Schools are being kept open during Ramadan due to the importance of new curriculum’s teacher manner. Such statements were given by senior officials of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (MAUSI). The Education Minister himself has emphasized on the issue. Due to which he was also giving his opinion in favor of keeping educational institutions open until the High Court verdict.
Finally, primary schools will remain open until March 21 and secondary schools will remain open until March 25. Apart from this, classes will continue till March 21 in Madrasas and March 24 in colleges.
It is known that in the list of holidays announced at the beginning of the year, there were holidays in educational institutions throughout Ramadan.
NCTB officials say the new curriculum is not rote. Earlier, teachers used to give some chapters to the students during the holidays. Whether or not there was a class on those chapters, those chapters were assumed to have been taught. At the end of the year, questions were prepared from the chapters and tests were also conducted. In the new curriculum the matter is totally reversed. Students will read each chapter, learn hands-on and be assessed immediately. That is why learning hours are very important in the new curriculum. Classes must be held at school during certain times of the year to fulfill the teaching hours. Schools are closed for about 150 days a year including annual holidays and weekends. The remaining days, excluding the semester and annual assessment period, are not enough to teach the students. Therefore, the government is trying to fill the learning hours by reducing the holidays. “We will take this matter into consideration and prepare the curriculum at the beginning of next year.” he said.
According to them, at least 185 working days a year are needed to properly teach students in the new curriculum. There is no particular or significant reason to extend holidays, relative to what is now as well. Study hours should be fixed in the interest of students.
Currently, the weekend is two days. Educational institutions are closed for 104 days a year only on weekends. As a result, it has become a challenge to fix the study hours. In this situation, at least 185 days of school teaching activities must be continued. Moreover, currently there are two days of weekend. The education administration is walking the path of making the curriculum as an extra time to keep the learning hours fixed.