Learning: ‘Focus on faculty development’

Moot on education and research concludes at UoE

LAHORE: Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Mukhtar Ahmed said on Sunday that training teachers on modern lines was necessary to lift the standards of education.

“Teachers are nation builders and agents for positive social change,” said Ahmed while addressing, via video link, the concluding session of three-day fourth international conference on Education and Research organised by the University of Education (UoE).

The HEC chief said that universities not only served as centres of higher education but also helped maintain and strengthen social bonds among people. “Serving humanity and promoting knowledge is the core purpose of education,” he said.

Ahmed said that in Pakistan, nearly 24 million adults and children were out of school, and eight to nine out of 100 people had access to higher education.

He stressed the need for making education and research a top priority. “We should recognise our responsibilities to overcome problems in the education sector,” he said. He said only professional faculty members be employed at higher education institutions.

UoE Vice Chancellor Rauf-i-Azam said that teachers’ training was of great importance to achieve desired results in the education sector. “There should be an effective system for enhancing teacher’s competency and capability.”

The conference had been arranged to discuss challenges and problems in the education sector, said a press statement. More than 96 scholars presented research papers on various topics. Several scholars from Germany, England, Canada and Saudi Arab also participated.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th,  2016.