Lahore (AsiaNews) – The Pakistani Bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace has expressed "concern" about curriculum reforms that include compulsory teaching of Islam and reciting prayers from the Koran during class.

In an open letter to the President of Pakistan, Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha, chairperson of the commission, said: "Church based organizations were not consulted in framing the new education policy despite their recognized contribution in the field of education in the country."

Recalling previous reform efforts that ultimately failed to deliver and wasted billion of rupees, Mgr Saldanha drew attention to some fundamental aspects. In the first place, Islamic religious extremism has been described by the Pakistani president himself as the country's "greatest threat": compulsory study of the Islamic religion over the last 30 years has hindered the creation of a tolerant society.

For example, having a separate syllabus for Shia and Sunni students has only deepened the sense of sectarian divisions. Further, making the subject compulsory for those who are not Muslims goes against Article 25 of the Constitution that guarantees the equality of all citizens at any time.

The bishop therefore proposed teaching universal human values, with religious education as an optional subject. Further, this education should respect other faiths too, and children should be able to study their own religion, as prescribed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Pakistan has ratified.

In the second place, teachers should be capable professionals and provided with good working conditions to avoid corruption.

Other structural problems also need to be tackled, starting from insufficient public funding. Pakistan spends less on education than neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka and the costs involved prevent many Pakistanis from getting an education. This encourages private schools that often inspire religious extremism, the costs of which are covered by external donors.

Mgr Saldanha added: "Although the state is for mass education, more than 50% of citizens have no education. Finally, at school, Pakistani children should learn above all in their mother tongue, putting off the study of foreign languages to later years."