PESHAWAR: The programme under which regional languages were introduced as a compulsory subject in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools at nursery level during the last academic year has come to a halt.

The reason is that textbooks for next grades have yet to be printed.

The relevant officials told Dawn on Friday that the printing of textbooks of the regional languages for one and next grades hadn’t begun due to the disinterest of the provincial government.

They said regional languages were introduced in all government schools but private schools didn’t do so in violation of the government’s decision.

According to the officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board, the primers of four regional languages, including Hindko, Kohar (Chitrali), Saraiki and Kohistani, were published last year, while the textbooks of Pashto are available.

They said on the demand of the district education offices, the primers of regional languages were dispatched for nursery students during the previous academic year except Kohistani as the respective office didn’t made any demand.

Textbooks for grades next to nursery not printed

The officials said the students promoted to grade 1 had no textbooks of regional language though the new academic year began in April.

They insisted the Directorate of Curricula and Teacher Education (DCTE) was to blame as it didn’t publish the curricula of regional languages.

According to the officials, it’s the responsibility of the directorate to prepare and approve the curricula.

The textbook board develops books on the regional languages after its curricula is approved by the chief minister.

The officials said the DCTE was ready to print the curricula for grade 1 to grade 12 and even the payment was made to the government’s printing press but the process was stopped at the ‘intervention’ of some key Regional language programme at schools comes to a halt men at the helms of the affairs.

When contacted, DCTE director Bashir Hussain Shah said the curricula was ready and would be published soon.

He said the directorate had a special fund for the printing of the curricula and that there was no problem with it.

The last ANP-led government had introduced five regional languages in 2012 as a compulsory subject in all educational institutions up to intermediate level, according to a notification available with Dawn.

Pashto, Hindko, Seraiki, Kohar and Kohistani have been declared regional languages, showed the notification.

The regional languages were made compulsory under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regional Languages Authority Act, 2011. Any regional language has to be taught in the area where it is spoken by the local residents.

The officials said the teaching of regional languages was made compulsory in educational institutions for their promotion and preservation.

They said according to the implementation plan formulated by the education department at that time, the regional languages had to be introduced gradually in the respective areas.

Published in Dawn, Aug 9th, 2014