Curriculum changes not on behest of US: Qazi
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Rejecting the opposition parties’ claim that amendments in the curriculum are being made on the pressure of the United States, the Federal Minister for Education, Javed Ashraf Qazi, said that the new curriculum is based on the views of prominent and authentic education experts from across the country.
Talking to a newsmen on Wednesday, Qazi said that bringing education system at par with the modern lines was the need of the day. “The changes in the curriculum are not being brought on the directives of US,” he added.
He said that English was the language of science and technology not that of Englishmen. He said that a whole generation of the country had been getting education through the curriculum chalked out by General Ziaul Haq with the cooperation of Jamaat-e-Islami but of no avail.
Qazi said that neither any individual of the United States had directed for bringing changes in curriculum nor had provided financial aid for improvement of education system.
He said that some elements including JI who are against development had been raising fingers over the new curriculum. It has become their habit to criticize every good step of the government, he added.
He said that it was the priority of the government to improve the education system for the betterment of the generations to come. “The people or elements who say that English language be eliminated from the country are against the national development,” he added.
He said that English was the language of Science and technology and a country could not make progress until it developed science and technology.
Responding to a question that a website in US had carried a report that Pakistan was all set to bring changes in curriculum on the directives of United States, he denied this report and said that none of the websites could display such reports.
To another question he replied that he had mistakenly said that their were 40 chapters of Quran which he had later clarified. He said that it should not be made a source of criticism on the education system. .