Book smart vs street smart: Teachers demand training academies

Say elementary teaching colleges focus on B.Ed, M.Ed degree programmes.


Fawad Ali July 09, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Public school teachers have demanded training academies where teachers can get real-world training instead of teaching colleges churning out B.Ed and M.Ed graduates who only have ‘book knowledge’.

Condemning the merger of two Government Elementary Teaching Colleges in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, they asked the provincial government to convert teaching colleges into training academies for teachers.



“Successive governments have tried to improve the quality of education simply by changing the curriculum. They keep ignoring teacher training,” said Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) General Secretary Rana Liaquat.

He said that in the past, teachers attended special training academies where they would stay for three to four months and get practical teaching experience. He said the Punjab government later abolished these schools and came up with Elementary Teachers Training Colleges.

“Instead of providing practical training, the colleges started teaching B.Ed, M.Ed and M.Sc courses. These courses should be taught at universities and training colleges should focus on training programmes for teachers,” said Liaquat.

He said the colleges were initially affiliated with the University of Education before turning to the Directorate of Staff Development, Punjab (DSDP).

“The DSDP gets Rs2 billion a year from foreign donors for teacher training but spends the funds on M.Ed and B.Ed degree programmes instead,” he claimed.

PTU Central President Sajjad Akbar Kazmi said there are 33 elementary schools and colleges in the province but none of them provides practical training to teachers.

“Around 8,000 students graduate from these institutions ever year. Similarly, more than 35,000 students are enrolled in teaching courses at regular universities such as the Allama Iqbal Open University,” he said.

Imtiaz Ahmad Abbasi, a PTU member, said that teachers should receive at least one year of training after recruitment as is the case with civil service employees at their academies.

He said the performance of public educational institutes cannot be improved without improving the standards of teaching. “A specialised teachers’ academy will go a long way in improving the quality of education in the country,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2014.

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