Teachers training institutes to impart leadership skills: Ahsan
By Bushra Makhdoom

Islamabad—Federal Minister for Education, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, has said that new curriculum should conform to the requirements of the new knowledge revolution era and should be benched mark against curriculum of other leading nations.
He was chairing a meeting of all the provincial textbook boards to review the progress of development of textbooks under new curriculum. He expressed that development of new textbooks, which was scheduled to be introduced in 2008 has not been on target. He directed that textbooks and new curriculum must be developed in time so that these can be introduced in academic session 2009.
The Education Minister said that teachers training programme must be redesigned to meet the requirements of new curriculum. He said that new curriculum will foster creativity, teamwork and entrepreneual spirit among the students. The Minister said that new curriculum will also focus on character building while providing world class skills in various disciplines. He also directed the textbooks boards that teachers guide must be developed for all textbooks so that teachers can follow true spirit of new curriculum.
Later chairing a meeting of heads of institutes of Education and Research of Public academia and policy makers. He invited institutes of education research to provide feedback on new curriculum and draft Education Policy. He said Ministry of Education will network with all the education institutes of the country to reform the present education system.
Ahsan Iqbal said that we do not need new education policies. We need concrete action plans for building strong foundations of education sector in Pakistan. He said our curriculum must need challenges of globalisation to develop world-class competitive human resource. He also directed education institutes to start leadership programmes for head teachers. Ahsan Iqbal said two days National Conference on new role of teachers under knowledge revolution to foster creativity, teamwork and integrity in the students must be held in which all teachers training institutes of Pakistan should be invited so that a national plan of action for teachers training in developed.