The writer is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Last week the federal government, as well as the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, issued identical directives applicable to all public and private schools from the next academic year as regards teaching in grades one to five. Directives that will regulate teaching in the higher grades are expected soon enough. These directives require all schools to teach from textbooks prescribed by the state as model textbooks. Other textbooks that realize the objectives of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) may be used only after approval by the designated government authorities. While the model textbooks are meant to lay down minimum learning outcomes that individual schools may exceed, the fact is that no other textbooks stand approved as of now.