ISLAMABAD - The Education representatives from provincial governments could not reach a consensus on Friday over the functions and powers of the proposed National Curriculum Council (NCC).
The representatives from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Balochistan had recommended giving the Council an advisory status. During the second meeting of Inter-Provincial Education Ministers conference, they disagreed over the initial proposals and working mechanism for the NCC establishment.
Secretary Education Dr Fazalullah strongly opposed the proposals, adding that the NCC should not be the directing or commanding authority, instead it should have advisory role.
He also stated that it was the clear directives of Sindh chief minister that the issue of NCC should be discussed in Council of Common Interest (CCI).
While Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Secondary and Elementary Education Atif Khan also disagreed with the proposal, saying that the tone and tenor of the proposals should be amended.
“It is more of a commanding proposal but provinces should not be bound to follow recommendations from the NCC,” he added. Some officials from Sindh and Punjab also expressed displeasure over some other provisions of the suggestions. KPK Joint Secretary Education Afzal Latif also pointed out the loopholes in the documents.
State Minister for Federal Education and Professional Education Balighur Rehman also shared his views about the purpose of the council and recent achievements of the ministry. He forbade the participants to call NCC a federal body as it had merely three members from centre while provinces would have the lead.
"It (NCC) will surely have supervisory or consultancy role and a platform where minimum standards are set to avoid disconnect at national level," Rehman argued.
He also urged the provinces to send their replies and recommendations as soon as possible to make it a working body.
Additional Secretary Allah Baksh Malik, giving his presentation about the proposals of the NCC and future roadmap, said that there would be 27 members from all the provinces, Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan while each of them would have representation of up to three members and three from the federal government. He informed that the NCC would have the authority to review and approval of textbooks and supplementary reading material while it could direct any agency or authority to delete anything repugnant to Islam or ideology of the country.