Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Wednesday launched revised academic programs of MEd and BEd teachers' training, as per new road-map set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
These are compatible with the ongoing teaching programs in other Universities of the country. After introduction of HEC’s reforms in teaching programme, the AIOU was the first one that launched BEd (One and half year-duration) for the candidates having 16 years of education.
In line with the HEC’s approved criteria and the directions of the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui, the AIOU has now launched BEd (two and half year-duration) and BEd (four year) in secondary and science education, for the candidates having 14 years of education.
According to the Dean Faculty of Education Dr. Nasir Mahmood, the University was going to add online support for the teacher training programs as well. They have also developed curriculum and contemporary teaching strategies for the newly launched programmes.
The AIOU's Faculty of Education is one of the largest in the country in term of number of programs offered and enrolment. Besides this, it is also only institution that offers non-formal teaching certificate for non-formal education sector.
In order to bring relevance of the University’s programs to the requirements of the market, the department of the Distance Non-Formal and Continuing Education has also started six month certificate course and post-graduate diploma for training of teachers in the field non-formal education.
The University as per the vision of the Vice Chancellor was also in process of the revising its existing academic programs in various disciplines, keeping in the view the socio-economic needs of the society.
Curriculum and teaching pattern is being updated in order to improve the quality of the academic programs at level. Sixty per cent of this work has already been completed. “We are trying to ensure that our qualified teachers should be competitive and acquainted with contemporary skills of teaching ,”the Dean Education said adding that the Vice Chancellor took a number of initiatives during the last two and half years to bring about qualitative improvement in the entire academic network.
