Q. 4 Examine the situation of professionalism in teacher education institutions of Pakistan. Comment with reference to your experiences?
Course: Professionalism in Teaching
Course Code 8612
Topics
Examine the situation of professionalism in teacher education institutions of Pakistan.
- Value teachers as stakeholders in the education process, Enabling conditions for Quality Education
- Make teaching a respected and attractive profession for teachers
Answer:
Teachers are the most important educational resource for students and a critical determinant of education quality. However, in Pakistan, teacher performance remains a concern to many education stakeholders.
The key issues
include:
i) inability of the system to attract and/or retain
quality human resources to teaching;
ii) the system does not recognize either the teacher or
the teacher educator as professionals;
iii) although there is a general acknowledgment of the weak
educational background of teachers and lack of motivation and commitment among
them, not enough is done at the policy and particularly at the implementation
level to address the situation and establish teaching as a profession of real status;
and
iv) Scaling up and sustainability of quality teacher education programs in Pakistan poses a challenge. Teacher education programs, which focus on quality, are either short-lived or small-scale. Longer-term and large-scale programs, on the other hand, do not address quality.
It is important to focus on teachers’
professional development and policy changes to improve teachers’ performance.
Teachers’ performance can be seen as a combination of three fundamentals:
(i)
competence;
(ii)
motivation; and
(iii)
Opportunity.
Competence, motivation, and opportunity are affected by factors from both within
and external to the teacher.
It is important to identify four levels: teachers, schools,
local management, and policy.
Teachers: Pedagogical skills, subject
knowledge and professional attitudes are most important for quality teachers. Professional
attitudes refer to the teachers’ knowledge of how to be an effective teacher.
Subject knowledge is the major constraint to low quality teachers. Unless
teachers have sufficient subject knowledge, they are unlikely to use improved
teaching skills.
Schools: One single factor which can make a
difference to the quality of teaching in a school is a good head teacher. School development processes not only provide
additional resources for the school, but also provide an atmosphere of
progression and improvement.
Local
Management: The
interface between the teacher/school and the government is critical to
motivation and opportunity. Teachers need to know that their actions will be
recognized and rewarded/sanctioned by their employer. Schools need to be
confident that attempts to improve will be supported. Local management includes
advisory support, inspection of facilities, teaching and management and delivery
of teaching and learning resources.
Policy: Ultimately the procedures adopted
for recruitment, posting and transfer and promotion exert the most influence
over teacher’s motivation to perform. Transparent and merit based procedures in
this area send a strong signal that other aspects of professional development
are taken seriously. Policymakers need to pay closer attention to teacher management
policy including the following:
·
Career Progression
·
Actions to promote the status of teachers
·
Assessment/exam policy
·
Non-salary expenditure
·
Curriculum/instructional approach
Following points are also important as recommendations for
policy actions:
• Value teachers as stakeholders in the education process:
Involve teachers in planning, designing and
decision-making stages in order to ensure successful delivery and
implementation of Education policy/reforms.
• Provide teachers with effective support structures, especially leadership and management:
Strengthen the relationship between schools
and the district education office by conducting more school visits by district
staff (followed by feedback to schools) and instituting a faster and more
transparent system for dealing with transfers, promotions and postings.
• Enabling conditions for Quality Education:
Teacher can only be strong if she/he
is enabled to teach well; Quality is only possible with regular monitoring,
continuous professional development and support.
· Make teaching a respected and attractive profession for teachers:
Address the transportation
difficulties faced by teachers in certain areas. The district office could make
provisions for a school bus or provide a transport subsidy to teachers. In
order to boost morale and to return to the days when teaching was a
well-respected profession, innovative ways to publicly value teachers.
For example, provide ‘best teacher’
awards and announce these on the radio;
organize annual events, which get teachers and education policy makers
from federal, provincial and district levels together, such as World Teachers’ Day.
Overall, to improve education
quality, teachers remain the single most important factor. This has to be
supplemented by provision of other determinants of quality (textbooks, teaching
material etc.). Measures need to be taken to attract more able and qualified
people to join teaching profession.
It is important to strengthen the relationship
between schools and the district education office by conducting more school
visits by district staff (followed by feedback to schools) and instituting a
faster and more transparent system for dealing with transfers, promotions and
postings. Improve teachers’ problem-solving skills and their capacity for
critical reflection.
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