Assessing the Impact of the Single National Curriculum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: How Do Teachers in Peshawar and Swat Valley Navigate Implementation Challenges?

Abstract

This paper examines the application of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, with special reference given to the ways teachers in Peshawar and Swat Valley deal with the obstacles of this educational revolution. Introduced in 2021 and called One Nation, One Curriculum, the SNC is intended to unify the educational system in public, private, and madrassa sectors, but its application in KP, which has a different linguistic, cultural, and security situation, is associated with peculiarities. This study employs a qualitative case study to examine implementation realities through conducting a semi-structured interview with 32 teachers in primary and secondary schools, focus group discussions with school administrators and an examination of policy documents. The results demonstrate that there is an implementation gap: though teachers admit that the SNC can help to promote educational equity, they are severely affected by such issues as insufficient professional growth (55% indicate the lack of such training), material limitations (60% mention the lack of the necessary materials), ideological conflicts about religious content, and the lack of alignment between progressive curriculum goals and traditional methods of testing. Swat Valley teachers complain about security-related disturbances and lack of infrastructure, whereas Peshawar teachers have to cope with the high number of students in classes and language diversity. The researchers determine that teachers engage in a kind of agency, practical agency, which involves adapting, resisting, or selectively introducing the aspects of the curriculum depending on the realities of the situation, instead of adhering to the recommended changes. The study helps the comprehension of curriculum implementation in post-devolution Pakistan, as it provides evidence-based possible solutions to improve the professional development of teachers, the distribution of resources and policy coherence to meet the equity goals of the SNC.

Keywords: Single National Curriculum, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, curriculum implementation, teacher agency, educational reform, Pakistan, Peshawar, Swat Valley.