Teaching Practice: Concept, Stages, Objectives & Suggestions

Introduction

Practice teaching occupies a key position in the programme of teacher education. It is a culminating experience in teacher preparation. It provides opportunity to beginning teachers to become socialized into the profession (Furlong et.al, 1988). Performance during practice teaching provides some basis for predicting the future success of the teacher. Outgoing popularity and centrality of practice teaching is an important contributing factor towards the quality of teacher education programme. During practice teaching working with students in schools provides a high degree of emotional involvement of a mostly positive nature. Student teachers feel themselves grow through experience and they begin to link to a culture of teaching. During practice teaching, they feel engaged, challenged and even empowered (Trowbridge and Bybee, 1994; sharafuddin, and Allison, 1969).


Definitions of Practice Teaching


A number of terms such as the practice teaching, student teaching, teaching practice, field studies, infield experience, school based experience or internship are used to refer to this activity (Taneja, 2000). The term practice teaching embraces all the learning experiences of student teachers in schools (Ashraf, 1999). The term practice teaching has three major connotations: the practicing of teaching skills and acquisition of the role of a teacher; the whole range of experiences that students go through in schools; and the practical aspects of the course as distinct from theoretical studies (Stones and morris, 1977).

Practice teaching is the name of the preparation of student teachers for teaching by practical training. It is the practical use of teaching methods, teaching strategies, teaching principles, teaching techniques and practical training and practice / exercise of different activities of daily school life.

Objectives of Practice Teaching

According to Akbar (2002) Following are the objectives of practice teaching:

1. To provide the prospective teachers with an opportunity of establishing an appropriate teacher pupil relationship.
2. To provide an opportunity for evaluating the student potential as a teacher and suitability for the teaching profession.
3. To develop personal relationship with others: administrators, teachers, parents and students.
4. To provide the future teacher with practical experience in school to overcome the problems of discipline and enable him / her to develop method of control.
5. To provide with an opportunity to put theories into practice and to develop a deeper understanding of educational principles and their implication for learning.
6. To enable the student teachers effectively to plan and prepare lessons.
7. To develop skill in the use of fundamental procedures, techniques and methods of teaching.
8. To develop desirable professional interests, attitudes and ideas relative to teaching profession.
9. To enable student teachers to acquire desirable characteristics / traits of a teacher and to display appropriate behaviour.
10. To provide student teachers with an opportunity to have teaching evaluated and to gain from the benefits of constructive criticism.
11. To provide an opportunity for self evaluation and to discover own strengths and weaknesses.
12. To develop skills in future teachers related to teaching like fluent speaking, meaningful reading, using blackboard and other teaching material.
13. To provide an opportunity to liaise with school environment, its functioning and with community and its resources.
14. To provide for the exchange of ideas and methods between practicing school and teacher training institution, by teacher training institutions’ staff and students, perceiving new ideas material and equipment in use in practicing schools and introducing new ideas, material and equipments into the school.

Stages in Practice teaching

Following are the stages in practice teaching


 Primary Stage

It is necessary to make a trip of student teachers to that particular school, where they are going for practice teaching. The main aim of this tour is to see the concerned head teacher, class teachers and school staff in order to acquire information about school and its environment. Student teachers must observe the teaching methods of school, methods of concerned class teacher, copies or notebooks of the students and their usual routine. On return from the tour student teachers must have the details about scheme of studies, age of the students, strength of the class, abilities and specific problems of the students, timing of the school, textbooks and teaching aids.

Preparation of Lesson

For the preparation of lesson student teachers must know the subject, the relevant books and audio visual aids. Which he / she is going to teach. Because already prepared lessons give confidence to the teacher. Student teachers and supervisor can reform the teaching learning process after its evaluation.

Qualities of a Good Lesson

A good lesson has the following qualities:


i)                    Lesson planning should be in complete detail.

ii)                   Lesson should be interesting.

iii)                 Effective and timely use of teaching methods and teaching aids.

iv)                 Student should be ready for learning.

v)                  Students should be involved practically in teaching learning process.

vi)                 Lesson should be taught in professional and friendly environment.

vii)               All students should be given same attention by keeping in view their individual differences.

