ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan Assembly on Friday passed a resolution calling for basic Arabic language education to be made compulsory in government primary schools to help children understand the Holy Quran.
The resolution, moved by provincial lawmaker Shahida Rauf, recommended introducing Arabic lessons across government primary schools, supported by a standardised curriculum, trained teachers and appropriate learning materials.
It said learning basic Arabic could help children understand the words and meanings of the Holy Quran, as the language is central to Islamic scripture.
The proposed curriculum would be tailored to children’s ages and learning abilities. It would cover basic vocabulary, grammar and commonly used Quranic words.
However, lawmakers also stressed the importance of teaching children in their mother tongues, highlighting the need to promote local languages alongside Arabic.
During the assembly debate, former Balochistan chief minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch called for mother tongues to be made compulsory in schools alongside Arabic.
“Receiving education in one’s mother tongue is the fundamental right of every child,” he said.
Baloch also recalled that lawmakers had introduced a similar resolution seeking compulsory education in local languages in 2013.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has several linguistic communities, with Balochi, Pashto and Brahui among its widely spoken languages.
The resolution said education should not remain limited to academic learning but should also promote children’s intellectual, moral and cognitive development. It emphasised religious awareness, positive values and character building.
Meanwhile, Provincial Education Minister Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani said the government had already introduced Quran recitation classes at the primary level.
She added that the provincial government was also working to expand education in local languages.
However, Durrani acknowledged that limited resources remained a major obstacle to introducing mother-tongue instruction across the province.
