SINGLE NATIONAL CURRICULUM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 4 UP TO ELEMENTARY LEVEL: A REVIEW OF PAKISTAN'S EDUCATION REFORM

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) emphasizes inclusive and equitable access to quality education and fosters lifelong learning for all. To address these global issues, the Government of Pakistan has adopted the concept of Single National Curriculum (SNC) to make learning standards common and to fill in the gaps between the learning standards of various education systems and enhancing the educational quality. The aim of this narrative literature review is to critically discuss how well the SNC meets the SDG 4 goal up to elementary level. A thematic approach was applied to review and analyse relevant and recent peer-reviewed journal articles, government policies and official government documents from 2018 to 2025. The results suggest a high level of conceptual congruity of the SNC with SDG 4 as it is focused on educational equity, competency-based learning, Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), values-based learning, and sustainable development. The review also notes that the curriculum is aligned with international foci on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and responsible citizenship. Despite these, research has shown that there are a number of implementation challenges that could hinder the effectiveness of the SNC, such as limited teacher professional development, continued focus on rote memorisation in assessment, unequal access to educational resources, governance challenges and institutional capacity constraints. These results indicate that the goal of SDG 4 cannot be accomplished through curriculum reform alone, and additional reforms including teacher education, assessment, educational governance, and resource allocation are needed. Overall, the review finds that the SNC has a robust policy framework for promoting quality and equitable education in Pakistan, but the impact of such a policy on sustainable educational development will rely on effective implementation, ongoing monitoring and evidence-based policy adjustments.