SUBALTERN PRACTICES IN SINGLE NATIONAL CURRICULUM OF PAKISTAN: A CASE-STUDY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS

Abstract

Single National Curriculum (SNC) is a historical initiative by the government of Pakistan that aims to provide equal opportunities for high-level quality education to all children and to discourage a class-based education system. The present study aims to evaluate the subaltern practices in a Single National Curriculum (SNC) in the English language textbooks (Grades: 1-3) of the Punjab Textbook Board (PTB). This research investigates whether English textbooks are fulfilling the practical needs of learners, offer the appropriate activities, and are contextually relevant by applying the CREDIBLE approach model. A mixed method approach was applied for a broad understanding of the evaluation and suggestions for improvement. The model contains 8 features that were applied to the textbooks to check whether English textbooks meet the standards of the model or not. The outcomes of the study show that the SNC English textbooks (Grades: 1-3) are contextually relevant, but reading and comprehension questions and creative writing sections of activities do not fulfill the needs of the learners. Teachers’ opinions about the SNC syllabus in terms of contextual relevance, learner needs, local beliefs, and other aspects of the CREDIBLE model were also collected in the form of questionnaires. The findings showed similarity to the outcomes of the CREDIBLE model application on SNC.