Interface of Education and Religion: The Inclusiveness of Academic Discourse in Pakistan

Abstract

Knowledge about different religions of the world is vital for developing interfaith harmony. The present research aims at finding the portrayal of different religions in English textbooks taught at the Secondary Level in government schools of Pakistan. It is purely a quantitative study. In this context, the reading passages of the textbooks taught in five provinces and the capital are sifted for finding references to different religions. The contents related to religions have been quantified and classified in two broad ways: mention and depiction. The results of the study indicate that religion Islam dominates with 89.8% and 91.9% instances of mention and depiction respectively. The percentage of Christianity Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism is 10.2% and 8.1% in mention and depiction respectively. It means the other religions are not given sufficient space. It is, therefore, recommended that attention should be paid to them in the course contents.