Learning crisis as out-of-field teaching growing in colleges

Islamabad:A learning crisis is unfolding in Islamabad’s public colleges, with a growing number of educators tasked with teaching subjects outside their academic specialisation.

This practice of out-of-field teaching, fuelled by administrative mismanagement and poor planning in staff allocation, is compromising the quality of education and burdening the teaching workforce, according to instructors.

They explained that out-of-field teaching involved going over lessons faculty members were neither academically trained in nor professionally equipped to teach.The teachers said while college principals could justify that as a necessary stopgap to manage staff shortages, the educational consequences were far-reaching.

“Students suffer a decline in learning outcomes, while teachers experience demoralisation, burnout and professional disorientation,” a teacher told ‘The News’. According to educators, Assistant Professor Tariq Iqbal, a seasoned Political Science teacher with 23 years of experience, has been handed subjects outside his field-Pakistan Studies and Ancient History - at Islamabad College for Boys, G-6/3, following an unexplained transfer from Islamabad Model College for Boys, H-9, where he was teaching his core subject.

“This is utterly ridiculous. I taught Political Science to intermediate and degree students for over two decades, so how I can teach Pakistan Studies to sixth graders, a subject and level I was never trained for. It’s not just demoralising; it’s disrespectful and insulting,” he said.

Another assistant professor, Attiqueur Rahman, trained in Economics and posted to Islamabad Model Postgraduate College, H-8, has been tasked with teaching Banking at Islamabad College for Boys, G-6/3, a field in which he holds no specialisation.

He insisted that assigning teachers to subjects outside their training was not just as it reduced them to filler staff and disregarded their years of academic preparation.

Similarly, Dr Sadia, a Persian scholar at Islamabad Model College for Girls, G-10/4, is teaching Urdu, while Political Science lecturer Ali Raza has been directed to provide curricular guidance to Pakistan Studies students at Islamabad Model College for Girls, I-8/3. He previously taught in his area of expertise at H-8 college.

“These arrangements might seem administratively convenient, but pedagogically, they are damaging,” an education expert.He said when teachers were made to teach subjects they hadn’t studied or trained for, it created serious problems for students.

“Students may get confused, lose interest in the topic, and struggle to perform well in exams. If students don’t get proper teaching, they may face difficulties later in board exams, entry tests, and even in higher education.”

“Many teachers spend years earning degrees in a specific subject. However, when they are suddenly asked to teach something else, it feels disrespectful and discouraging. It makes them feel like their hard work and qualifications don’t matter,” a teacher said.

She insisted that quality education didn’t mean just putting a teacher in every classroom, it means putting the ‘right’ teacher in the ‘right’ classroom.“Authorities need to take serious steps to fix this critical issue through better planning and respect for teachers’ qualifications,” she emphasised.