KARACHI: The 39th edition of the two-day Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) International Conference began at the Habib Public School on Saturday.

Caretaker Sindh Education Minister Rana Hussain inaugurated the conference. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Teaching and Learning English Language: Looking towards the Future’.

Students, educators, academicians, English language teachers (ELT) professionals and experts in the field of education from across the globe and the country participated in the conference.

They said that the role of English language teachers went far beyond teaching grammar rules and vocabulary. “They inspire, guide, and empower students to become proficient English speakers and communicators, equipping them with the necessary skills to thrive in an increasingly interconnected global society,” they added.

Education Minister Rana Hussain inaugurates two-day event at Habib Public School

The conference highlighted the need for quality education and educationists to make our nation successful like other nations.

Speaking as the chief guest after inaugurating the conference, Rana Hussain, the provincial education minister, said: “I am depressed to be an education minister because the situation of education is worsening day by day and I have very little time left to resolve the issues in the education sector.”

She said education was the pillar of a successful nation but the situation of educational departments in the country was very unfortunate.

“Even the basic necessities, such as textbooks, are not available for the students,” she said, adding that the main mediating resource in any education department was its teachers, which was missing here.

She mentioned that she had asked the education department to give their teachers training from the teachers of SPELT on how to teach English.

“With the help of SPELT, we will give a Grade 12 book to the government as a gift. I request all the teachers and professionals at SPELT to come up with an idea for an online course.”

She hoped that good teachers would come forward to become a part of educating our generation for a better future.

In his keynote address, SPELT president Mohsin Tejani said that the initiative to educate teachers about the English language was started in 1985 and since then, the society had been effortlessly working to facilitate teachers with quality English language education.

“I encourage all of you to join SPELT and support our team to create leaders for tomorrow, as English is a relevant and well-equipped language,” he said.

SPELT executive director Zakia Sarwar said, “If you know English, you can teach English.”

She emphasised the need for competitive English teachers in the society.

Dr Tamrika Khvitisiashvili, an English language specialist, delivered a keynote address on Classroom 2.0: Tool for Digital Learning that students love.

SPELT vice president Fauzia Shamim also spoke.

Other speakers on the first day of the conference included Hubib Public School Principal Minhas Tejani, Dr John Baker from Vietnam, Dr Ngyuen Ngoc Vu from Japan, Teachers Development Centre director Abbas Hussain, Dr Mike Medley from the US, Kiran Foundation founder Sabina Khatri, Dr Fatima Rehan Dar, Noor Ul Huda Foundation founder Rafiah Mudassir and others.

Different panel discussions including on ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Language Teaching’ and ‘English Gen Z: Strategies for Teaching English to the Next Generation’ were also held at the conference.

The conference will conclude on Sunday (today).

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2023