New dept set up at KU with aid worth $1.9m

The department is for the teacher education programme, jointly designed by USAID and HEC

KARACHI: The new teacher education department at the University of Karachi (KU) stands in stark contrast to the delapidated buildings of the surrounding social sciences departments.

Built with $1.9 million worth of aid from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the new building was inaugurated on Saturday by US ambassador to Pakistan Richard G Olson and education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, accompanied by US consul-general Brian Heath and KU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Qaisar. It is located adjacent to the political science department in the social sciences faculty, formerly known as the arts faculty.

The building will be used for the recently-introduced teacher education programmes that the USAID and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan had jointly designed in 2010. These programmes are a two-year associate degree in education (ADE) and a four-year Bachelor's of Education (BEd Hons).

According to Olson, these teacher education programmes were a part of the USAID's 'Teachers Education Project', a $75-million initiative, to bring reforms for a long-term sustainability in Pakistan's education sector by educating the current and future teachers in partnership with the provincial education departments.

Since 2012, these particular programmes are being taught to nearly 6,000 students at around 23 universities and 79 colleges of Pakistan, said a USAID spokesperson. He added that a little less than half of these future teachers have been pursuing their degrees on USAID-funded scholarships.

"Together with the Pakistani government, the United States is working to improve the quality of teacher education in the country and provide the best learning and work environment for the future teachers of Pakistan," said Olson.

According to Olson, USAID - with its $45-million support - will continue to help build faculties of teachers education across the country. These comprise one at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, another at the Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, and 14 more at other universities across the country.

Khuhro vowed that the provincial government will make all teacher recruitments purely on merit. "With the support of our international partners, we are committed to improving the quality of teachers' education and the standard of basic education in the province."