Teachers dissatisfied with excellence award criteria

Islamabad : The teachers working at the federal government colleges have expressed dissatisfaction over the criteria set by the concerned authorities in choosing the best teachers and best institutions on World Teachers Day.

According to an official source, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) arranged the Academic Excellence Award Ceremony on October 5, at Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG), F-7/4 in connection with the World Teachers Day to present awards to the best teachers.

The awards were given to the best teachers and top performing institutions in the form of certificates, shields etc, in four categories of teachers i.e. primary, middle, secondary and higher secondary ignoring the fifth category of teachers who were teaching BS classes.

Joint secretary of Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) Anum Kaleem said, “While selecting the best teachers and best institutions, the result of the students was considered as the only indicator to gauge the performance of teachers and institutions while the other key variables for academic performance were ignored which is unfair.”

Many teachers perform extra duties in the colleges to facilitate students, for example, teachers are given the assignment of Drawing and Disbursing officer, in-charges of students affairs offices, proctors to maintain discipline, in-charges of extracurricular activities of students, controller of examinations and in-charges of various college committees.

“The teachers contribute in compilation of the results of students and institutions and work for long hours but their valuable services were not considered while selecting best teacher awards,” she said.

General Secretary of FGCTA, Dr. Nazir Ahmed Bhutta also raised objections over the criteria adopted to declare best teachers and best institutions.

He said that federal government colleges and their teachers, imparting higher education in the capital, were treated differently.

These colleges run the four years Bachelor of Science (BS) and two years Associate Degree Programmes (ADP) but unfortunately the teachers teaching BS/ADP classes were not given any award beside doing laborious connected work of these classes.

Criticizing the criteria, he said, "A teacher teaching smaller size of classes is in a position to give individual attention to each and every student according to his or her abilities.

He or she gets good result of his or her students with minimal efforts.

Contrary to that a teacher teaching huge size of classes cannot give individual attention to every student due to more disruptive environment of classroom. He or she faces more stress, burnout and exhaustion in delivering lecture than a teacher teaching smaller classes.”

The efforts of teachers teaching huge classes are more painstaking than a teacher teaching few students. There should be different standard to weigh the performance of teachers on the basis of number of students in the class and their performance should not be measured by the same yardstick,” he suggested.

President of FGCTA, Dr. Rahima Rehman pointed out that Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG), Jagiot got the award with only 26 students while IMCG, Bhara Kahu and IMCG, Humak functioning in rural areas of the federal capital with around 1,200 students failed to get excellence awards.

There were only three regular teachers at IMCG Bhara Kahu and twelve regular teachers at IMCG Humak who used their energies to uplift the standard of their institutions and students but were unsuccessful in getting any recognition.

Some teachers of IMCG, Humak, performed excellently and got over 5 GPA of their classes but they were not awarded, she added.

She further said, "The higher education set up of F.G colleges has been ignored because the dealing director is hardly found in his office due to his multiple assignments/portfolios.

The authorities must give importance to the BS/ADP programmes of F.G colleges to boost the enthusiasm and vitality of teachers.”

She demanded the appointment of a separate director for F.G. colleges who has a skill and experience in managing the higher education institutions.