Teachers promotion should be based on seniority, competence: Alvi

Islamabad: Calling for the building of their capacity, President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said the promotions of teachers at primary and higher education levels should be based on both seniority and competence.

Addressing at the launch of National Academy of Higher Education, the president said the effective use of human intellect could lead to the building of better knowledgeable economy. "The countries, which made tremendous growth, understood the people's development through education ultimately achieved the goals of development and reduction of poverty," he said. The president said education required good teaching complemented by perfect communication skills to transfer knowledge to students.

He said the human factor in teaching was still important even after the introduction of artificial intelligence. "Teaching embodies all those skills by which knowledge has been given, borrowed and learned over centuries," he added.

The president also called for a change in the current education metrics that judge the performance of students needed saying this will help assess their knowledge and capacity. He said nations were built not by the governments, but by the people and stressed the role of all institutions in contributing to social reformation, may it mosque, television or social media. The president said as the global economy had become a mantra since last two decades, there was a need to equip students with better knowledge skills to meet the challenges of the fast-changing world.

He said the government was committed to ensuring quality higher education and expressed confidence that the National Academy of Higher Commission would contribute to promoting the development of high-quality human capital.

"The National Academy of Higher Education will be a centre of excellence for capacity building and skill development. The overall aim is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, research, academic governance, and leadership in higher education institutions," he said.

Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said the government was taking measures for improvement of education in the country and had allocated resources for various academic programmes. Chairman of Higher Education Commission Dr Tariq Banuri highlighted the importance of quality education in nation-building.