Mian Imran Masood Calls for Unified Core Curriculum by April 2028
Islamabad, October 13 – Former provincial education minister Mian Imran Masood has called on the federal and provincial governments to agree on a unified core curriculum and allow until April 2028 for its implementation, saying schools, publishers and teachers need sufficient time to prepare for the transition.
Speaking at a media briefing on curriculum reforms on Tuesday, Masood warned that separate curricula being developed by the federal government, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could create disparities in educational standards and make it harder for students transferring between provinces.
He urged authorities to adopt a coordinated approach that would maintain comparable learning standards across the country while allowing provinces room to reflect their own priorities and contexts.
The briefing comes as curriculum reforms are moving forward simultaneously at the federal and provincial levels.
The National Curriculum Council is currently seeking public feedback on the draft National Curriculum Framework 2026 and proposed curriculum for early childhood education through Grade 5.
Punjab, meanwhile, has approved a revised primary curriculum for implementation from the 2027 academic year, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued revised curricula for secondary and higher secondary classes.
The parallel developments have brought questions of national consistency, provincial autonomy and school readiness into sharper focus.
Masood said that despite the devolution of curriculum responsibilities to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, broad consistency had largely been maintained between 2010 and 2026.
He stressed that curriculum reform affects the entire education system, including learning outcomes, teacher preparation, classroom planning and examinations.
Masood also pointed to Pakistan’s limited academic year, saying schools have around 140 to 145 teaching days annually, compared with 192 to 220 days in several other countries.
Arshad Saeed, Managing Director of Oxford University Press Pakistan, welcomed curriculum reforms but said their success would depend on careful planning and coordination between federal and provincial authorities.
He proposed a common core curriculum for English, Urdu, mathematics and science, while allowing provinces to incorporate their own history, geography and local context into social studies.
Saeed said a shared framework could also reduce duplication of resources and help keep textbook costs manageable.
The speakers stressed the need for consistent learning standards, particularly at the foundational and primary levels.
They also called for adequate time for pilot teaching, textbook development and teacher training before any revised curriculum is introduced, warning that rushed implementation could weaken learning outcomes.
They said curriculum development must be followed by textbook writing, review and approval, printing, distribution and school-level preparation.
According to the speakers, an implementation timeline extending to April 2028 would allow these stages to be completed in an orderly manner and give teachers, publishers and students sufficient time to adjust to the revised framework.
The briefing concluded with a call for sustained coordination among federal and provincial governments, curriculum bodies, publishers and education experts to ensure that reforms lead to stronger learning outcomes and more equitable educational opportunities across Pakistan.
