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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has taken notice of the alleged anti-Pakistan curriculum being taught under a UNHCR-run project in schools for children of Afghan refugees across the province, DawnNews reported on Tuesday.
The Community Oriented Primary Education project is being run by the UNHCR to provide free education to children of Afghan refugees in the country.
Through a letter to Commissionerate Afghan Refugees (CAR), a copy of which is available with DawnNews, the home and tribal affairs department of KP government directed the commissioner to take necessary action in this regard and submit a detailed report.
According to the letter, the UNHCR has recently changed the syllabus being taught in 101 schools for Afghan children in refugee camps. The syllabus was changed without seeking any approval from any federal or provincial department, the letter read.
The controversial syllabus is being taught to Afghan refugee children in grades 1-6. The KP government's letter highlighted the following elements in the curriculum that it viewed with "great concern".
- Flag of Afghanistan is visible at every page of English books
- India has been projected as a friendly country of Afghanistan
- Gilgit-Baltistan and disputed Kashmir has been shown as part of India in social studies book of grade 6
- The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been referred to as 'Durand Line' in the books
UNHCR denies allegations
Later in the day, the UNHCR issued a clarification, saying that there have been no changes in the textbooks currently used in refugee schools in Pakistan.
The UNHCR made it clear that the curriculum taught in Afghanistan was also being taught in the Afghan refugee schools in Pakistan.
"The curriculum of Afghanistan is used in refugee schools in Pakistan. This helps prepare pupils for their integration into the schooling system in Afghanistan should they decide to return," the statement read.
"Over a number of decades, UNHCR has provided funding to cover the printing costs of school textbooks for Afghan refugees. No textbooks have been or will be distributed to schools in refugee villages containing any objectionable content," it added.
