Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Date of Submission

2025-07-30

Advisor

Amna Tufail

Committee

Babur Khan Suri

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Ethnic Identity, Curriculum, Karachi, Public Primary Schools, Sindh Textbook Board

Abstract

This study explored how ethnic identity’s visibility and inclusivity presents itself in the General Knowledge textbooks administered in Karachi’s public primary schools through two primary methods: qualitative thematic analysis of General Knowledge textbooks for Grades 1–3 developed by the Sindh Textbook Board, and semi-structured interviews with eleven participants across 3 organizations: 7 teachers, 2 primary heads, and 2 curriculum professionals. Data from the textbooks and interview transcripts were coded manually and thematically. Findings indicated a significant underrepresentation of ethnic groups across both visual and textual content in the textbooks, with a dominant narrative centred around a holistic national identity. Interviews revealed that some educators acknowledged the importance of inclusion in the curriculum. These individuals regularly adapt or modify the standardised curriculum to better meet students’ needs (including those of ethnic identity and belonging). Interviews further highlighted how different schools in Karachi demographically reflected different ethnic majorities and minorities within their classrooms, emphasising how a one-size-fits-all curriculum designed for administration across Sindh disregards localised cultural realities in cities. Finally, the study found that mother-tongue-based education practices, when implemented, serve as an effective tool for increasing relatability, engagement, and identity affirmation, particularly for students from ethnically marginalised groups whose primary languages are neither Urdu nor English. These results lend support to the need for curriculum reform that reflects Karachi’s multicultural reality and suggest that representational equity in textbooks plays an imperative role in engendering belonging, identity, and social cohesion among young learners in primary school.

Pages

100

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