Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Formed through a violent rupture on religious grounds in 1947, Pakistan’s experienced massive processes of Islamisation, over the years, with religion now being immersed in the politics, economy and educational discourse in the country. Previous research has focused on how religion influences state sponsored textbooks, curriculum and educational policies. Yet, there is limited research on the role of religion in the classrooms, and on teachers’ voices and subjectivities.This paper uses data from a PhD study focusing on the static role of religion in classrooms in five case study schools in Pakistan. It focuses on how teachers’ religious subjectivities is a defining factor influencing their will to teach. In analogising their profession to a form of divine guidance, teachers extended their role in the life of students beyond the curricular content making it imperative to advocate religious knowledge. This paper uses the theory of divine calling to understand how teachers not only perceived their roles as significant agents influencing the identities of students but also as a religious duty to engender moral and character education of students through the teaching of Islam.