Husn-e-Muamlat o Muashrat” and “Islami Taleemat aur Dour-e-Hazir ke Taqazay” for character development of students in current world, has been included.
• Special focus on life of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his personality is included in SNC to promote justice, peace, morality and fairness among young generation.
• Stories of Islamic heroes is also included in the curriculum.
• Various aspects of sustainable development including environment, pollution, tree plantation, sanitation, and water conservation are also included, to be studied under the light of teachings of Islam in these concerns.
• A new subject under ‘Religious Education’ has been added to the curriculum for Grade I onward for students belonging to Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahaism and Kalash community of Pakistan.
• Instead of rote learning, appropriate activities have been added to the curriculum for activity-based learning.

Mathematics Curriculum

The curriculum for Mathematics is designed on similar patterns as previous National curriculum. However, a change in approach to learning and assessment is also there. The curriculum design also includes various strategies that will help students use their mathematical skills in daily life activities and are aware of their practical implementation in future. Some of the key features of SNC Mathematics includes the following:

• The curriculum for mathematics revolves around four key learning strands: Numbers and Operations, Algebra, Geometry and Measurement and Data Handling.
• Mathematics curriculum is designed to achieve deep and sustainable understanding of concepts through Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) approach.
• Real life situations, Number stories, mental math and Inquiry approach are new strategies included in this SNC. This is to ensure that students can apply their mathematical skills in everyday life. The reasoning, processing and logical understanding will allow to make connections to real life situations.

Read More: Single National Curriculum for Early Years (ECCE)