Only quality teachers can ensure quality education for which the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has allocated 60 percent of its resources for faculty development that include foreign and national scholarships.
This was stated by HEC Chairman Dr Attaur Rahman while speaking at the 9th Faculty Professional Development Program (FPDP) organised by the HEC Learning Innovation Division, here on Tuesday. Over 30 faculty members are participating in the 45-day programme specifically designed for in-service teachers.
He said that teachers should also possess the ability to excite their students and develop a passion for their study and inculcate a questioning and problem solving approach. The FPDP will help the teachers to improve their teaching skills, he added.
He hoped that the advances which have taken place in the last five years would start bearing fruit and the new government would sustain these initiatives to uplift universities so that the country could transit from an agricultural to knowledge economy.
Dr Riaz Qureshi, Adviser, Quality Assurance and Learning Innovation, HEC, reiterated the importance of faculty in universities and stressed that the participants must pass on the knowledge they would gain from the course.
Dr Mahmoodul Hasan Butt, Vice Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University said that teachers should be producers of knowledge rather than consumers. This intensive training will help them to enhance their competence and perform as better teachers, he added.
Noor Amna Malik, Director General LI, in her welcome address said that so far 270 master trainers have been trained. The FPDP aims to enable teachers use innovative teaching strategies and communication skills that blend academic concepts with workplace applications.