Capacity-building of teachers in English language has gained immense importance to keep them updated with the latest developments in this area," speakers observed at a workshop here on Thursday evening.
The workshop, which was part of USAID-funded 'Pakistan Teacher Education & Professional Development Program' (PTEPDP), was organised by US-based 'Academy for Education Development' (AED) at Teachers Development Centre (TDC). The workshop was part of exchange visit of master-trainers from upper parts of the country to visit Karachi and interior of Sindh.
Director TDC Professor Abbas Hussain, Program Manager AED Sofia Imran and Provincial Co-ordinator AED Sindh Sohail Mohammad Ali conducted the workshop.
Abbas said that it was necessary that first the teachers should learn the teaching methodologies of English language. "Unless they equip themselves with the latest English teaching techniques, they will be unable to cope with the changing requirements of teaching the English language", he observed.
"Whether you are a teacher of English or not," Abbas said, "it is a well-established fact that the place of English as source of some of the best ideas in the major fields of human endeavour is undeniable."
On teachers training in Pakistan, the workshop observed that this area had remained neglected in Pakistan and improvement in teacher quality and competence was still a far cry from the standard.
Sofia and Sohail told the participants that PTEPDP had addressed these issues by selecting candidates for training and committed itself to a meaningful post-training follow-on.