Discuss The Historical Development Of Teacher Education In Pakistan AIOU 8626

Discuss The Historical Development Of Teacher Education In Pakistan AIOU 8626

Historical Background

During the British period an increased awareness of the need for improvement in education system was made through the development of Teacher’s Training Institutions. The prevailing teaching methods were more mechanical and theoretical, restricted to textbook learning.

Before partition the entire educational system was aimed to produce a class of people who would serve the bureaucracy to carry on the old, Socio-Economic order in the country. The Socio-Economic order was designed by the colonial powers to exploit the masses of the sub-continent. All curricula, textbooks and teaching material were therefore devised to serve the cause of the vested interests not to cater to the creation of the dynamic and progressive society in the country. Hence after partition, the National Commission for Education had identified the following objectives:

a. Be academically well-trained in the objects that the teacher teaches.
b. Have had sound professional training in how to teach the subjects.
c. Has had sound proficiency in how to understand the children in his charge.
d. Have a deep sense of professional honour.
e. Have security of tenure and pay scale, commensurate with the status.
f. Be working in an environment that honours him for the contribution he makes to
society.

The Commission on National Education (1959) recommended the following professional durations for teachers’ training of different stages:

Table 1: Durations for Teachers’ Training of Different Stages

The Education Policy 1972-80 suggested that many of the courses of teacher training were outdated and not oriented to the scientific and technological aspects of education or the use of modern methods and techniques. All teacher training courses would be revised and reformulated. Keeping these pressing considerations in view, the Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education revised the teacher education curriculum for all stages. At first step, the teacher education Curriculum for the Elementary stage was revised. It was followed by the revision of the curriculum for Secondary Teacher Education.

Teacher Education in Pakistan

“Teacher” is the core to achieve quality education Pakistan pursues. The teaching force in Pakistan is 1.35m working in government schools. Total teacher training institutions for pre-service training are 275. Teacher training resource centers in the districts are 300.

In Pakistan teachers at the elementary and secondary levels are mostly trained under a prescribed curriculum. They are recruited on the bases of Professional Qualifications. In the college Education & Universities most of the lecturers are untrained with only academic qualifications. But now Higher Education academics have been established to train the in-service teachers with certain modules and competences courses of Higher Education Commission in Pakistan.

Overview of Teacher Education Training Institutions, University of Education, Punjab

The University of Education Punjab was established as recently as September 2002. The administrative, financial and academic control of all elementary (primary and middle) and secondary teacher education i.e. control of GCETs and colleges of education are with University of Education. The University looks after pre-service institutions and the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education which was created in 1996. Thus the total control of both pre-service and in-service teacher education, elementary and secondary, including curriculum, assessment and examinations, and evaluation and research are under the control of the University of Education Punjab.

Directorate of Staff Development (DSD), Punjab

Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) looks after the management and administration of the GCETs and the provision of In-service Training.

Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Wing, Sindh

The Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Wing Sindh, (BC&EW) and the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) are the major providers of both pre-service and in- service teacher education in the province. The Departments of Education in the Universities provide teacher education at graduate and postgraduate levels (B.Ed., M.Ed., Ph.D) through their Institutes of Education and Research (IERs) and Colleges of Education.

All the Government Elementary Colleges of Education (GECEs), 23 in number, provide PTC, CT, OT and DTC certificate courses preparing teachers for primary level (I-V) and middle level (VI-VIII) classes. These GECEs are under the administrative, academic and financial control of the Bureau of Curriculum and Extension Wing Sindh. The Bureau of Curriculum also undertakes curriculum development in collaboration with the Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education and collaborates with the Sindh Textbook Board in textbook development. Short in-service courses on special topics are held often through funding by donor agencies.

Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE), Sindh

The PITE in Sindh caters to In-service Training, material development and research activities. For its in-service training programmes, the PITE utilizes the services of the faculty of the Bureau’s GECEs in addition to its own nucleus staff and also uses their premises for holding the workshops. As such there is collaboration between the Bureau and PITE in provision of in-service training. Bureau and PITE in Sindh are independent institutions both reporting to the Secretary Education and receiving their budgets from the Department of Education.

College of Education, Sindh

The Colleges of Education offering postgraduate courses in education are affiliated with the Universities but they are under the financial and administrative control of the EDO College Education. The staff are the employees of the Department of Education, not of the Universities. The Universities are mainly examining and degree awarding bodies so far as teacher education is concerned and have some role in curriculum and syllabus prescriptions.

Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE), KPK

Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE) exercises administrative, financial, and academic control over the 20 FUTES (10 closed down), 1 Government College of Physical Education, and a Government Agro Technical Teachers Training Centre.

Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITES), KPK

Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITES) provide PTC and CT, though half of them have been closed down, while classes have been suspended in the remaining 10 institutes for a period of 3 years.

Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE), KPK

The PITE in NWFP is semi-independent since its budget is allocated under the Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education, but it reports directly to the Secretary of Education.

Institutes of Education and Research (IERs), KPK

The graduate and postgraduate level Teacher Education is offered by three Institutes of Education and Research (IERs) as constituent institutions of Peshawar, Hazara and Gomal Universities.

Bureau of Curriculum, Balochistan

The Bureau of Curriculum has the administrative, financial and academic control of 11 Government Elementary Colleges for Teachers (GECTs) offering PTC and CT courses, 1 College of Education offering B.Ed. and also the PITE.

The Bureau of Curriculum offers 10-15 days in-service training courses mostly through the support and often the request of the funding agencies. The management related courses for Heads of Schools and school management cadres are held by the Bureau of Curriculum while the PITE usually conducts in-service courses for primary and middle level teachers. The Bureau of Curriculum fulfils its major responsibility of curriculum development when the Curriculum Wing invites participation. The Bureau of Curriculum is also the examining and certification Body for the PTC and CT courses offered by GCETs

Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE), Balochistan

The PITE Balochistan is responsible to the Bureau of Curriculum. PITE Balochistan is not an independent institution as in Sindh. It is under the administrative and financial control of the Bureau. The PITE engages in activities assigned to it from time to time by the Bureau of Curriculum. The PITE Balochistan has no regular funds allocation from the government for its major functions of in-service training and materials development.

Training Outposts

Training Outposts were set up in Government secondary schools under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted program. Many of the TOs have since been converted into Teachers/Tehsil Resource Centers (TRCs) under the ESR Action Plan. There are 380 TRCs in Pakistan, with many more being planned to make in-service training accessible at the local level.