Teaching in Classroom

            The stage of teaching in the classroom is known as  practice teaching. Student teachers while teaching   in the classroom passes through different steps of his / her teaching (Introduction, presentation, recapitulation) and concerned teacher  / supervisor assesses / observes his / her lesson.

Evaluation of Teaching Practice

In order to evaluate the teaching practice supervisor observe the student teacher while teaching in the classroom. Supervisor evaluates / observes the punctuality, lesson planning, teaching methods, use of audio visual aids, adequacy of audio visual aids, pitch of voice, dress, start and end of lesson, interest of the students, discipline of class, use of black / white board, students’ notebooks and objectives of the lesson.

Participation in Other routine Works of School

Teaching in the classroom is not only the objective of teaching practice, but also to provide training in all activities / work which student teachers are going to perform in future during their job. For this purpose they have to spend whole day in school as teacher. They have to participate in all the activities of school e.g preparation of timetable, preparation and maintenance of different registers, evaluation of class work and home work, arrangement of tutorial groups, sports / games, morning assembly, co-curricular activities, duty during recess, duty as day master, duty before and after school timing, decoration of classroom, preparation and maintenance of attendance board, news board, information board, look after and arrangements of A V aids room, home economics room, science laboratories and library.

            How to deal with students’ parents, officers of the school, school employees and guests are also the part of teaching practice. Duties as invigilators, preparation of question papers for examinations, evaluation of answer scripts and compilation of results is also part of teaching practice.

Role of Supervisor in Teaching Practice

Supervisor has an important role in practice teaching as:

i)                    A resource person

ii)                   An adviser

iii)                 A general moral booster

iv)                 An interpreter of feedback

v)                  An assessor


            Supervisor’s duty is not only to evaluate the lessons of teaching practice, but by using his / her all the abilities to make this experience (All the stages of teaching practice) result oriented. He / she should has all the planning before hand. He / she should have meeting and conversion with teacher educators, experienced teachers of the institution, educationists, concerned school head teachers and other teachers.

Introductory lectures should be arranged before the departure of student teachers to the practicing schools in order to aware the student teachers about the preparation of lesson plans and other assigned activities. During teaching practice it is the duty of supervisors to supervise their lessons, other assigned activities, guidance and counseling as well as provide the student teachers with feed back and to enable them so that they can criticize and reform themselves. During the teaching practice student teachers should not be criticized in front of the practicing school staff and students. If there is a need then all the student teachers should be gathered and should be scolded and warned without nominating and asking the name. Supervisors’ role is to prepare teachers for future, therefore he / she should act as a facilitator.

Teaching Practice in Pakistan

            Different teacher training programmes are being offered in Pakistan. In all the programmes teaching practice is compulsory component except M.Ed (Master of Education). In true spirit we can produce good teachers through this activity, but the procedure adopted in Pakistan is just to pass / kill the time. Teaching practice duration is very short, it is about 4 to 8 weeks or teaching of 60 to 75 lessons. During teaching practice student teachers are bound to the classrooms for teaching. They are not trained for the other activities performed in schools. Therefore, effective learning could not take place. Student teachers are bound to use easy principles and methods of teaching. They are just being taught how to start the lesson, how to control the class, how to keep an eye over the students while writing on the black / white board.

            Teaching practice is doing nothing to teaching other than adhoc basis. The schools where teaching practice is conducted are doing nothing but only bearing it and not taking active part in the preparation of teachers of future. The administration and teachers of practicing schools are not aware with the information and evaluation techniques, which are used during teaching practice. They are not fully aware about the importance of teaching practice for student teachers and future generations.

            It is a fact that student teachers are not perfect teachers, practicing schoolteachers can’t give them full authorities but they can trust on them. Practically two ways are being seen here in Pakistan. Firstly these uninvited guests are consider inferiors teachers and criticized without any justification. Secondly some teachers transfer their all burden to them.

            In some teacher training institutions selection of lessons is kept up to the choice of student teachers and they select such lessons which are very easy and in which minimum audio visual aids are used.

