Teachers asked to improve communication skills

Conference highlights importance of better education for enhanced youth leadership.

ISLAMABAD:

Teachers were asked at a workshop to use their potential for producing leaders who can effectively lead and protect the interests of the country. These views were expressed by Director of Sir Syed Institute of Leadership Wali Muhammad, at an orientation workshop for university teachers by Sir Syed Institute of Leadership under its Inspired Pakistan Program on Tuesday.

More than 30 teachers from 10 major universities, including National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamic  International University Islamabad (IIUI), COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, UET Taxila attended the event.

“When one speaks from his heart, those emotions express one’s inner feelings,” said Muhammad.

He emphasised on the importance of teachers communicating with students in an easily understandable language.

He added that teaching is a respectful profession and they should treat students equally regardless of their backgrounds.

He also stressed the importance of good communication skills, maintaining that teachers must be well versed and clear about the knowledge and concept being imparted to students. “It is you who will produce and prepare tomorrow’s leaders,” he reiterated.

Muhammad referred to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s communication and leadership qualities citing the 1971 UN General Assembly address when he stunned political leaders by walking out of the session, when member nations supported India and ignored Pakistan’s point of view.

A video of the speech was also showed. Using the incident as inspiration, he directed teachers to instill in their students the “guts as to when, how and what to speak on a certain occasion”.

Ahsanullah, a teacher, said that the government should invest in teachers which will be helpful in producing a good generation.

Another teacher added that the government needs to improve teachers incentives which would help in focusing on professional responsibility.

The theme of the Inspired Pakistan Program according to Muhammad was to train students and staff at universities, working in conjunction with the Federal Directorate of Education to foster leadership qualities in the country’s youth. He underlined the lack of a youth-oriented policy in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2011.