KARACHI: Curricula of English, maths being changed: Spelt conference
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 12: Speakers at a national conference on English language called for uniform and effective English- teaching practices in educational institutions throughout the country.
Majority of the speakers emphasised concerted efforts enabling English language teachers to know the varying purposes of English language teaching.
The conference was held by the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (Spelt) at the AKU auditorium on Friday.
Spelt has planned to held its 17th annual conference as an international event and speakers and delegates from abroad had also confirmed their participation in the conference, but 11 September changed it all, said one of the organisers.
Speaking as chief guest at th inaugural session of the three day conference, federal minister for education, Zubaida Jalal, said that the national education sector reform package which, among other things, highlighted the teaching methodologies and collaborative learning environment as one of the most important components, was ready for implementation.
She appreciated the role of Spelt in providing professional training to English language teachers in order to make them effective and productive.
The minister informed that drafts pertaining to curricula of different subjects, including English and Mathematics, from class I to XII were ready. The government would advertise those drafts for a comprehensive study by quarters concerned, asking proposals for preparation of textbooks as well, she added.
Underscoring the in-service training for teachers, she mentioned that improvement in teacher education improved quality of education as well. She assured the organisers of the conference that the government would try to implement the recommendations of the conference in federal programmes for education in Pakistan.
In his keynote address, Dr Tariq Rahman of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, emphasised that English language was an empowering device and a liberalising influence in the country. Those who could manipulate the written and spoken words were in a position to enter the domain of power, he added and noted that lack of privileges and power had made people to adopt English now.
Talking on his topic “English-the power language”, he said that the language came in a country or survived either through political forces or economic ones. Exposure of a living, interactive and spontaneous English helped one to know and understand people better, that finally led to a meaningful change in the society, he observed.
He said that English was the medium of instruction in elitist, highly expensive private schools as well as cadet colleges indirectly controlled and partly subsidised by the state. On the other hand, he said, it was taught at as a subject in the vernacular-medium, state-controlled schools, and at a very few madressahs, where ordinary Pakistanis studied.
He said that English was also the means of bringing a person into contact with the outside world and hence with liberal- humanist, democratic values. The exposure to English might counteract the growing religious and cultural intolerance in the country, he said.
President of the Aga Khan University, Dr Shamsh Kassim Lakha, said that teachers should not be stagnant and continue learning as well, otherwise there were chances of decay in the overall standard of education in any institution, among other adverse effects.
He said that the quality of students coming to universities for higher education was considerably poor and universities had to work with “faulty raw materials”.
Dr Manzoor Ahmed, director Usman Institute of Technology Karachi, stressed in his concluding remarks the need for a new paradigm of knowledge for educating the people.”Language no doubt is important, but at the same time we must not ignore the need for changing our mindset,” he said.
Others who spoke at the inaugural session were Dr Manzoor Ahmed, OUP managing director Amina Sayied, conference coordinator Khalida Sa’adat, Spelt’s coordinator Fatima Shahabuddin, and Shazia Khanani. Zakia Sarwar, known as mother Spelt, presented Spelt’s shield to the minister.
