Staff Reporter
The study of the Holy Quran was made compulsory in Punjab’s private and public schools on July 16 and now teachers will be trained to impart this subject, announced Punjab Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, he said the government has planned an amendment to Punjab Compulsory Teaching of Holy Quran Act, 2018.
Elahi said that he thanked the Ulema who had helped the government reach agreement on the use of one translation.
“Notifications will be issued for the change that will apply for classes 1 to 6 and beyond. The lower classes will study naazrah, or recitation, and translation will be for classes 7 onwards.”
He said that they would focus on the training of women teachers so that girl students are not left out. “We have received support from many quarters,” he said and added that the textbook board will also make changes.
He went on to say and teaching Quran is tied it to the history of the creation of Pakistan. “Pakistan is the only country on the map of the world made by vote in the name of the [Kalima],” he said. “Not Israel. It was by choice.”
He said that nation building will not take place unless these teachings are made part of the school curricula. “We’ve taken a first step,” he said.
The success of Muslims is through the word of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), he said.
This change will be in effect from the Holy Quran will be taught as a compulsory subject in schools across Punjab from the forthcoming academic session.
The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board has included the subject of “Naazrah Quran” for grades one to four as a separate compulsory subject, an earlier notification stated.
Students will attend three to four classes of the subject in a week and a 50-mark annual exam will be taken to assess their progress.
The step comes as an implementation of the Punjab Compulsory Teaching of Holy Quran Act, 2018 that entails the teaching of the Holy Quran as a compulsory subject for Muslim students at all educational institutions.
The Punjab government made the subject mandatory for university students last year. The PCTB has initiated the process to introduce the subject for grades six to 12 as well.
