SINDH UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION

REFLECTION FILE
ISSUES IN CURRICULUM
COURSE FACILITATOR PRFESSOR DR. SALIHA PARVEENI
5/26/2015

KARAM ALI /KASHIF ALI

M.PHIL

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MAJOR ISSUES IN CURRICULUM IN PAKISTAN AT SECONDARY

LEVEL

This paper presents the major issues in the curriculum at Secondary level in
Pakistan. All state schools in Pakistan use a national curriculum produced by the
Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education. The four provincial
textbook boards are responsible for implementing the National Curriculum,
primarily through textbook production within their respective jurisdictions. The
curriculum provides detailed instructions for textbook authors, including the
number and topics of the lessons to be covered. Under the Federal Supervision of
Curricula and Textbooks and Maintenance of Standards of Education Act, 1976,
the Curriculum Wing reviews all textbooks and reserves the right to
amend/delete/reject a part or the whole of any textbook. Because of such tight
control, the contents of textbooks are more or less the same in the four provinces—
and the state is able to ensure the inclusion of its own version of social reality and
the exclusion of counter-hegemonic notions of reality (Saigol 1995). While there is
research on the representation of identities in Pakistani curriculum texts (Aziz
1993, Saigol 1995, Rosser 2003, Dean 2005, Nayyar and Salim 2005, Lall 2008),
to our knowledge there are no studies on the ways students use the curricular
contents and school
Objectivity Versus Subjectivity

Social Studies Curriculum at secondary level lacks objectivity. Whole curriculum

is based on the abstract ideology of Pakistan. Social studies is a combination of
history, geography, and civics, and is used as a key educational site for
constructing and maintaining ‘the nation’, connecting a sense of physical space and
territory to the notion of identity, and constructing the citizen for the nation-state
(Saigol 2004). History is used to strengthen the ideology of Pakistan, in the
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curriculum, the Movement of Pakistan starts from the services of Shah Wali Ullah
but for grade IX students, the Movement of Pakistan should be developed in the
historical perspective of Pakistan.
Silent Histories/Glorified Histories

The second major issue with social studies curriculum at secondary level is
fabricated history. History only highlights the achievements of Muslim rulers,
while other indigenous rulers and their services for the sub-continent are
completely ignored in the narration of the history. Muslim rulers are presented as
the most pious and sacred rulers and the socio-economic condition under their rule
are completely ignored.

Identity Crisis

One of the aims of curriculum in the modern world is to solve the issue of identity
of a nation. Who we are? This question should be answered objectively. But as
curriculum is selection from culture, curriculum defines identity purely on the
basis of religion. Which excludes other minorities residing in the sub-continent. In
the narration of the history minorities historical narrative are excluded and Muslim
past is glorified in order to construct a Muslim identity. History starts from 712
when Muhammad Bin Qasim attacked Sindh. It shows that prior to 712 this region
had uncivilized history. Thus completely distorting History which creates hate
feeling for minorities residing in the region. National identity in Pakistani culture is
defined against the colonial and Hindu Indian-ness, as Pakistan-ness is equated
with Muslim-ness. The singular national identity based on Islam could have
international repercussions. The curriculum uses Islam to draw boundaries
between the Pakistani Muslim self and the non-Muslim ‘other’.The social studies
curriculum and textbook construct Hindus/India as the ‘other’, constructing both
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identities in polar opposition, where Muslims represent the ‘positive’ and Hindus
the ‘negative’. Schools, students constructed Hindus as the ‘other’ and
characterized them in negative ways. Pakistan is no exception in the use of
curriculum and/or religious discourse as a tool for promoting internal coherence
and building national identification in order to protect the citizens from some scary
‘other’. This discourse of Us” versus “Them” creates hate and also insecurity,
which results in violence against Minorities.
Economic crisis: funds are necessary for the implementation of the curriculum.
But due to the lack of funds curriculum implementation remains a dream in
Pakistan. Better allocation of funds can strengthen our education system.
Disapproval of society
School curriculum according to Lawton is essentially a selection from the culture
of society. If curriculum does not present the culture of a society will disown the
curriculum. Pakistan inherited education system from colonial India and this
system of education continued till the latter part of the 20th century. Our curriculum
could not find its roots in our indigenous culture. That’s why society overall
disowned the curriculum.

