Dr Nasira Khatoon lauds Durbeen’s intervention in teacher education

University of Karachi Vice Chancellor Dr Nasira Khatoon and Registrar Prof Maqsood Ali Ansari visited the Government Elementary College of [Teacher] Education (GECE), Hussainabad, on Tuesday.

In March 2019, the Sindh Education Department had outsourced the management of this college to Durbeen, a non-profit organisation that is striving to ensure that government schools in the province are staffed with rigorously trained teachers.

Durbeen has made significant progress over the past three years, which includes infrastructural and administrative reforms. This project also comprises a unique partnership with the University of Helsinki as well as the GECE’s degree-awarding body, the University of Karachi.

The University of Helsinki helped redesign and update the BEd curricula at the start of the project, while the University of Karachi has granted the GECE Hussainabad the status of a pilot project and allowed it to develop a new BEd assessment system, with certain quality control measures in place by the university.

It is worth noting that Durbeen has not taken any funding from the government to date, and has instead revamped the college as well as managed operational expenses through its own fundraising efforts.

Moreover, this high-quality education is provided to students completely free of charge and with free laptops as well so that passionate and talented students may be incentivised to adopt the teaching profession.

Durbeen has now inducted three cohorts of young women, who have the passion and talent to bring change where it is most needed — in our government schools. Through its advocacy campaigns, Durbeen was also behind the government’s decision to remove the restriction on the age limit for students who wish to pursue BEd degree programmes. Graduating students at this college will be placed in select public schools for a period of three years.

During her visit, Dr Nasira highly appreciated Durbeen’s intervention in teacher education through the BEd degree programme. Sharing the same sentiments, she remarked how teacher education is close to her heart.

She also appreciated the Teaching Licensing Exam reform by the Sindh Education Department in collaboration with Durbeen, whereby all BEd degree holders will be eligible to take the test, and after clearing, will be inducted in BPS-16.

Dr Nasira also made a plea to the wider body of students to enrol in high-quality BEd programmes, such as the one at the GECE Hussainabad so that Sindh can have top-quality teachers. This was followed by a tour of the campus and a presentation on Durbeen’s plans to expand this reform initiative to other teacher education institutions of the province.