Vibrant Curriculum at College of Education Gilgit

By: Karim Muhammad Khan

Government College of Education Gilgit is an important teacher training institute in GB which has been providing training to in-service and pre-service teachers since 1974. Before 2010 the said professional college was offering B.Ed and C.T programmes in which prescribed textbooks were taught traditionally.

But in 2011 Advance Diploma in Education (ADE) was introduced with the financial and technical support of USAID through which faculty members were trained in designing subject matter outlines, methodology and assessment aligned with the national curriculum.

To attract pre and in-service teachers towards this particular programme stipends were also granted to them on monthly basis. In 2019 B.Ed (Hons) programme was also introduced and currently 235 course participants are enrolled in these programmes through nomination on quota basis.

Next, to deliver one hour long session in each subject area, faculty members have to work hard a lot by gathering relevant and allied reading materials by visiting libraries and browsing web sites. While trainee also work hard and learn through face to face learning, visiting college library in search of reading materials and sitting in-front of computer screens to get their relevant answers from net service. They are also made visited in various schools for practicum through observing contextual realities; teaching-learning progress and demonstrate classroom teaching with feedback by the instructors.

However, both faculty members and students come across challenges during the process of collecting allied reading materials as the said college the library is lacking modern research-based articles, books, periodical, newspapers and magazines. Neither there is high tech library in the immediate surroundings in order to get help in preparing lessons, assignments and presentations.

In addition, online authenticated and relevant e.books and article are restricted usually to have access them as they are for sale and at times net service is not that much fast and supportive to download reading material quickly as assignments have to be submitted and presentations prepared on stipulated tough schedule.

Despite the prevailing challenges, SLO based curriculum is very productive as students are engaged in the active learning process through discussions, debate, dialogue, discourse, presentation, and much more engaging learning activities. In order to prepare graded assignments, teachers’ trainees get themselves engaged in reading books, articles and newspapers and visiting teachers to get different perspective on the subject matter and enrich their learning outcomes.

Nevertheless, being the sole certified teacher’s professional training center in GB it is requested to the local government and concerned department that the existing library may kindly be equipped with latest books, magazines, and periodicals on various subject matters and pedagogy. High tech IT Lab with fast net service also needs of the time both for the faculty and students as the trainees can equip themselves with professional knowledge, skills and positive dispositions.

Finally, keeping the benefits in view, my humble suggestion to the policy makers, educational leaders and managers are to opt for SLO based teaching learning in its true spirit in government schools by getting educationists and curriculum experts in the process of designing subject outlines that should align with the national curriculum framework across the region instead of getting them confined to prescribed textbooks with obsolete teaching methods which are producing individuals with parrot learners and tunnel vision.

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