Noor Fatima Afzal, Dawn TV, Daily Dawn
Lahore: A new debate has begun over the inclusion of ruling figures in textbooks after questions about political figures appeared in the Pakistan Studies paper during the recent matriculation examinations in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
According to several students and teachers who took the exam, the paper included questions in which students were asked to express their opinions or services about Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Kulsoom Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif.
One of the question papers circulating on social media also asked, ‘What is your opinion about Kulsoom Nawaz?’
What content is included in the textbook?
The recent Pakistan Studies book of the Punjab Textbook Board for class 10 includes a chapter titled ‘Role of Women in National Development’, in which prominent female figures of the past and present are mentioned.
In this chapter, along with Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto, Fehmida Mirza and Bilquis Edhi, Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Nawaz are also mentioned.
The book mentions Maryam Nawaz Sharif becoming the first female Chief Minister of Punjab in 2024 and starting projects in various fields, while Kulsoom Nawaz is mentioned for her political role and standing with her husband.
This syllabus came into effect from the academic year 2025 and questions were asked from it in the 2026 exams.
Praise or self-praise? Reaction on social media
After this, different opinions emerged on social media and in educational circles. Some criticized it and called it an attempt by the current government to include its own praise in the curriculum, while the government’s stance was that this chapter has been designed to highlight the services of women as a whole and women from different periods have been included in it.
Leave a Reply