Minority Sikh, Christian Students in Pak Permitted to Study their Religious Books

AMRITSAR: In a major development, the Minority Sikh and Christian students in Pakistan has now been permitted to study their religious books in school curriculums instead of studying ethics (ikhlaqiat). The Pakistan’s Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training approved publishing textbooks on Christianity and Sikhism.

As per the media reports, Anjum James Paul, chairman, Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association (PMTA) after getting the notification from the ministry said that the National Curriculum Council Secretariat issued NOCs on Friday (March 3), under which textbooks for Sikhism from grades I to III and for Christianity from grades I to V would be published in Urdu medium by the National Book Foundation.

Paul further said that the PMTA was established by him on August 28, 2005, and since then they had been struggling to get the religious education right for seven minority communities, including the Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Parsees, Buddhists, Bahais and Kalash in Pakistan.

Anjum James Paul added, "Earlier all the students, including minority students, used to study Islam but after their struggle, ikhlaqiat was introduced for the minority students. But now, due to the constant efforts of the Sikh and Christian communities, their students will be studying Sikhism and Christianity at all the private and government schools from the session beginning from April."