That the so-called Single National Curriculum (SNC), introduced by the PTI government, was an exercise in futility is no longer news. Many critics, including me, have long highlighted its flaws. Now, a comprehensive review by Amjad Nazeer and Asad Khan provides both qualitative and quantitative evidence to reinforce this critique.

Previously, Anjum Altaf had taken on the task of reviewing the Pre-1 model textbooks. A consistent and critical voice in Pakistan’s education discourse, Altaf has published extensively in newspapers and academic journals. In 2022, he released ‘Single National Curriculum: A Review of Pre-1 Model Textbooks’, a timely intervention given that the SNC had been implemented for grades Pre-1 to 5 in the 2021–22 academic year. Model textbooks across subjects accompanied this rollout. Altaf’s work presented a detailed, page-by-page critique of the mathematics, English, and Urdu primers for the Pre-1 level.

Since Pre-1 forms the foundation of a child's entire educational journey, it is essential to examine the content and structure of these texts with care. Altaf’s review, published by Folio Books, could have served as a wake-up call for SNC advocates. Unfortunately, even the government after the PTI failed to take the critique seriously. Model textbooks were printed and distributed to public schools across all provinces except Sindh.

Sindh was the only province to resist the federally imposed curriculum, asserting its constitutional right under the 18th Amendment to design its own. Although the textbooks developed in Sindh were marginally better, they too required significant improvement in both content and design. Altaf’s meticulous review highlighted the poor quality and incoherent structure of the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) materials, which were the primary focus of his criticism.

It is noteworthy that, according to the PCTB website, the board was chaired from 2016 to 2023 first by a retired lieutenant general (until 2021), then by a retired brigadier (until 2023). Altaf identified numerous inappropriate activities within the textbooks. For instance, on page 6 of the mathematics primer, students encountering the phrase "If you have a problem..." are given response options like: “take a nap”, “pray”, “talk about happy things”,........

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