KARACHI, Feb 22: Teachers' status in the society is critical, yet a largely ignored factor affecting the state of education in Pakistan.

These views were expressed at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development's (AKUIED) National Research Symposium on teacher status, which opened here on Thursday.

The aims of the two-day symposium are to take into account issues pertaining to the status of teachers and the teaching profession in the country, identify a set of questions and issues for further research and deliberation, and put forward policy recommendations.

At the opening session, Dr Mohammad Memon, Director, AKUIED, highlighted that high priority had been given to teachers' professional development but very little effort was made to research into teachers’ status and its implications for policy.—PPI