World Teachers’ Day: Paying tribute to nation builders

Various events were organised to highlight hardships faced by teachers.

ISLAMABAD:

To acknowledge their role in building the future of the country, “Salam Teachers’ Day” was held on Friday. In the federal capital, the day was marked by various seminars, walks, functions and other related events to pay tribute to teachers.

At a seminar organised by National Commission for Human Development in collaboration with Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi, State Minister for Education and Training Sardar Shah Jehan Khan said, “Teachers play a pivotal role in changing people’s fate which must not be taken lightly.”

Ghazali Education Trust and UNESCO also teamed up to celebrate the work of teachers by arranging a rally from China Chowk to Parliament House.

Hundreds of students, academics and civil society members gathered on the fall morning, holding thought-provoking placards to express their reverence for teachers.

Large-scale professional training courses were recommended for teachers so that they can learn about the latest advances in teaching methods to root out rote-learning.

Inspired by the reverence reserved for educators, a few students speaking with The Express Tribune shared that they aspire to become teachers in their schools after they graduate.

Meanwhile, as part of this year’s celebration of Salam Teachers’ Day, USAID, through its teacher education project, launched a media campaign, “Ustad, Ujaloon kai Ameen,” said a statement issued by the US embassy.

“Giving teachers the tools they need to be successful in the classroom has been one of USAID’s main objectives. In collaboration with universities and teacher training colleges, the US is helping Pakistan to revolutionise the way it trains its teachers,” said USAID Office of Education Director Jo Lesser-Oltheten.

The teacher education programme provides international staff for teacher training institutions, forges linkages between Pakistani and US universities,
builds state-of-the-art facilities, and helps develop syllabi and teaching guides, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, former rector of International Islamic University, Prof. Dr Fateh Muhammad Malik said, “Teachers are not accorded the respect they deserve because of their materialistic approach.”

Moreover, hardships faced by teachers, especially financial vows, were also discussed at a few seminars. A former educationist, Tahir Naveed, while speaking at an event said that we must ensure the financial well-being of teachers if we want to ensure a better future for our children.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2012.