Teachers’ Training: Pakistan’s Forgotten Education Crisis

By Ayesha Aslam

It’s no longer just about getting kids into schools that Pakistan has an education problem; it’s also about what they learn in school. Pakistan has made clear progress in getting more kids to go to school over the past ten years. Recent estimates from the education department show that the number of kids in school from 6 to 16 has increased greatly. This shows that families are becoming more aware of how important education is. Even though this number is positive, there is a darker and scarier truth behind it: millions of kids who go to school still can’t read, write, understand simple texts, or do basic math problems at levels proper for their age. Today’s problem is not just with schools, but also with how people learn.

New tests from groups like the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) keep showing that learning results across the country are still very bad. The majority of kids in the primary grades have trouble reading books meant for younger kids or doing simple maths. Even more of a difference can be seen in rural places, where students often fall far behind their peers in cities. These results show that enrolment alone is not enough to ensure academic progress. Good teaching and valuable learning experiences are also needed.

At the heart of this drop in education is one of Pakistan’s most ignored problems: teachers who don’t get enough training and professional growth. When people talk about changing the way schools work, they usually talk about buildings, lessons, or tests. But the teacher’s job is still the most important thing that affects how well students learn. An average curriculum can sometimes be made up for by a good teacher, but even the best curriculum won’t work if the teacher isn’t trained or isn’t driven.

More and more, education experts around the world stress that the quality of the teachers decides how well an education system works. Linda Darling-Hammond is an educational researcher who says, “The quality of an education system cannot be higher than the quality of its teachers.” This finding is especially important for Pakistan because many schools there still train teachers in very old-fashioned ways and use very old classroom methods. Many schools, especially those in poor and remote areas, still put more emphasis on memorisation by rote, passive learning, and textbook repetition than on conceptual understanding, creativity, and critical thought.

But the problem isn’t just that teachers aren’t good at their jobs or aren’t dedicated. The issue is widespread and comes from flaws in the system that make it hard for teachers to improve their skills and make their job less important. Many times, teachers don’t get enough training before they start working as they don’t learn enough about pedagogy, classroom management, child psychology, testing techniques, or new ways to teach. Although teachers usually know a lot about their subjects, they don’t always know how to engage kids from different backgrounds or get them to think critically.

Pakistan’s schools that train teachers often have out-of-date materials, bad guidance, and not enough hands-on experience. A lot of the time, training programs put more emphasis on theoretical talks than on practical use in the classroom. So, new teachers may have degrees but not be ready for the real world of handling overcrowded classrooms, meeting the needs of students with different levels of ability, or using interactive teaching methods.

Another big problem is that there isn’t any ongoing career development. In well-developed school systems, teachers are always learning new things. To keep up with the changing needs of education, teachers regularly take part in workshops, peer-learning meetings, mentoring programs, and refresher courses. In Pakistan, on the other hand, professional training is more of a one-time thing than a constant need. Many teachers work for decades without really getting to know new ways to teach or new tools for the classroom.

Inside of classes, the effects of this gap can be seen. Most of the time, students are told to memorise facts for tests instead of understanding them. Questions that need students to think, analyse, or be creative are often skipped because both teachers and students are still used to an exam system that is based on repeating what is in the textbook. So, kids might get good grades without learning the basic skills they’ll need for college or a job in today’s competitive global economy.

Paulo Freire, a famous Brazilian teacher, spoke out against this “banking model” of education, which sees students as passive recipients of knowledge rather than active learners. Sadly, this old way of teaching is still used in many Pakistani schools. Since teachers are often pressed for time and have to finish assignments, they mostly teach through lectures while students take notes and memorise them. Such activities don’t help kids become more curious, improve their speaking skills, teach them to think for themselves, or help them solve problems.

Demotivated teachers make the problem even worse. Low pay, late payments, limited career advancement, and bad working conditions all make people less committed to their jobs and lower their mood. In a lot of private schools, especially low-cost ones, teachers don’t make enough money to cover their basic living costs. Even though public school teachers are paid more in some areas, they often have to deal with political pressures, bureaucratic red tape, too many administrative tasks, and not enough ways to be held accountable.

