The City School

13th August, 2021

The Single National Curriculum (SNC) and The City School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you know, The Government of Pakistan is introducing the Single National Curriculum (SNC).

This circular is to assist parents and guardians in understanding some of the key requirements of the
SNC and, to ensure we provide the highest quality education, our response.

1. The SNC requires the following subjects to be taught, and in the languages shown, below:

Classes Language of instruction

English KG-5 English
Urdu KG-5 Urdu
Maths KG-5 English
Islamiat 1-5 Urdu
General Knowledge 1-3 Transition to Urdu
General Science 4-5 English
Social Studies 4-5 Transition to Urdu
(General Knowledge is a blend of General Science and Social Studies.)

Government directives describe these as minimum standards and minimum provision

- Parents and guardians are assured that The City School curriculum follows international standards
and goes above and beyond these minimum requirements.

- We will also continue to offer Computing, PE, Music, Art, Library and PSED (Personal, Social and
Emotional Development). These subjects are essential subjects in our curriculum.

2. Government directions for the implementation of the SNC are:

- KG to Class 5: August, 2021

- KG to Class 8: from August, 2022
- KG to Class 12: from August, 2022

3. The teaching of the Holy Quran (Naazrah) is in accordance to the schedule below:

KG N/A
1 Qurani Qaeda and last 04 surahs of The Holy Quran
2 Para 1 & 2
3 Para 3 to 8
 The City School
4 Para 9 to 18
5 Para 19 to 30

- The sensitive nature of Naazrah implies that we must be spot on with Tajweed and pronunciation.
We will use approved apps such as Islam 360; PTV Naazrah Lessons; and/or recognised Qaris for
the Naazrah section of the curriculum.

4. Language of Instruction: The Government’s preference is for General Knowledge and Social Studies
to be taught in Urdu.

- This may be a challenge for many of our students who have been taught in English. We will
continue to teach in English unless it is absolutely necessary to change to Urdu.

5. Textbooks: The Government have issued SNC Model Textbooks.

- These books only scratch the surface of the learning objectives. More depth, more resources,
better practice questions, differentiation and higher order questioning is required. Our preferred
international publishers are close to acquiring ‘No Objection Certificates’ (NOCs) from the PCTB.
A revised booklist will therefore be shared with parents as soon as the NOCs are issued.

- We must emphasize that a book is not the curriculum. Books assist in the teaching of the
curriculum but, equally important, are the teachers’ analyses of class strengths and weaknesses
for which our teachers utilise appropriate resource materials.

In conclusion:

• The SNC describes minimum standards whereas The City School has always exceeded, and will
continue, to exceed these standards.
• Compared to the SNC required subjects, our additional subjects will continue to stretch students
and develop the whole child.
• The delay in awarding NOCs for our preferred textbooks is an inconvenience but as approvals of
these books are now being granted, our new booklists will be issued soon. Our own robust in-
house support materials are aligned with international standards.

Your child’s education at The City School will continue to compete with, and rise above, the best
schools in Pakistan and internationally.

With kind regards,

The School Management.