PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Friday rejected the changes in syllabus by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government insisting the move would play havoc with the future of the children.

In a statement issued here, PML-N provincial information secretary Nasir Khan Musazai said the changes in syllabus had been made at the behest of some non-governmental organisations though they did not conform to local culture.

He said Jamaat-i-Islami being a religio-political party always talked about introduction of Islamic content in the syllabus but it had kept mum over the changes only because it was a partner in the ruling coalition in the province.

Musazai said one teacher for 60 students was irrational as currently, one teacher was for 40 students and that the number of the students in a class should not be increased from 30 to ensure good standard of education.

He said with the introduction of rationalisation policy, there were fears that the problems for students and teachers would increase and the standard of education would fall.

The PML-N leader said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan was repeatedly talking from his container in Islamabad about quality education and blaming others but his own provincial government was doing nothing for it instead of destroying the existing system.

“Our party will never accept such changes in the syllabus and will oppose it at all costs because it does not represent our culture,” he said, warning that his party would raise voice against the government policies at all forums.

Musazai also criticised the PTI leaders for what he said tall claims about provision of free education and said all that was ‘nothing but a joke with the people.’

He said one could easily know the factual position from parents, who had children in different government-run educational institutions.

The PML-N leader said the provincial government was least bothered about taking practical steps for welfare and uplift of the people and believed only in hollow slogans just to deceive the people.

He said the PTI could not mislead the people through its flawed policies.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2014