Journal of Elementary Education, Vol 35, No 1 (2025)

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What Challenges Do the Primary School Teachers Face in Implementing the Single National Curriculum (SNC): Findings from a Qualitative Study

Tariq Mehmood, Dr. Nadia Gilani, Syed Abdul Waheed, Sarwat Naheed Chaudhary

Abstract


The Single National Curriculum is a sincere endeavor in terms of content, approach to instruction, and evaluation to give Pakistanis a united and fair opportunity to acquire high-quality education with equality. This study aims to explore the challenges that Punjab's private and public primary school teachers have faced in implementing the Single National Curriculum, identify the barriers to Single National Curriculum deployment and offer solutions to help schools adopt Single National Curriculum successfully. To collect data from participants on their knowledge, beliefs and experiences, this study used a design based on qualitative research. The study purposively included sixteen primary school teachers who had firsthand experience in implementing and instructing the SNC. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather qualitative data to study the breadth and depth of the phenomena of challenges to the Single National Curriculum practices. The data were transcribed, coded and categorized to identify themes emerging out of the participants’ experiences which include the availability of infrastructure in schools, teachers’ training, and emphasis on Islamic Education. The study has implications for designing strategies to implement SNC effectively in public and private primary schools.


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