A Major Step of Oxford University to Train Pakistani Teachers

The biggest issue for Pakistan’s education system remains the lack of highly skilled teachers who can provide instruction that leads students to thinking critically and solving problems based on the needs of modern society. To answer this, Oxford University in association with the Malala Fund and the Pakistani NGO Durbeen has launched a ground-breaking program to train teacher-educators in Pakistan. This will change the status of teacher training in the country and improve education across the country.

A Collaboration with Purpose

Announced by Pakistani musician and advocate for reform in education, Shehzad Roy, the innovation aims to ready educators for training teachers that Pakistan would have in the future. The specialized M.S. program Oxford University is helping train professionals for instruction, thereby setting teacher-training standards in stone, all to reach students in B.Ed. programs in Pakistan.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai played a crucial role in the formation of this partnership. Oxford University and Durbeen are working to design a curriculum that will equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach several subjects to high standards.

Five Specialization Tracks to Cover Key Areas

The M.S. program has been prepared with the advice of some experienced teachers, and the five tracks of specialization would be Language, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Educational Psychology. Preparations for the specific type of B.Ed. programmes will be done on every track so that there may be a more productive delivery toward teaching a broad set of subjects by the workforce across Pakistan. Curriculum developers like Dr. Ian Thompson, working from Oxford University with Professors Dr. Ann Childs and Dr. Aliya Khalid, conceptualized the curriculum in consultations with detailed observations related to the current methods followed while training teachers in Pakistan.

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This program is designed to specifically address the needs of teacher trainers in Pakistan,” said Dr. Thompson, adding that insights gained from visits to Karachi and other areas helped shape a program that directly addresses gaps in local teacher training.

Building a Qualified Teaching Workforce

Pakistan welcomes a giant leap forward. In fact, the idea of an emergent teacher-educator as a professional—an approach rarely seen globally. “There’s no solid foundation, it is not possible to make capable teachers,” said Durbeen CEO Salma A. Alam. “It is challenging to develop a teaching workforce with professional qualifications unless we have competent teacher-educators. This partnership is what we are working toward.”.

The program would then be expected to start branching out as well prepared teachers will be able to equip students with the appropriate skills for critical thinking and analysis. This will act as a beginning for Pakistan toward the center of excellence and innovation in education.

Pakistan is supposed to progress through this joint initiative through improved quality of education on national levels by holding strong the hope for an intense future of education for succeeding generations.