Rawalpindi - Speakers at the annual conference of Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) have stressed to bring innovation in traditional teaching style and techniques for achieving excellence in English learning.
Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) arranged the two-day international conference in collaboration with Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) and Oxford University Press, informed varsity spokesperson yesterday.
The title of the conference was ‘English Language Teaching (ELT): Traditions and Innovations.’ The chief guest for the opening ceremony was Vice-Chancellor (VC) FJWU Prof Dr Samina Amin Qadir, while Dr Wasima Shehzad, dean social sciences, Air University and Chair SPELT Islamabad, was also present. The chief guest for the closing day was Dr Shahid Siddiqui, VC Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU).
Eight international speakers and more than 70 national speakers participated in this conference. More than 60 sessions were conducted in 2 days. Apart from the sessions, a panel discussion was also arranged during the conference.
Participants of the panel discussion were Dr Shahid Siddiqui, Dr Wasima Shehzad, Dr Samina Nadeem, Dr Sarwet Rasul and Abdul Majeed. Moderator of this panel discussion was Professor Zakia Sarwar. A session through videoconferencing was also one of the highlights of this conference. Jen McArthur, an eminent ELT specialist from US, was the resource person of this videoconference.
VC FJWU Dr Samina Amin Qadir while expressing her views said it was a matter of honour for FJWU to act as the host for the 31st SPELT annual conference. The FJWU has the privilege to work closely with SPELT since 2007.
This conference is another step to strengthen this long-term relationship. She further said the role of ELT professionals has become even more challenging due to the advancement in technology. As ELT practitioners it has become our duty to ensure that our learners can access and discern real value education.
Dr Shahid Siddiqui appreciated the efforts of organisers and wished that such conferences will be arranged in future as well.