Suggestions to Improve Teaching Practice in Pakistan

Here are some suggestions to improve the teaching practice in Pakistan.


a)      In teacher training institutions teaching methods were not only teach but also practically demonstrated by the teacher educators.

b)      The duration of teaching practice should be increased up to 12 weeks at least, so that practical training should be given for a quarter of the year.

c)      Teaching practice should not be consisted of classroom teaching only. Other aspects like attendance of students, collection of fee, calculation of fee, preparation of registers, conduct of morning assembly, conduct of co-curricular activities, preparation of question papers, marking of answer scripts, compilation of results, solution of students’ problems and meetings with students’ parents should be included.

d)      Microteaching should be adopted in teacher training institutions and model lessons should be given before student teachers by experts as well as by video films.


e)      Student teachers are not given marks only for model lessons and all the aspects of teaching practice should be included in evaluation.

f)        In order to make the evaluation of teaching practice more effective, appropriateness of lesson, teaching methods, teaching aids, practical organization of lesson, interest of students and teachers and students’ answers should be included in evaluation.

g)      It should be encouraged that student teachers make audio visual aids by them selves and student teachers should be given  / provided guidance after every lesson.

h)      In order to make teaching practice more effective, it is also proposed that student teachers should watch the lessons of experienced teachers for one week and write evaluation report about them and supervisors should provide guidelines to student teachers in the light of this evaluation report.

i)        It should be ensured that student teachers keep the sequence of lessons in such a way, so that they can teach all types of lessons and use different teaching methods.

j)        Prior to teaching practice student teachers should practice in their fellows in order to build more confidence in them.

k)      During teaching practice student teachers should be given projects, which cover all the aspects of teaching practice i.e. (preparation of teaching kit, planning for decoration of classrooms, betterment of environment and provision of facilities).

l)        During practice teaching prospective teachers should be made habitual of preparing daily lesson plan.

m)    Practice teaching should be more realistic and suited to the actual class room situations.

Conclusion

Teaching practice is an activity, which can play an important role in the preparation of teachers. Its effectiveness is necessary for the nation. It is a milestone for professional adolescence.  It is a combination of personality, professional skills, knowledge and training, which is fuel for an endless journey. Now it is the duty / responsibility of teacher educators and teachers of practicing schools to make this fuel / expenditure endless.

Bibliography

Akbar, R.A. (2002).A study of Practice Teaching of Prospective Secondary School

           Teachers and Development of a Practice Teaching Model, Arid Agricultural

           University, Rawalpindi (Unpublished PhD Thesis).


Ali Murtaza,(2005). Comparative Study of Practice Teaching in Formal and Non formal

           Systems and Development of a Model, Arid Agricultural  University, Rawalpindi  

           (Unpublished PhD Thesis).


Brown, P.D. & Brown N.R.(1990). Effective Teaching Practice. Stanley Thornes,

      England.


Cohen, a. & Carver, N. (1970). A Students’ guide to Teaching Practice. University of

       London Press, London.


Cohen, L.& Manion, L.(1983). A Guide to teaching Practice. Methuen, London.


Furlong, V.J.;P.U. Hirst and K. Pocklington.(1988). Initial Teacher Training and The

        Role of the chool. Open University Press, Philadelphia.


Govt. of Pakistan. (1997). Pakistan Vision 2010. report; seminar on education. Planning

        and Development Division, Islamabad.


Malik, S.R.(1992). The System of education in Pakistan. National Book Foundation,

         Lahore.


Muhammad Ashraf (1990). Dictionary of Primary Education. A.P.H. Publishing

       Corporation, New Delhi.


Shah, R.A.(1995). Education and Teacher education in Pakistan. Pakistan study Centre,

         University of Sindh, Jamshoro.


Taneja, R.P.(2000). Encyclopedia of Comparative Education, Vol.4. Anmol Publications

          Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.


Walkin, L.C.(    ). Instructional Techniques Practice. Stanley Thornes, Bargenham.

