FDE plans teachers training programme in summer

Educators oppose training sessions during vacation

ISLAMABAD: Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has decided to call teachers during summer vacations for training courses.

Though, these courses will help build capacity of educators, many have objected to timing the programme in summer break when people leave for hometowns.

FDE has issued directives to education officers to stop teachers from leaving Islamabad and ensure their attendance in training courses starting in June after Eid holidays.

Teachers have expressed extreme reservations over the courses during summer vacations. According to FDE circular learning is an on-going process for teachers so that their academic performance keeps on improving for the benefit of students.

FDE’s training wing through local and international trainers have conducted various training courses, with teachers, trainings for the administrators of the educational institutions was also done, the actual aim of training courses is to increase the professional abilities of teachers to ensure dispensation of quality education to students.

It has been said in the letter that in month of May due to Ramazan holidays the decided schedule of trainings couldn’t be implemented, now these training courses will be arranged in June, as the summer vacations have started, teachers and owners of all the schools are requested to ensure participation in training courses being held in June.

Further, all the area education officers have been directed to ensure implementation of teachers’ attendance in educational institutions of their area.

Federal Teachers Association President Malik Ameer Khan has said that if training for teachers has to be conducted, it should be done in the beginning of year which will equally benefit the students and teachers.

However, holding teacher-training courses in summers seems to be an exercise for spending the excessive budget, rather wasting government funds.

He said unused funds lapse in June therefore, departments come up with baffling ideas to show performance and also utilisation of allocations, though in futile exercises like holding training for school teachers in summer break.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2019.