Quran teaching made compulsory in schools across Punjab

LAHORE: The Punjab government has made Quran learning essential for students of grades 1-5 across the province under the Punjab Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Act, 2018, local media reported.

Reports quoting notification cited that the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board has added Naazrah Quran for grades one to five as a compulsory subject, while the young learners will attend around three to four classes of Quran learning in a week.

The notification further reads that teaching of the Holy Quran is compulsory for all Muslim students in all public and private sector primary educational institutions. An annual exam of 50 marks will also be conducted to assess the learning of the central religious text of Islam.

The authority, in its 83rd board meeting, revised the scheme and made Quran teaching a separate compulsory subject. All educational institutions in the most populous province are bound to teach Quran with effect from the next Academic Session 2021-22.

The move comes after the Punjab government has made the teaching of the Holy Quran with translation mandatory in all provincial universities.

The notification issued last month cited that ‘Student will not be awarded a degree if he or she does not study the Holy Quran with the translation while lecturers in all universities of Punjab will teach the Holy Quran with translation to all students”.

The notification clarified that learning of the sacred scripture of Islam will be taught separately from the Islamic studies.

PTI leader and Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar earlier constituted a special committee of vice-chancellors to submit its recommendations on the teaching of the Quran in the syllabus. Sarwar, after meeting with top educationists, said it would be compulsory for Muslim students to attend the lecture on Quran with Translation.

Earlier in 2017, the National Assembly approved the Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Bill 2017, which will make Quranic education compulsory for Grade 1 – Grade 12 in all federal educational institutions. However, the bill is only applicable to Muslim students enrolled in the educational institutions.