In a step towards promoting religious tolerance, harmony, and inclusive educational initiatives in Sindh’s government schools, the School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh, has decided to publish religious textbooks for Hindu students studying in government schools across the province so they may receive education in accordance with their own faith.
“By giving Hindu students the right to study their own religion instead of ethics, we have fulfilled our ethical responsibility,” said Sindh Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah on Thursday.
Officials said that on the directives of Education Minister Shah, a formal letter has been issued to the Sindh Textbook Board, directing the publication and distribution of religious textbooks for Hindu students from Grades 3 to 5 for the academic year 2026–27.
In this regard, permission has also been granted for the preparation and publication of curriculum material after consultation with Hindu Santha and other relevant representative organizations and experts. In his statement, he said that providing children belonging to different religious communities with their religious rights under the principles of tolerance reflects the Sindh government’s commitment to safeguarding minority rights. He stated, “We have taken a step that should have been implemented in the very early days after the creation of the country.”
The provincial minister said that in the past, students belonging to minority religions were taught the subject of Ethics instead of education related to their own faith. However, the government is now formally recognizing this right by providing Hindu students with religious education according to their beliefs.
He added, “We cannot deprive any religious community of its fundamental rights. By giving Hindu students the right to study their own religion instead of Ethics, we have fulfilled our ethical responsibility.”
He further said that the Pakistan Peoples Party has always believed in building an inclusive and tolerant society, and the same vision is clearly reflected in the educational initiatives of the Sindh government.
Important decisions regarding the provision of religious education for Hindu students were taken during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Sindh Curriculum Council. Under these decisions, the Sindh Textbook Board will publish religious textbooks for the upcoming academic year, and these books will also be distributed among Hindu students enrolled in government schools across the province.
According to official statistics, there are currently 129,119 Hindu students enrolled in Grades 3 to 5 in government schools across Sindh. Tharparkar district has the highest number with 26,642 students, followed by Umerkot district with 21,584 Hindu students studying in government schools. In the first phase, textbooks will be published for Grades 3 to 5.
The School Education and Literacy Department had previously approved curriculum books related to the Bahá í Faith, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism, in consultation with the National Curriculum Council. The latest initiative is being regarded as an important continuation of these efforts.
The education minister said the historic speech of the Founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, delivered on August 11, 1947, will always continue to guide us, in which he emphasized the right of all citizens belonging to different religions to live and worship according to their own religious traditions and beliefs.
