This is in response to the editorial “The Pivotal role of teachers.” It was really commendable. It made the readers realize that imparting knowledge is not everybody’s business. Education is a vast and highly specialized field and should not be left as an unwieldy department of the Kingdom.
I am an experienced teacher of English with a varied experience. At the moment I am a member of the Board of Governors, DPS Model Town, Lahore (Pakistan). I visited the Kingdom in 1987 for the first time, since then I understand, the country has made a tremendous progress in the field of education. The editorial broached some very important aspects of teaching; however, I would like to lay down the following suggestions:
The teaching of English requires a complete over-hauling in the Kingdom, especially at the secondary and higher secondary levels.
To keep pace with the fast moving world, the method of comparative study of languages should be introduced in the Kingdom.
Very often different workshops, seminars and refresher courses should be arranged for teachers as well as students.
Today Internet it accessible to all, but still libraries should be well equipped to develop reading habits.
Textbooks should be re-designed to introduce the latest ideas and new researches in various fields.
Teachers who demonstrate creative skills based on their experience should be rewarded and given due recognition.
A vocational guidance cell should be introduced in schools to provide guidance to students as to which field will suit them to show their mettle.
I hope if these proposals are considered, within the next decade it would produce tangible results. — Prof. Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi, Lahore