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Education in Pakistan

The estimated population of the country is 162 million (“Pakistan”, 2008). Karachi as the country’s largest city has a population of 5,103,000, (ibid.), is called mini Pakistan with all sort of ethnic groups, including Punjabis, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Urdu Speaking, Baluchis and Afghans residing in with religious backgrounds of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Multiple languages are therefore spoken along with official language English and national language Urdu (“Pakistan Education”, 2008). It also serves as a major hub of higher education  in South Asia, and the wider Islamic World (“Karachi”, 2009).
Education in Pakistan is divided into five levels: Primary (grades 1 – 5), Middle (grades 6 – 8), Secondary (grades 9 – 10), leading to the secondary school certificate; Intermediate (grades eleven and twelve), leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate; and University programs leading to graduate and advanced degrees (“Pakistan”, 2009).
Pakistan also has a parallel secondary school education system in private schools, which is based upon the curriculum set by the University of Cambridge. Some students choose to take the O levels and A Levels exams, which are administered by the British Council in place of government exams. There are currently 730 technical and vocational institutions in Pakistan. The minimum qualifications to enter male vocational institutions, is the completion of grade 8. The programs are generally two to three years in length. The minimum qualifications to enter female vocational institutions, is the completion of grade 5 (ibid.).
All academic education institutions are the responsibility of the Provincial governments. The federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research. English medium education is to be extended, on a phased basis, to all schools across the country. Through various educational reforms, by the year 2015, the ministry of education expects to attain 100% enrolment levels amongst primary school aged children, and a literacy rate of 86% amongst people aged over 10 (ibid.).
Schooling in the country generally starts with 1st grade, although, in private sector, now, a very positive attitude toward Montessori and Kindergarten schooling system is visible. Children are normally enrolled with an age group of 2 – 3 years. The schooling lasts up to Matriculation or O Levels, expanding to a period of 10 – 13 years (“Education in Pakistan”, 2008).
The condition of education in Pakistan is not very healthy. “The country’s literacy rate is just 54 percent with 66.25 percent for men and 41.75 for women” but unofficial estimates suggest that functionally the literacy rate is just 35 percent according to Human Rights Commissions of Pakistan, Annual Report, 2004 (Xhaferri & Iqbal, 2008, p. 21). The major problems that confront education in Pakistan are identified as low enrollment and high dropout rates, low female participation at every level, examination based on rote learning, poor physical facilities, and shortage of trained manpower and the absence of creativity in managerial systems (Abbas, 2006).
“ … Pakistan lacks in an equitable education system. Educational indicators remain alarming, which include low public spending, low literacy and enrollment levels, high dropout …, unequal opportunities, poor infrastructure and lack of trainings for professional development of people engaged in education sector.” According to ‘UNDP Millennium development goals Pakistan’ report Pakistan is not on the right track to achieve it in all levels by 2015. This situation explicitly reflects the state of education in the country, which may be rooted in the unsuited policies or not having actual implementation (“Commitment of top winners on education”, 2008).
Education is a basic human right. In Pakistan free elementary education is the state’s responsibility, according to article 2 – AB of constitution, but unfortunately, it has never been a top national priority. It did never get serious attention and adequate resources. Today there are 27 million children in the primary school age bracket 5 – 9, of whom 13 million are not enrolled. Approximately 50% of enrolled children drop out before completing primary education. In Pakistan there is 36.3 % literacy rate, 51% net primary enrollment ratio and 50.3% adult literacy (ibid.).     “So far nine educational policies have been announced by governments, though the major portions of the policies remained the same, however implementation of the policies varied in nature and spirit depending on the priority of each successive government” (ibid.).
Students particularly girls amongst Matric students in rural areas have  the lowest enrollment rates due to lack of proper infrastructure and accessibility. (World Bank, Policy Notes; June 28, 2006) According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, (2006) 78 percent of primary schools in rural areas are without electricity, 40 percent without drinking water while 60 percent are without toilets. According to another estimate, 15 percent of middle and high government schools across the country are without buildings, 52 percent without boundary walls, 71 percent without electricity and 57 percent without toilet facilities (Xhaferri & Iqbal, 2008, p. 21). “Education has never been Pakistan’s strong point.” N. Khan (2002) writes elaborating the condition of government schools in these words:
The condition of government schools all over the country and the quality of education being imparted there are going from bad to worse, day by day. Thousands of government schools are ‘ghost schools,’ existing on paper only. The buildings, mostly in rural areas, that were meant to house these schools are either dilapidated due to negligence or have been converted into otaqs (drawing rooms) for the local wadaras (land owners). (“Education in Pakistan”, May 2, 2008)
