PESHAWAR: The Khyber Medical University has launched ‘modular curriculum system’ in line with requirement of World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) in five affiliated medical colleges of the province on pilot basis.

A press release issued here on Thursday, said that the decision was made after conducting a series of meetings with principals of affiliated medical colleges.

The meetings were held under the chairmanship of Prof Arshad Javaid, the vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University.

The present curriculum taught in Pakistan is a discipline-based model, inherited from British India. It is generally based on old fashioned methods of teaching and passive learning rather than didactic teaching and adult learning.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has chalked out the outlines of medical curriculum but surveyed faculty has declared that it does not consider the health needs of the country, lacks integration of basic with clinical sciences and is a source of stress for medical students.

“Since, medical education needs to be constantly updated in response to our social needs and requirements of the medical practice; a robust curriculum needs constant revision and reforms in the light of changing social circumstances,” said the press release.

The KMU formed a central curriculum committee with membership from all the constituent and affiliated medical schools.

To follow the integrated curricular system, meeting national and international requirements, modules have been prepared by various medical schools.

These have been standardised and a pilot testing have been planned for the current session 2017 in five medical schools including Khyber Medical College Peshawar, Khyber Girls Medical College Peshawar, KMU Institute of Medical Sciences Kohat, Rehman Medical College Peshawar and Northwest School of Medicines Peshawar.

It is expected that successful implementation of the pilot programme will pave the way for the integrated modular curriculum to be adopted in all the constituent and affiliated colleges of KMU by 2023.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2017