Four-year degree programme necessary to master the art of teaching: Shehzad Roy

Eminent singer and social worker Shehzad Roy has said that when we initially opted for a four-year degree programme, there was a discussion about whether a short one-and-a-half or two-year programme would be enough, but then we chose a four-year programme because we believe that teaching is a science like the field of medical science and we recognize that a long-term programme to master teaching is necessary and better.

Speaking to Daily Jang, he said that while starting the four-year degree programme, we faced many problems regarding assessment, which we used our resources to solve and improve the quality.

Shehzad Roy noted that we collaborated with the University of Helsinki, well-known worldwide for its excellence in education. In collaboration with the university, he said, we successfully redesigned and improved assessment methods to overcome these issues, and we also dispelled the perception that anyone can teach without an education degree.

Partnerships and initiatives with the university were important steps towards achieving our academic expertise and competence, he said.

On collaboration with the University of Karachi, he said that it was unprecedented for Karachi University to consider changing the assessment method. Through discussions and agreements with the University of Karachi, we were allowed to introduce a separate assessment system for our Hussainabad campus, changing the prevailing perception that traditional BEd programmes are for academic merit.

Shehzad Roy said that we realized that due to lack of faculty, it was not possible to increase teacher training colleges, so we entered into an important partnership with the Oxford University, which resulted in the Durbeen and Oxford University jointly developing their own for Pakistan.

They are developing a first-of-its-kind Masters in Education programme that is unmatched in the region, including India, he said, adding that our faculty members are pursuing further studies abroad to ensure the success of this programme, and they are being groomed to teach this specialized Masters programme at our degree-awarding institute. This initiative is further proof of our commitment to excellence in education and challenges the misconception that academic degrees are unnecessary, he remarked.