The Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) celebrated its 37th anniversary on Friday through a virtual press conference.
The meeting, chaired by Professor Zakia Sarwar addressed the organisation’s role in enabling and empowering the country’s English Language teachers across schools, colleges and universities.
Moderator Gul Jaffri was quick to steer the conversation to more pertinent affairs with introduction of the panel.
First to take stage was SPELT founder Professor Abbas Hussain: “With SPELT, we aim to expand our network and learn from each other; share our challenges and triumphs so that the profession of teaching [English language] grows as a whole,” he affirmed.
Dr Fauzia Shamim spoke about impact of Covid-19 on the education sector. “I remember we were left in a daze when the lockdowns first happened in March of 2020,” she harked back.
She also announced that her organisation had partnered with the Sindh Textbook Board, in a bid to produce better researched and locally relevant English schoolbooks.
Ex-Senator Javed Jabbar said: “English is far too important a language to be left in the hands of the British.”
He noted that there is a disconnect between Pakistani teachers and local English literature. “I was surprised to find out that English Language teachers here are not even aware of poets like Taufik Riffat and Daud Kamal. Which is why we need to inculcate reading habits among classroom practitioners,” he commented.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2021.
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