Enhancing Teaching Skills: Being a Relevant and Effective Teacher

Islamabad, May 6, 2024

An intriguing article by Ms. Neda Mulji highlights the importance of continuously improving teaching skills among educators. Professor Muhammad Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor of the National Skills University Islamabad, echoes this sentiment, viewing it as the linchpin of contemporary teaching.

Professor Mukhtar emphasizes that educators must embrace new skills infused with technological aspects to foster effective classroom interactions. He notes that the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has embarked on numerous initiatives to enhance teachers' capabilities to ensure their skills remain relevant in today's educational landscape.

Among these initiatives, Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Education, 's efforts stand out as exemplary. These concerted endeavors underscore a pivotal shift toward empowering educators with the tools and knowledge required to thrive in modern teaching environments.

According to Mr. Mohyuddin Wani:

For the first time in Pakistan's history, the Federal Government has embarked on an ambitious program that will digitally train and certify the 1.8 million teachers in our workforce and the millions that will join in the next decade to shape Pakistan's future. NIETE (National Institute of Excellence in Teacher Education) will work with LUMS School of Education to develop this certification, bringing world-class teaching practices and support to Pakistan's public & private schooling system. Our goal is twofold:

1. Teachers become professionally trained and supported. We want teaching to be the most attractive, noble, and prestigious profession for young people in Pakistan. 

2. Students get the best quality of education in schools and at home, leveraging the power of technology to exponentially increase learning outcomes by making education fun, seamless, and enjoyable.

Many educators lament the dearth of continuous professional development opportunities and resources essential for refining their teaching and learning techniques. Teaching, like any profession, demands proactive engagement in ongoing learning, embracing novel methodologies, and revising teaching strategies for optimal effectiveness.

Remaining static in one's pedagogical approach seldom yields fulfillment. It may sustain a teaching position over decades, yet it fails to invigorate the educational experience or advance student outcomes.

Educators now have unprecedented access to self-improvement resources in the age of rapid technological advancements. Learning new skills or upgrading existing ones no longer necessitates Herculean efforts. The proliferation of free teaching programs accessible anytime anywhere opens doors to a global repository of educational insights and trends improving teaching skills.

A paragraph from the Ms. Neda Mulji article in Dawn worth quoting here states, "According to a McKinsey 2023 report, The Skills Revolution and the Future of Earning and Learning', a skills-first approach transforming the learning paradigm is critical for the student's readiness for the 21st century. The same report states that "high-performing teachers can raise the performance of students by 53 percentage points in PISA scores, on average, over that of similar students with low-performing teachers"."