The closing ceremony of one-week skill-based teacher training workshop was held at the auditorium of Hi-Tech Resource Centre of the Varsity. This workshop was organised by Institute of English Language & Literature under sponsorship of Learning Innovation Division of the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad for junior teachers of colleges and universities under the thematic umbrella term Professional Development of Teacher Teaching through Medium of English (TELLS).
Speaking on this occasion, Professor Dr Rafique Ahmed Memon, Director, IELL and Focal Person for the event observed that more people around the world than ever before were studying and learning English because it had become the international language of education and business. Since its creation in 1964, more than 27 million people have taken the TOEFL test, including hundreds of thousands in Japan. The TOEIC test, which had begun in Japan in the 1970s, was taken more than seven million times in 2016 alone.
Professor Ghulam Ali Buriro, Guest of Honor on this occasion said English may not be the most spoken language in the world, but it is the official language in a large number of countries. It is estimated that the number of people in the world that use in English to communicate on a regular basis is 2 billion! Professor Buriro further said that English is the dominant business language and it has become almost a necessity for people to speak English if they are to enter a global workforce, research from all over the world shows that cross-border business communication is most often conducted in English. Its importance in the global market place therefore cannot be understated. Learning English really can change your life.
Dr Shumaila Aijaz opined that many of the world's top films, books and music were published and produced in English. Therefore by learning English you will have access to a great wealth of entertainment and will be able to have a greater cultural understanding.
Dr Sumera Umrani added that most of the content produced on the internet (50%) is in English. So knowing English will allow you access to an incredible amount of information which may not be otherwise available. Although learning English can be challenging and time consuming, we can see that it is also very valuable to learn and can create many opportunities. It was general observation by all the trainers and the trainees that the secret of education lay in empowering the teacher in terms of skills of English Language Teaching. "The more the teacher was skill-oriented, trained, qualified and experienced; the more he would be able to impart those capabilities to the learners.