Civic Education in Pakistan :: Educational School Governmental Essays

Civic Education in PakistanPakistan is a post-colonial nation-state. Since 1947 this large Muslim nation has not been up to(p) to introduce a liberal democratic model of civic education in its schools that could have promoted democratic values, tolerance, gender equality and civic participation skills. some(prenominal) factors are responsible for impeding the progress in civic education a fortress culture, the Cold War exigencies, religious extremism, and feudalism. IntroductionLike most(prenominal) post-colonial nation-states Pakistan also recognized the central role of civic education in creating a patriotic citizenry. Paradoxically, as the civic education curriculum in organisation schools emphasized 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 value for religious and cultural diversity. By failing to recognize the utility and advan tages of the basic principles of liberal democratic model of civic education, Pakistan suffered irreparable losses it disintegrated into two countries, garbled national unity and receded into the departed (Jahan, 1972 Oldenburg, 1980). What may be responsible for thwarting the liberal democratic model of civic education in Pakistan is a suspense that warrants a careful examination. This paper argues that four independent 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 person 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 control 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 gild in general and in the educational institutions in particular.