On the eve of World Teachers’ Day, 28 educators from across Pakistan were honored with “Best Teacher Awards” by the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training and the U.S. Mission Pakistan for the improvements they have made inside their classrooms.
The teachers implemented new methodologies of teaching reading to students and gauging how well their students were progressing, with an aim toward improving literacy in Pakistan.
The Best Teacher Award recipients were nominated by their provincial education departments based on their participation in professional development workshops, the degree to which they improved their teaching methods in their classrooms, and, most importantly, on their students’ ability to achieve.
Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister for Education & Professional Training, lauded the efforts of the thousands of early grade reading teachers who play an integral role in improving the overall quality of primary education in the country.
Speaking for U.S. Mission Pakistan, USAID Mission Director Jerry Bisson noted that the program enhanced more than just the students’ ability to read. “When we improve the quality of education and broaden access to it, we improve many other aspects of students’ and the nation’s well-being,” he stated.
The U.S. Government-funded Pakistan Reading Project has already trained over 23,600 public school teachers, who, in turn, have used the techniques learned to teach reading to over 1.3 million first and second grade students. For more information on the United States’ assistance for education in Pakistan, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/pakistan/education