APP
MULTAN
The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) has planned to set up faculty development academy to enhance capacity-building of public sector varsities and colleges’ teachers from the next academic year.
The residential academy will temporarily be housed either in Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan or Islamia University Bahawalpur which will later on be shifted to a permanent place after acquiring land.
Like Civil Services and Police Academies, it will be a purpose built multi-storey building in which teachers will be offered up to two-and-a-half month refresher courses though ideal model for these courses is over four months time, said PHEC Chairman Dr Nizamuddin while talking to this agency on the telephone from Lahore on Monday.
Dr Nizam said that the British Council had shown interest in training the trainers for the proposed academy, adding that it would also offer short-term scholarships to teachers as well.
“I will visit South Punjab soon to have meetings with all stakeholders in this regard,” he informed.
To a question, the PHEC chairman said that the Punjab government would offer up to 25 scholarships for the academy whose aim was to create awareness to commit to good teachings.
To another question, he stated that the PHEC would access to less developed areas in education and South Punjab would be specially focused.
Dr Nizam said that they would support not only existing public sector varsities across the province, but newly-established varsities including Khawaja Fareed University, Rahim Yar Khan, Ghazi University DG Khan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Women University, Engineering University Multan and Women University Bahawalpur besides sub-campuses of the varsities as well.
He said that the PHEC would focus to improve education standards of public colleges across Punjab.