The Learning Innovation (LI) division of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has conducted a twoday `National Forum on Teacher Education` in collaboration with National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE).
Dr. Riaz-ul-Haq Tariq, Chairperson, NACTE was the chief guest of the ceremony, while 35 participants including deans, directors and chairpersons of public and private sector teacher education departments attended the forum apart from HEC and provincial school education authorities.
The purpose of this forum was to address the prevailingissues of teacher education focusing on how to prepare quality teachers, conduct ideal weightage of content and improve professional grooming.
The forum brought under consideration two prevailing issues including varying employment policies and practices across provinces and the models and pathways of teacher preparation.
`Even the policy book regarding appointment in public schools is set aside to appoint untrained teachers claiming some short-term post-induction training is sufficient to become a teacher, speakers at the forum underlined. They maintained that two issues led to the third most important issue i.e.
quality assurance of teacher education programmes.
They expressed serious concern over the induction of untrained and non-professional teachers and stopping pre-service training in government colleges for elementary teacher (and regional institutes of teacher education (rites) by the provincial education departments.
The forum stressed the need for consensus among provincial educational authorities and experts with regard to establishment of pre-service teacher education and training mechanism.
The closing ceremony was chaired by Dr. Mehmood-ulHassan Butt, consultant, HEC.
