ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers in the Senate Standing Committee on Education were divided on Monday over a bill proposing the inclusion of reproductive health education in the school curriculum, with some backing it as essential guidance and others opposing it on cultural and parental grounds.
Senator Quratulain Marri, who presented the bill, argued on Monday that reproductive health content must be part of the syllabus to provide proper guidance to students, especially girls, before marriage.
“Children are searching for inappropriate things online. It’s better that they are educated correctly through the curriculum,” she said.
However, several committee members opposed the suggestion. Senator Kamran Murtaza rejected the inclusion outright. Senator Fauzia Arshad also voiced her disapproval, stating that a clear outline of the reproductive system should not be present in the curriculum for younger students.
“This decision should lie with the parents — whether they want their children to study this or not,” she added.
MQM-Pakistan’s Senator Khalida Ateeb said the syllabus should exclude reproductive health topics up to the primary level. Senator Gurdeep Singh also opposed the bill.
Appointment of VC
The session was chaired by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt. During the meeting, the committee also discussed the appointment of a chancellor at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design. Butt questioned the lack of checks and balances, saying, “If a vice chancellor has been in office for 25 years, how can anyone speak against him?”
HEC Chairman added that many challenges existed on the ground and clarified that the issue of tenure extension for VCs had been legally closed.
Senator Marri also initiated discussion on her Federal Oversight and Education Amendment Bill 2024, which aims to reinstate regulatory standards for textbooks.
Senator Fauzia Arshad recalled her children’s time in the US, noting that there, schools required parental consent before teaching topics related to the reproductive system. The chairperson questioned which age group the proposed curriculum changes would target.
