Lived experiences of religious minority teachers in State and Christian private schools in Pakistan

Ashar Johnson Khokhar
Forman Christian College, Pakistan

This study explores the experiences of religious minority teachers in Pakistani public and private schools, emphasising the complex interaction of identity, workplace dynamics, classroom interactions, and institutional policies. The literature review highlights how Pakistan's education system, shaped by national policies that stress Islamic values, uses textbooks to influence students' identities, often reflecting political compromises and potentially marginalising non-Muslims. Using a qualitative research approach and a case study method, this study concentrates on Christian teachers in five major cities in Pakistan. Data were gathered through focus group discussions, with participants divided into groups from government (state) and Christian schools. The results show that religious identity is vital for these teachers, who frequently face subtle and overt discrimination, especially in government schools where they encounter social exclusion, promotion obstacles, and pressure to adopt Islamic cultural expressions. In classrooms, teachers self-censor to avoid blasphemy accusations, which limits dialogue beyond Islamic topics and hampers students' critical thinking and social development. Institutional policies and societal fears of blasphemy add new restraints to their teaching freedom and lead to biased assessment practices that disadvantage non-Muslim students. The study suggests updating textbooks to include positive stories of minorities, providing anti-discrimination training for school staff, creating merit-based promotion systems, and offering legal protections against blasphemy accusations to build a more inclusive education system.
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Author: Dr Ashar Johnson Khokhar is a teacher educator at Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan [https://www.fccollege.edu.pk/]. His work supports teachers in understanding curriculum for language, history, and ethics. His research focuses on citizenship, peace, social justice, and inclusive education, advocating for a tolerant, multi-religious Pakistan. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3964-819X Email: asharkhokhar@fccollege.edu.pk Please cite as: Khokhar, A. J. (2026). Lived experiences of religious minority teachers in State and Christian private schools in Pakistan. Issues in Educational Research, 36(1), 119-136. http://www.iier.org.au/iier36/khokhar.pdf