A three-day workshop on capacity building for teachers at affiliated colleges in the ICT region was held by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) team as part of the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project.
According to a press release, the workshop was led by the Post-secondary Education Reform Unit (PERU) in collaboration with the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE).
Seventy nominated instructors from Islamabad’s associate and graduate institutions were to receive training at the behest of the Federal Directorate of Education and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.
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The HEC adopted the Undergraduate Education Policy (UEP) 2020, which will go into effect in the fall of 2023. The readiness of educators, who form the cornerstone of any educational system, determines the outcome of any policy.
The faculty of higher education institutions must be well-versed in UEP and ready to put it into practice in letter and spirit for it to be implemented successfully. Under Education Policy 2020, the associated colleges are changing from an annual basis to a semester system.
Under the education policy 2020, the associated colleges are moving from an annual to a semester system.
Significant procedural and regulatory changes are needed for student admission, enrollment, registration, advisement, internship, capstone project, assessment methods, attendance, course design and conduct, learning management system, and use of technology in teaching and assessment with the introduction of associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs.
A special module on sustainability and the environment was also added for the first time in an effort to improve teachers’ comprehension of the SDGs.
The training strategies also addressed the expectations and level of the target teachers by utilizing appropriate activities and interactions rather than just lectures.
Master Trainers with a variety of training specialties led the workshop. Dr. Mehmood ul Hassan Butt, Project Coordinator, HEDP, gave the opening speech.
He gave a briefing to the audience about his goal of high-quality education for everybody, including affiliated colleges, which, in Pakistan’s higher education system, have historically been a weaker link.
The audience was educated about the session by Dr. Syed Afaq Husain, a Consultant in Capacity Building, who hoped that the advantages of this training would reach the students.
The training included the following modules: Curriculum, Course Design & Planning by Dr. Saira Nudrat; Technology in Teaching & Learning by Dr. Shehryar Naveed; Environment & Sustainability by Engr. Naeem Subhani, Safe T Consult; Transition to Semester System by Dr. Zeeshan Khattak; Teaching Methodologies & Academic Advisement by Dr. Zahir J. Paracha; Student Assessment and Feedback by Dr. Kashif S. Malik. Forty-five female instructors from 33 colleges in Islamabad’s urban and rural areas, including 64 teachers in total, attended the program.
To assess the amount of learning the trainees had accomplished, a pre-test was given before the training started, and a post-training test was given at the conclusion.
The updated UEP and training received favorable reviews from the participants. Everyone agreed that the updated strategy will train young people to be inquisitive, imaginative, expressive, and helpful in building a knowledge-based economy.
Certificates were given to the successful participants in the concluding event at National Skills University, Islamabad, by Mr. Awais Ahmed, Executive Director of HEC.
He emphasized the importance of educators in fostering national development and the nation’s destiny.
At the closing ceremony, Dr. Nasreen Idrees, Joint Educational Advisor, MOSFET, and Ms. Riffat Jabeen, Federal Directorate of Education, declared their intention to support the ICT region’s colleges’ educational environments so that students can benefit from contemporary teaching techniques and technology.
