Dawood Public School Karachi faces ire of conservatives
KARACHI: Some elements in Pakistan have always resisted modifications according to international standards in the curriculums of schools.
They have always resisted changes both cultural and literal and those trying to introduce changes have always been in the line of fire.
The same happened to the administration of Dawood Public School, which has introduced the reproduction of human beings in grade seven.
Jamaat-e-Islami and its associates on Wednesday protested against the syllabus and demanded that the school’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) be sacked for the introduction of the material while the school is already under scrutiny as it imparts musical education to its students.
On Thursday, 14 parents, led by Muhammad Suleiman, addressed a press conference demanding the authorities concerned to arrest the school’s CEO, Sabreena Dawood, for the introduction of reproduction topic in biology in the school, starting of music classes and teaching a book written by Jan Thompson on Islam. It may be remembered that the school is teaching imported books from Singapore, which it claims are according to international standards.
The books are severely criticised by some segments of the society, which say topics like reproduction should not be included in the syllabus of grade seven. The parents claim that the Sindh government on their complaint has seized the school’s building and cancelled its registration. However, the claims were later refuted by the officials of the education department.
Private Institutions Director Mansoob Hussein Siddique, informed Daily Times after visiting Dawood Public School that they found nothing controversial in their syllabus hence their registration was not cancelled.
“The school is performing well for the past few years and the school’s administration said that they had removed the controversial topics from their syllabus,” the private institutions director said.
He said that the controversial book that the complainants were talking about had never been distributed amongst the students and in fact, some elements had assaulted the building and took the books out from the store, which the education department took into its custody. However, he added that now music classes have been made optional which were earlier compulsory.
When the protesting parents were asked as to why they do not change their children’s school instead of rioting their surprising reply was, “What if other schools provide the same education, therefore we think it is better to struggle to change the system of Dawood Public School rather then go somewhere and start afresh.”
Before the press conference, approximately dozen parents claiming to be the representatives of around 1,600 students of Dawood Public School gathered in the lawn of the press club.
Some of them had beards, were wearing traditional caps on their heads and were seen telling the protesting mothers, “You are fighting for the cause of Islam, we will not accept this system anywhere in the country,” encouraging them and convincing them that their fight was for a pious cause. When the scribe sought explanation from the guys they refused to give any comments.
Muhammad Suleiman, who was leading the parents, critcised the school administration for holding compulsory music classes.
The parents’ reservations did not end there, they also objected to the dress code that the new CEO, Sabreena Dawood, who is a foreign graduate has introduced, replacing the traditional Shalwar Kameez with pant skirts and trousers. Sabreena was also criticised for not making wearing veils compulsory.
This spree may engulf the whole country in the coming days and schools introducing modern education may find that it is difficult for them to survive.
Even though the Dawood Public School was all for modern education but after the protests, they have changed course and excluded the so-called controversial material from the syllabus.
Faizullah Jan, an academician, opines that teaching such topics in grade seven is not bad.
“If we do not teach our children what reproduction is all about in a systematic manner, how will they learn things?” he asks.
He adds that it would be better if such topics were addressed in schools rather than being left to the imagination of young ones and them getting cheap thrills out of it.
Irfan Ashraf, another academician, although endorses Jan’s opinion yet he has some reservations.
“It is better if sexual education is imparted in a systematic manner in schools but we should make some amendments in the international syllabus according to the local customs,” he said. DAILY TIMES