Redesigning Teacher Education System in Pakistan: Insights from Singapore Model for Teacher Development

Abstract

Effectiveness of an education system is greatly dependent upon teacher education and its quality. The National Education Policy (2009-2015) of Pakistan specifies the country’s Planning Commission Vision 2030 focusing on change of mindset which exhibits commitment to a new set of societal goals. The policy also advocates commitment(s) of the Government of Pakistan towards Education for All and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) coupled with inclusive and child friendly education that will provide platform for materializing Sustainable Development Goals, as quality education is an important pre-requisite for development. In Pakistan, there is an immense need to trace teacher education development and reforms in terms of the major questions that have driven the field and the sometimes in which these questions have been constructed, debated, and enacted in research, policy, and practice.  Through employing case study research design, this study is focused at critical analysis and deep understanding of Teacher Education System in Pakistan and Singapore along-with the opportunities and challenges for reforming Teacher Education in Pakistan. This study also bears importance due to post-eighteenth amendment in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan resulting in hampering the process of accreditation of Teacher Education programs and emergence of provincial Higher Education Commission(s) and accreditation bodies. Subsequently, Indigenous Model of Teacher Education in Pakistan has been proposed incorporating essential components of teacher education pertaining to admission criteria, curriculum, training of teacher education, uniform teacher recruitment policies and introducing accreditation and licensing across the board. This study may also inform evidence based and data led policy development with special reference to Teacher Education being central to all the educational reforms.