'Pakistan ELT Forum' launched for professional development of ELT community.

ISLAMABAD -- No doubt, English Language has taken firm roots in Pakistani society; just imagine parents too eager to get their kids educated in English-medium institutions while English-language press and Pakistani Literature in English has also got its distinct identity at international arena.

But on the top of that, English has gained ascendancy as an international language which has also widest its use as a language for higher studies not just in science and technology but also in other subjects.

In order to enhance teaching expertise of teachers, 'Pakistan English Language Teaching (ELT) Forum' is recently launched by Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad in collaboration with Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the US embassy to initiate professional dialogue amongst the ELT community of the country.

The platform is for the 'English Language Working Teachers' both in private and public sectors to upgrade their teaching skills to address the modern-day challenges of rapidly changing paradigms of language teaching at classroom level.

In this regard, the Forum has conducted a week-long consultative workshop for the action group of the forum, invited from the ELT community of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), to make deliberations on ELT practices in the country.

The workshop was attended by 24 participants from eight regions including Sindh, Balochistan, KP, Central Punjab, South Punjab, GB, AJK and Islamabad.

The action group has mainly comprised of the heads of the proposed regional chapters along with their teams (three experts from each region).

National and international level ELT experts conducted sessions on topics related to ELT in Pakistan and abroad while highlighting history of ELT in Pakistan, modern trends in ELT, Pakistan ELT community: strength and weaknesses, ELT and Professional Development, ELT in 21st century and Pakistani perspectives, ELT association, its mission, vision and values.

The workshop has also highlighted role and responsibilities of chapter heads in professional development associations, emerging technologies, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Culture, Autonomous Learning, Effective Conference Planning, Effective Governance and challenges and opportunities

for ELT experts.

Speaking on occasion about the history of English Departments in Pakistan, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Dr Wasima Shehzad said there was a serious mismatch/disconnect between the demand and supply...