Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved a new school curriculum at a meeting she chaired.
The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PECTA) gave a detailed briefing on the matter. The meeting reviewed the curricula for English, mathematics, social studies, Urdu and early childhood education.
The curriculum, said an official statement, aimed at reducing the burden of textbooks and curbing rote learning. Punjab CM directed steps for mental health support and online counselling for teachers and students.
Under the new curriculum, the volume of textbooks is expected to be reduced by 25 per cent. Each textbook will carry QR codes enabling students to access video lessons related to the topics covered.
The chief minister also sought details of an artificial intelligence curriculum for students from Class-I to Class-XII. The government will likely complete the printing of textbooks before March.
The meeting agreed to launch mental health training for teachers for the first time in the province. It also considered appointing visiting faculty psychologists in every district. The chief minister directed the relevant authorities to take measures for providing online counselling to students.
The meeting also agreed in principle to legislation to prevent corporal punishment in schools. Instead of physical punishment, the authorities have proposed establishment of “discipline corners” in classrooms.
The meeting agreed that teachers’ training across Punjab will hold on every Saturday. Authors of the new textbooks would themselves conduct training sessions for teachers.
Punjab CM said she wanted to see an effective educational model in Punjab’s government schools. She stressed the need to develop laboratories alongside the AI curriculum.
The chief minister said her government is also promoting digital literacy in schools across Punjab. The authorities informed her that the government has completed English-language training for 35,000 teachers in 31 tehsils of 12 districts.
