I ACTED as a facilitator at a teacher training workshop recently. I asked the participants a question. How many participants had joined the profession because they had a passion for teaching?

I was astonished to learn the overwhelming majority were teaching because they had failed to secure any other employment, and they would quit the minute they found a better avenue.

Education provides the base for socio-economic development. A poor quality educational system is the basic reason poor countries remain backward, and Pakistan is a developing country.

Education standards in Pakistan have been on the decline, especially human resources. The government has initiated measures to bring improvements but they are not enough and more is needed. It is evident that without enhancing the quality of teachers, the education system will not improve.

Adil Saleem Khan

Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016