Recommendations

In the 21st century it is necessary that our curriculum should fulfill the demands of
the current knowledge era and also it should address learners’ needs. For
curriculum planning we need to incorporate suggestions from the grass root level.
All stakeholders shall be included in the process of curriculum designing. A de-
linked from grass root curriculum will not be able to educate our students in its true
spirit. Teachers who are actually the implementers of the curriculum need to be
taken on the board during curriculum designing. Curriculum experts are important
but I believe a grass root teacher sees the things more clearly than any thing else.
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Besides this our curriculum designs shall be based on research findings, in the
absence of proper research designing curriculum for a country like Pakistan is very
difficult. Through research, experts and those who are involved in curriculum
designing will be able to see recent trends in education. There is also a debate
about the uniform curriculum in the country. Supporters of the uniform curriculum
say that only through uniform curriculum we can achieve uniformity in ideas and
same lifestyles. Besides this, a uniform curriculum will eradicate evils which have
been introduced by the multiple educational systems. Growing socio-economic
inequality is the result of not having a uniform curriculum. Recently KPK
Government has taken measures to implement a uniform curriculum in the
province. On the other side, few people does not support the idea of uniform
curriculum. Their point of difference is that due to the huge socio-cultural divide
uniform curriculum can’t be implemented. According to them learning needs of
learners who are from diverse contexts can’t be filled through a uniform
curriculum. I think uniform curriculum can be implemented stage by stage. At
once implementation of the uniform curriculum seems to be difficult. It only can
be implemented in stage by stage. Moreover, attention should be given to the
medium of instruction; we still haven’t decided what shall be our medium of
instruction. As at primary level our public sector uses mother tongue as medium of
instruction, but at the higher level English becomes the medium of instruction.
This creates confusion in learners’ mind. Because students at once change mode of
communication this causes learning deficiency. This issue of language needs to be
resolved as quickly as possible. Last but not the least our identity crisis, who we
are? This question remains a controversial one for decades. But now I think time
has come to sort out this issue of great importance. Curriculum constructs identity
of learner. In the 21st we need to realize this that ours is a diverse society,
curriculum should cater the needs of all not only a specific group. Curriculum
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shall highlight all communities and their culture and history. This will create
harmony in society. Finally adequate amount for implementation of the curriculum
shall be provided by the government. We have seen in past many curriculum
reforms haven’t been implemented due to the lack of funds. Textbooks according
to the 2006 curriculum still haven’t been prepared in Sindh. This shows the lack of
interest of the government.
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TOPIC:WHEELER’S MODEL OF CURRICULUM

Presenters:
TayyabaMunawar
Shaista Ansari
Zain-ul-Abideen
Karam Ali/Kashif Ali
Muzaffar Ali Shah
UmerDaraz

What is curriculum???
 Curriculum is the formal and informal content and process by which learners gain
knowledge and understanding, develop skills, and alter attitudes, appreciations, and
values under the auspices of an academic institution.

What is curriculum Model???

 A curriculum model is a simplified representation of complex reality, which enables us
understand the process of curriculum development better, a model represents the
components and structure of the curriculum.
 It simply outlines a prescribed series of courses to take when devising a curriculum

Different Curriculum Models

 Objective or Product Models
 The Process or Cyclic Models
 Tyler’s Model
 Leyton Soto Model
 Taba’s Model
 WHEELER’S MODEL
 Walker’s Model
 Eisner’s Model
 The Saylor and Alexander Model
 Oliva Model

WHEELER’S MODEL (1967)

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 D.K. Wheeler, a former member of university of western Australia, presented his model
as an upgraded version of Tyler and particularly Taba.
 Cyclical model is very similar with linear and interactive models

The key elements of WHEELER’S MODEL

 Initial situation analysis
 Identification of aims and objectives,
 Contents selection and organization,
 Selection and organization of learning activities,
 Assessment / evaluation process.

WHEELER’S MODEL

Wheeler contends that:

 Aims should be discussed as behaviors referring to the end product of learning which
yields the ultimate goals. One can think of these ultimate goals as outcomes.
 Aims are formulated from the general to the specific in curriculum planning. This results
in the formulation of objectives at both an enabling and a terminal level.
 Content is distinguished from the learning experiences which determine that content.
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Difference Between objective and Cyclic curriculum

Cyclic:
 Feedback mechanism to provide students with ways to measure their progress or
accuracy.
 Interrelated and interdependent view of curriculum.
 Emphasis on situational analysis
 Ready to incorporate new information on need basis
 Constantly in the state of change

Difference Between objective and Cyclic curriculum

Objective:
 No feedback mechanism
 Linear view of curriculum, one element leads to another element
 One element cannot take place without the accomplishment of the previous.
 Rigid to adjust and suit the intended learners.
 Hard to determine continuity is possible or not

Strengths of wheeler’s model

 Provide baseline data for objectives through situation analysis
 Able to cope with changing circumstances
 Provide logical sequence
 Evaluation in Wheeler’s model is not terminal.
 Provide flexibility (and relevant to school situations and more appropriate to curr.dev. By
teachers)
 Findings from the evaluation are fed back into the objectives and the goals, which
influence other stages.

Weaknesses of wheeler’s model

 It is difficult to locate.
 It is not different from objective model since it adopts rational sequence.
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 It takes time to undertake an effective situational analysis