Civic Education in Pakistan :: Educational School Governmental Essays

Civic Education in PakistanPakistan is a post-colonial nation-state. Since 1947 this large Moslem nation has not been able to introduce a liberal popular model of civil education in its schools that could have promoted elected values, tolerance, sexual urge equality and civic participation skills. Several factors are answerable for impede the progress in civic education a garrison culture, the shivery War exigencies, sacred extremism, and feudalism. IntroductionLike most post-colonial nation-states Pakistan also recognize the central role of civic education in creating a ultranationalistic citizenry. Paradoxically, as the civic education course of instruction in government schools forceful the construction of a distinct Muslim citizen identity, it eschewed the transmission of universal democratic values such as individual liberty, gender equality, critical thinking, and reckon for religious and cultural diversity. By failing to recognize the utility and advantages o f the introductory principles of liberal democratic model of civic education, Pakistan suffered irreparable losses it disintegrated into devil countries, lost national unity and receded into the past (Jahan, 1972 Oldenburg, 1980). What may be responsible for thwarfareting the liberal democratic model of civic education in Pakistan is a question that warrants a careful examination. This paper argues that four main(a) variables kept the liberal democratic model of civic education curriculum at bay the primacy of a garrison nation-state, the Cold War exigencies, religious extremism, and feudalism. The following is a discussion on the role of these four variables. A Garrison StateFirst, Pakistan is a garrison state in that since its independence in 1947, it has been pre-occupied with national security (Jalal, 1991). Hence the main objective of civic education curriculum in schools has been the preparation of a warrior citizen (Binder, 1963). A warrior citizen or Mujahid is a p erson who is willing and prepared to participate in war or jihad against the infidels. To this end the social studies textbooks glorified the past Muslim warriors including Saladin Ayubi, an Arab warrior who fought the Crusaders in Jerusalem, Tipu Sultan who fought the British imperialists in India, and contemporary Pakistani military heroes who died in three wars against India. Moreover, because for most of its history the military rule the country, the dominant social class in Pakistan has been the military (Cohen, 1984). The military is considered a privileged class and, therefore, military values of conformity, regimentation, and masculinity are underscored in society in general and in the educational institutions in particular.