International Education Guide - Enterprise and Advanced Education ...

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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GUIDE for the assessment of education from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Technical Teacher Education
Many polytechnic instructors who teach technical theory
at polytechnics are holders of DAE or engineering degrees.
Only a small percentage of the instructors have had any
pedagogical training. Examples of technical teacher training
programs include:
• One-year (in-service) Diploma in Technical Teacher
Training/Education. Offered at provincial technical
teacher training wings (located in some polytechnics
and colleges of technology) and the National Institute
of Science and Technical Education, the program
teaches a combination of pedagogy and subject
updating.
• Short-term courses and workshops conducted by the
provincial education departments and international
agencies such as the Asian Development Bank,
UNESCO and Colombo Plan Staff College.
• Three-year Bachelor of Education (Technology).
Introduced in 1999 at the NISTE, the BEd
(Technology) involves three years of full-time study
following the completion of the DAE or HSC (preengineering).
It provides pedagogical training as well as
study in a specific technological field.
The University of the Punjab offers a two-year Master of
Technology Education (MTE) degree, formerly known
as an MEd Technical (Industrial Arts). Entry is based
on possession of a BA, BSc or BSc (Home Economics),
although an MSc in school subjects is preferred.
Most instructors at commercial institutes hold a master’s
degree in related fields.
Teacher Education
Overview
Modern teacher training programs date back to the late
19th century under British colonial rule, when a number of
normal schools were established. The Education Conference
of 1947 recognized the importance of teacher education,
stating that “a properly trained and reasonably well paid
teaching profession [is] essential to the development of
a great state.” Since then, the country has struggled to
meet the educational needs of its growing population
with adequate teacher training institutions and programs.
Currently Pakistan has 1.2 million teachers, a quarter of
whom are untrained.
Table 30.
Level of Training
Level of Teacher Training, National
Education Census, 2005
Number of Teachers
Primary Teaching Certificate (PTC) 309,753
Certificate in Teaching (CT) 142,250
Bachelor of Education (BEd) 257,818
Master of Education (MEd) 67,143
Other 104,856
Untrained 310,314
Total 1,192,134
The lack of qualified teachers, especially teachers of science
and technical subjects, is considered a major cause of
low quality and high dropout rates in school education.
Even trained teachers may not be adequately prepared for
practical management and organization in the classroom,
as school conditions—for example, shelterless schools and
multi-grade classes taught by a single teacher—often differ
drastically from the standard classroom setting taught in
the teacher education curriculum.
Programs
Teacher education in Pakistan consists predominantly of
pre-service teacher training programs, including certificates
and degrees. As with other educational fields, teacher
education is gender-segregated except for degree programs
at the universities and some colleges of education.