England (Newsman) : Shehzad Roy, a well-known musician and supporter of educational reform, stated that the University of Oxford signed an agreement with the Malala Fund to help the Pakistani NGO Durbeen train teachers and educators in Pakistan through a ground-breaking initiative.
Roy commended Nobel winner Malala Yousafzai for helping to form the collaboration in an interview at Oxford University. “The goal of this partnership between Oxford and Durbeen is to develop a curriculum for an M.S. program that will prepare teachers to teach the B.Ed. program in Pakistan’s teacher training institutions,” he explained.
To educate teacher-educators in each field to teach particular B.Ed. Courses, the M.S. program provides five specialization tracks: language, social studies, mathematics, science, and educational psychology.
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The goal of this project is to create a group of skilled experts who can revolutionize teacher education establishments throughout Pakistan and produce a new generation of exceptionally skilled educators.
Salma A. Alam, CEO of Durbeen; Shehzad Roy, founder of Zindagi Trust; Dr. Ian Thompson from Oxford; Dr. Ann Childs; Dr. Aliya Khalid; and the Malala Fund are key contributors to this collaboration.
Dr. Ian Thompson stated that the program’s development was influenced by his observations of contemporary teacher training techniques while in Karachi and other regions of Pakistan. “This customized program will greatly benefit teacher-trainers,” he said, praising the cooperation of colleagues in Pakistan.
Shehzad Roy highlighted the program’s potential impact on future generations, stating, “If teachers aren’t properly trained, children miss out on critical thinking and analytical skills essential for today’s world. This program targets trainers, aiming to improve educational standards for years to come.”
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Salma Alam referred to the effort as a significant step for Pakistan because it creates a unique professional association for teacher-educators, which is uncommon worldwide and a first for the nation.
“Capable teacher-educators are the foundation of high-quality education. We cannot create a workforce of teachers with professional qualifications until we fortify this base. Durbeen is striving for this transformation through her collaboration with Oxford and the Malala Fund,” she stated.
“The initiative marks the beginning of Pakistan’s journey toward becoming a center of educational innovation,” Alam said in closing.
