ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to abolish the one-year BEd programme and asked the universities not to offer admissions for the degree from now onward.

The universities would now be offering four-year BEd and two-year Associate Degree in Education (ADE) programmes.

“The universities and other higher-learning institutes are being advised not to offer admissions in the one-year BEd programme otherwise the commission will not recognise the degrees,” said HEC spokesperson Ayesha Ikram.

She said the step was being taken to bring an improvement in the school and college level education.

“We are abolishing the one-year BEd course after consulting with and endorsement of the provincial governments.” She said without improving the quality of teaching our standard of education cannot be improved.Instead of the one-year BEd course, she added, the universities had been asked to introduce a four-year BEd (honours) programme based on 136 credit hours of course work and practical experience which would be divided into two parts.

Universities asked to offer admissions in four-year BEd and two-year Associate Degree in Education programmes

The first two years will enable the future teachers to complete 68 credit hours of course work and practical experience. In case the teachers wanted not to complete the four-year programme, they would be awarded the ADE degrees after passing the first two years, enabling them to work as teachers in elementary schools.

It was also decided that admission to BEd and ADE courses would be awarded only to those candidates who would complete 12 years of education and secure at least second division in the higher secondary school certificate (HSSC) examination. The ADE and BEd degree holders will be offered jobs in BPS-15 and BPS-14, respectively.

The spokesperson said after 2018 no new teacher would be hired if they have not completed either ADE or the four-year BEd programme. However, she said students whose one-year programme was still under process should continue their education and the commission would recognise their degrees.

Speaking to Dawn, an official of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training said a number of higher learning institutes had been offering the four-year BEd and ADE courses for over six years. However, he said, since the HEC was simultaneously recognising the one-year and four-year BEd a majority of students opted for the one-year programme.

“Now when the HEC has announced to abolish the one-year programme all students will join the four-year BEd and two-year ADE programmes.” He said that in 2009 when the government introduced the four-year BEd programme, it was announced that jobs in BPS 14 and 15 would be given to the four-year degree holders. But in many cases those who completed the four-year BEd programme were given teaching job in grade 9, which was an injustice with the graduates.

The official said the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), which on an average produced over 100,000 BEd graduates every year, had been pleading that the one-year programme should not be abolished. Quoting an AIOU official, he said a majority of the AIOU students, particularly women, belonged to the far-flung areas who could not afford the four-year and two-year programmes.

He said the AIOU and HEC officials had so far held several meetings and the distance-learning institute had also taken up the matter with the ministry which was likely to discuss it at the upcoming inter-provincial education ministers’ conference.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2016