Also, a lot of schools don’t have the right teaching materials, libraries, science labs, internet access, or even the right classrooms. When things are like this, it’s hard for even driven teachers to make classrooms interesting places to learn. Lev Vygotsky, an educational psychologist, said that social contact and support in the environment have a big effect on how people learn. When classrooms are overcrowded and teachers don’t have many tools, it’s very hard to use student-centered learning methods.

In rural Pakistan, where there are still serious shortages of trained teachers, especially female teachers, the situation is even worse. Schools in remote areas often don’t have regular supervision, their monitoring methods aren’t very good, and they don’t have many training chances. Teachers who are sent to schools in rural areas may have to work alone, without a mentor or other professional help. In underserved areas, it’s also usual for one teacher to work with more than one grade level at the same time. These kinds of situations make it very hard to teach effectively.

Another problem that isn’t talked about enough is the low social status that comes with being a school teacher. Teaching is seen as an honourable and intellectually challenging job in many developed countries. Some countries, like Finland, Singapore, and South Korea, put a lot of money into training teachers and use competitive methods to hire the best people. People look up to teachers as leaders in education and nation-building.

In Pakistan, on the other hand, teaching, especially at the school level, is seen more as a backup plan than a very competitive area of work. This idea keeps smart college graduates from going into the field. It will be hard to make real changes in education until teachers’ social and economic situations get better.

A lot of Pakistan’s school system still doesn’t use technology very well either. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the digital gap in the country and how many schools and teachers were not ready for technology-assisted learning. Even though technology in schools can’t replace teachers, it can make learning a lot better when it’s used right. Still, a lot of teachers don’t know how to use digital tools for teaching, online assessment tools, or blended learning methods. In rural schools, not having power, internet access, or other technological infrastructure makes educational inequality even worse.

Pakistan has made a number of changes to its education policies over the years, but these changes are not always put into practice. When governments change, policies often change too. At the same time, teacher growth programs don’t have a lot of long-term continuity. Reforms to education often put too much emphasis on changing the curriculum or meeting enrolment goals and not enough on how well teachers teach in the classroom. Reforms could turn into pointless secretarial tasks instead of life-changing changes in education if they don’t put money into teachers.

To deal with this problem, we need a long-term, all-encompassing plan. First, standards for hiring teachers need to be raised to make sure that only qualified and driven people apply for the job. Over time, teaching should become a licensed career with standard tests of competence and certification requirements. Pre-service teacher education programs need to be updated to include mentoring, child-centered pedagogy, and the use of technology in the classroom.

Second, governments need to make sure that teachers get ongoing professional growth throughout their careers. Regular training workshops aren’t enough on their own; they need to be mixed with mentoring, peer observation, and supportive supervision in the classroom. Supervisory staff and school leaders should get professional training so they can help teachers and guide them effectively instead of just doing administrative checks.

Third, it’s important to get teachers more motivated. Competitive pay, clear ways to get promoted, recognition programs, and better working conditions can all boost morale and loyalty to one’s job. If teachers feel ignored or undervalued by the system, then educational change will not work.

Fourth, rural schools need extra help and should be given tailored incentives, better monitoring systems, digital connections, and bigger networks of teachers who can help them. Public-private partnerships can also help fill in gaps in resources, especially when it comes to projects like teacher training and educational technology.

Most importantly, Pakistan needs to understand that education change is more than just building new schools or getting more students to enrol. What kids really learn and how well schools prepare them for life, society, and work are the real signs of how well schools are doing. Teachers are still the main people who are making this change happen.

The future of a country is eventually shaped not by policy documents but by lessons taught in schools. Pakistan will not be able to reach its goals for economic growth, social development, and global competitiveness as long as its teachers are not trained, motivated, and properly supported. So, putting money into training teachers is not just a good idea for education; it’s also a must for the whole country.