SNC and languages
Since the Single National Curriculum was made public by the incumbent government a rigorous debate has emerged, involving prominent experts in education and language policies. The critics deem the SNC…
Revitalising endangered languages
Efforts towards revitalising endangered languages have gained global significance. There are now hundreds of endangered languages. Though languages died in all epochs, the rapid decline of diversity is very unique…
Languages: mine and ours
Diversity is a complex phenomenon and the term itself connotes many things. It could be either perceptive or objective. Although it appears to have positive connotations, the term could lead…
Saving local languages
The cabinet division recently issued a letter to other federal departments directing them to use Urdu in their public and official correspondence. The directive also states that the president, prime…
Teach the girl child
By most accounts, 2023 seems to be election year for Pakistan. In that case, all political parties will prepare their manifestos and go into electioneering mode. Media, civil society and…
Charter of education
We are living in 2022 – in fact, almost at the halfway mark of 2022. Back in the 1980s or even 1990s people would perhaps do anything to somehow have…
How not to lose a language
Researchers at Harvard conducted a longitudinal study in which they found out that the two main factors essential for maintaining sound health and longevity are – much to our surprise…
Language Day
LAST Monday was International Mother Language Day. In Pakistan some seminars were held but they had no impact on the national discourse. Few in this country consider language a significant…
A case for unions
Pakistan’s experience with student unions has been less than ideal, mainly due to political expediency and narrow political objectives which reached a pinnacle during Ziaul Haq’s dictatorship and led to…
Who will fight for the people?
Pakistan is a country locked in a state of siege. We have problems with virtually all our neighbours: ones that affect the security and safety of our own country. On…
