The Intel Education Awards ceremony is organised annually in Pakistan to celebrate, and reiterate, the importance of technology in the classroom. The award aims at appreciating and encouraging teachers to use the technology to enhance the skills of students. Country Manager, Intel Pakistan, Naveed Siraj while addressing the ceremony said that teachers and schools who are able to integrate technology seamlessly into their curriculum deserve to be rewarded for their innovative teaching practices.
Over the last few years, we have noticed teachers motivating students to use the technology as a tool to enhance their skills, empowering them to compete in the real world. He said that Intel Pakistan and the government work in co-ordination to train teachers across the nation to develop technology proficiency, a necessity for 2Ist century.
Effective policy is critical to create condition for success and to accelerate transformation. Policy must be aligned with desired behaviour and outcomes. Teacher practice needs to be changed to support a more student -centered learning environment. Teachers need tools and training to adjust their pedagogic approaches to take advantage of a transformed learning environment and available technology tools, he added.
He maintained that information communication technology is an essential foundation of education transformation, providing the tools needed to enhance teaching and learning and support student -centered learning environment. Effective learning environment is created using powerful PCs, relevant education software, broadband internet access and an infrastructure with robust server.
Highlighting the positive impact of E-learning, Naveed Siraj said that effective e-learning comes from using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to broaden educational opportunities and help students develop the skills as they and their country need to thrive in the 21st century. Due to e-learning students are more engaged and able to develop 21st century skills. Teachers have a more positive attitude toward their work and are able to provide more personalised learning, he further maintained.
He said that the Intel Teach Program is designed to enable teachers to effectively use technology to enhance student learning in the digital world. Intel to date has trained more than 325,000 teachers, reaching out to over 75 cities and districts of Pakistan, focusing on integrating technology and modern teaching methods in the teaching and learning process in Pakistan.
Programme Development Manager British council, Martin Daltroy said that the advent of 21st century is revolutionising the way people live and think. It is transforming communities and making research in science and technology more important to find solution to growing number of global concerns. It is the need of the time to enhance development in Science and Technology to meet the challenges of the 21st century.