According to Chandio (2006, p. 21) about 3,000 schools in the province of Sindh are without buildings and more than 15,000 schools are without power, water, furniture and better learning materials in classrooms. The province faces a shortage of 10,000 primary and secondary teachers. Daily Jang (September 3, 2008, p. 14) states that there are a number of problems with secondary schools in Karachi e.g. the roll call of the girls students is not being noted in government girls’ schools due to non – availability of attendance registers. As a result the attendance of girls is even less than 10 percent of the total number. A survey report of Government Girls Secondary Schools in Karachi reveals that no morning assemblies are being held. There is no proper arrangement for drinking water. The reason for the absence of basic necessities in the schools is said to be the extravagancy of funds that have no records on papers (ibid.).
Ahmad (2008, p. 21) also writes that ordinary schools in Pakistan are “extremely ill – equipped, devoid of essential material resources and facilities.” The schools are generally without drinking water, proper toilets, classroom furniture, text books, electricity, fans, windowpanes and playgrounds. Ahmad draws the picture of Pakistani schools in the following words:
Government schools lament about the long and tedious procedures to acquire the funds for necessary furniture and other infrastructural components.  Private schools, especially the low and medium scale ones, complain about insufficient means and lack of options pertinent to investment in the school infrastructure. Community schools, which are present in some locations, refer to lack of initiative on the part of community – based organisations and donor agencies. (ibid.)
“The education system in Pakistan is characterized by high dropout rates during primary school, a shortage in capacity of both middle and higher – level schools and technical and vocational training centers, and insufficient access for female education.” There are inadequate opportunities for female education which later on contribute significantly to the low female labor participation. “There is a need for a more equitable distribution of education between genders” (Shah, 2005, p. 49). The main thrust of education in Pakistan is on primary enrollment (ibid.) while “student dropout rate in Pakistan is the highest in South Asia with only an estimated 10 per cent of the population finishing 12 years of schooling” (Dawn, 2008, p. 21). “The World Bank reports that 15 per cent of children in the 10 to 18 age group, who have attended primary school at some point in the past, dropped out before completing primary school in the 2001 – 02 academic year” (ibid.).  “The high dropout rate that is routinely experienced in … primary schools is largely attributed to the drab appearance of buildings, inadequate facilities and an overall repulsive physical environment.” Children can learn something only if they are comfortable with space and surroundings (Ahmad, 2008, p. 21).
The public sector carries most of the weight of delivering education to people in Pakistan. 72 percent educational institutions, 56 percent teachers and 62 percent enrollments belong to public sector. However, the private sector is rushing in to cater to the demand for better education at a range of prices with varying quality. This phenomenon is prevalent primarily in the urban areas. Private sector serves a great number of population at pre – primary and primary level as almost 30 percent of primary school children go to private schools in Pakistan (Xhaferri & Iqbal, 2008, p. 21).
Shah (2008) writes that during last two decades basis, research on process of learning has a lot of implications for classroom environments and practices within classroom. In developed countries these implications tried to be bridged with classroom and a more learner – centered, knowledge centered and community centered setup is emphasized. Most of the schools, in Pakistan, ignore individual learning needs by setting fix syllabus, time tables and teaching methodologies.
Secondary school in Pakistan begins from grade 9 and lasts for four years. Upon completion of grade 10, students are expected to take a standardized test administered by a regional 'Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education'. Upon successful completion of this examination, they are awarded a 'Secondary School Certificate' or SSC. This is also called matriculation certificate or Matric for short. Students then enter college and complete grades 11 and 12. Upon completion of grade 12, they again take a standardized test which is also administered by the regional boards. Upon successful completion of this test, students are awarded the 'Higher Secondary School Certificate' or HSSC. This is called the F.Sc./F.A. or 'intermediate'. There are many streams students can choose for their 11 and 12 grades, such as pre – medical, pre – engineering, humanities, social sciences, business, and theology. Some technical streams have recently been introduced for grades 11 and 12. It is important to note that the two subjects 'Pakistan Studies' and 'Islamic Studies' or Islamiyat are compulsory and taught at every level (“Secondary Education,” July 28, 2008).
There are major difficulties in Pakistani education system related to weak curriculum, lack of facilities and incompetent teachers at secondary level. There is also an issue of having a two – tiered system where the students from the elite class follow the “O” and “A” levels curriculum instead of Pakistan’s domestic low quality curriculum. Pakistan is one of the only 12 countries that spend less than two percent of their GDP on education (Xhaferri & Iqbal, 2008, p. 21).
Attaining quality education, therefore, is very expensive in Pakistan which most of the students and their parents across the country cannot afford. As an example full course of studies at Beacon House Business School, Rs. 212,000 are required; MBA at LUMS costs Rs. 585,000 and for BA/LLB/MS or BSc (Hons) approximately Rs. 253, 000 are required (ibid.). On the other hand “it's not unusual in Pakistan to hear of public schools that receive no books, no supplies, and no subsidies from the government. Thousands more are 'ghost schools' that exist only on paper, to line the pockets of phantom teachers and administrators." (Belt, 2007, p. 59)

