PESHAWAR: Although teaching of regional languages has been initiated in the government schools in the current academic year seven months ago, the private schools have bluntly refused to implement government’s decision in this regard.

The elementary and secondary education department has declared five regional languages compulsory subject for teaching in public and private sector educational institutions in the respective areas.

“Despite blatant violation of its decision, the education department has neither taken any action against the private schools nor it has ascertained the reasons of not teaching the regional languages,” sources said.

Education dept fails to take action over violation of its decision

The previous provincial government had declared teaching of five regional languages compulsory subject in the educational institutions up to intermediate level under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion of Regional Languages Authority Act, 2012.

The education department already notified five regional languages — Pashto, Hindko, Seraiki, Khowar (Chitrali) and Kohistani — compulsory subject five years ago. Every language has to be taught in the area where the people speak it.

The regional languages were made compulsory in the educational institutions for their promotion and preservations.

Preamble of the law states: “Whereas clause (3) of Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provides that without prejudice to the status of the national language, a provincial assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching, promotion and use of provincial languages in addition to the national language.”

The education department started teaching of regional languages in government schools with a delay of five years when it was introduced in nursery and grade-1 in the current academic year started in April, 2017.

“The books of regional languages for grade-II have already been printed as it would be introduced next year,” said sources.

A district education officer told Dawn that private schools were not teaching regional languages that would land the students in troubles after three years when the government schools would teach regional languages up to grade-V.

The education department decided to conduct centralised examination for the students of grade-V but it was stayed by Peshawar High Court when it was approached by the private schools association.

“If education department succeeds in implementing its decision of conducting centralised examination through respective education boards then the students of private schools will be bound to appear in the papers for the regional languages.

How the students of private schools would solve the regional languages’ papers in the board examination,” said the DEO.

The education department would take another 10 years to achieve its target of teaching regional languages to students up to intermediate level.

The owner of a private school expressed unawareness about the education department’s decision to teach any of the regional languages. “No one from the education department has asked us to teach regional languages,” he said.

The principal of another private school said that they could teach Pashto as compulsory subject but the other four languages could not be taught owing to unavailability of teachers.

Private Educational Institutional Management Association president Khwaja Yawar Naseer confirmed that private schools had not started teaching of regional languages. “We have neither received any letter nor any other instruction in this regards from the education department,” he said.

He said that government didn’t take them on board in that regard.

Minister for Education Mohammad Atif Khan, when contacted, said that currently private schools were controlled by regulatory authorities established at each education board level.

He said that such authorities didn’t have much legal powers to take punitive action against the private schools for violation of education department’s decisions.

“Now the formation of a powerful regulatory authority is underway in the education department,” he said, adding that a law in that respect was already passed by the provincial assembly.

With the establishment of the private schools regulatory authority, the minister said, the education department would be in a position to implement its decision.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2017