Modernising teaching: Public higher secondary school teachers to get tablet PCs

Education dept floats tenders for project; will be implemented soon: additional secretary.

PESHAWAR: With the aim to improve the education sector by making information and communications technology (ICT) available in government schools, the provincial government has decided to provide tablet PCs to schoolteachers and principals.

According to documents of the elementary and secondary education department available with The Express Tribune, tablet computers will be given to over 2,500 teachers selected from higher secondary schools (HSS) in all districts of the province. The handheld computers will contain educational content from various sources approved by the education department.



Initially, more than 2,527 of these computers will be distributed; seven per school–six for teachers and one for the school principal.

Commenting on the matter, the additional secretary of the K-P Elementary and Secondary Education department, Qaiser Alam Khan, said a tender has already been advertised for the project and it will be implemented soon.

Khan said teachers do not have access to advanced teaching resources which is one of the many challenges the education sector is facing in K-P.  “With the introduction of ICT in schools, it will be possible for teachers to learn modern methods of teaching and access relevant digital and multimedia content to enhance their teaching resources,” he said.

The tablets will help teachers improve their computer skills and use what they have learnt in the classroom for the benefit of students.

Tablet math

According to the education department documents, there are 361 higher secondary schools in the province, of which 241 are for boys and 120 for girls. From these schools, over 2,500 teachers will be selected to get the tablet computers.

From Abbottabad, 147 teachers will be given the devices, from Bannu 133 teachers, from Chitral 28 teachers, from Charsadda 133 and from DI Khan 217. Similarly, 203 teachers in Lower Dir will be selected for the project, 77 in Karak, 112 in Kohat, 28 teachers in Kohistan, 224 in Mansehra and 203 in Mardan.

The documents further state that 42 teachers from Malakand will be given tablets, 112 from Nowshera, 210 from Peshawar, 126 from Swat, 105 from Swabi,  112 from Buner and 112 from Haripur.

Around 70 teachers from Lakki Marwat will be included in the project, seven teachers from Tank, seven teachers from Battagram, 56 from Upper Dir, 14 teachers from Hangu and 49 from Shangla.

The scheme is not applicable in Torghar district as there are no higher secondary schools there.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2015.