2011 scholarships

HEC aims to elevate the socio-economic position of the needy and deserving students by providing access to quality education through needs-based scholarships. Government of Pakistan has also duly acknowledged the financial constraints barring students from acquiring higher education and has thus earmarked substantial funds for the improvement of education sector.

In pursuance of the Government's initiative of providing financial relief to meritorious but deprived students, an agreement of US$ 7.33 million in July 2004 is signed with United State Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide grant for scholarships in the field of Agriculture and Business Administration at undergraduate & graduate level.
 For scholarship updates visit 2011 scholarships portal
The Merit and Needs based Scholarship Project has been in operation since 2004. Eleven (11) public & private institutions are participating in the program while more than 1407 scholarships have been successfully awarded at the participating institutions.
Scholarship Details  
The scope of the project includes 1807 number of scholarships for the students who meet the eligibility criteria. The scholarships are bifurcated as follows: 
 For scholarship updates visit 2011 scholarships portal
Under-graduate
Graduate
Agriculture (980)
425
555
Business Administration (827)
332
495
Total
757
1050
Grand Total
1807

Scholarship Offering
Comprehensive scholarship is offered under the program. The scholarship provides funds for the following expenses:

1. Tuition Fee,                     
2. Lodging
3. Transportation,               
4. Books
5. Other Academics Costs
Eligibility Criteria
Financial assistance & scholarships are available for study at undergraduate & graduate level in the prescribed disciplines at the selected Pakistani universities and degree awarding institutions. List of participating institutions is as under;
a). Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
b). Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
c). Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur
d). SZABIST, Karachi
e). Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam
f). BUITEMS, Quetta
g). Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore
h). Pir Mehr Ali Shah University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi
i). Khyber Pakhtun Khawa Agriculture University, Peshawar
j). Institute of Management Science, Peshawar
k).University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
Financial assistance & scholarships are available to study at Undergraduate & Grduate level [BBA/MBA & BS/MS (Agriculture)]. 

The eligibility for the program is assessed on the neediness of the candidate & his/her family background.
 For scholarship updates visit 2011 scholarships portal

Best Universities Of Pakistan

THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN.SOME ARE PROVIDING BEST EDUCATION AND SOME PROVIDE BETTER EDUCATION AND SOME PROVIDING GOOD AND SOME ARE NOT IN THESE CATEGORIES.
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN Agriculture / Veterinary

1. University of Agriculture (UAF), Faisalabad
2. NWFP University of Agriculture , Peshawar
3. University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi
4. Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN Art / Design

1. National College of Arts, Lahore
2. Textile Institute of Pakistan, Karachi
3. Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN Business / I.T.
1. Lahore Uni. of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore
2. Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
3. Allama Iqbal Open University,Islamabad (in business )
4.Punjab University Lahore
5. Lahore School of Economics (LSE) , Lahore
6. Institute of Business Management (IBM), Karachi
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN Engineering

1. Pakistan Institute of Engg. and Applied Sciences, Islamabad
2. National University of Sciences & Technology Rawalpindi
3. Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering, Swabi
4. University of Engg. & Technology (UET), Lahore
5. Mehran University of Engg. & Technology (MUET), Jamshoro
6. University of Engg. & Technology (UET), Taxila
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN General

1. Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad
2. University of the Punjab, Lahore
3. University of Karachi, Karachi
4. University of Peshawar, Peshawar
5. Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
6. Government College Lahore University, Lahore
7.Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN Health Sciences Sindhi

1. Aga Khan University, Karachi
2. Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro
3. Baqai Medical University, Karachi
4. Zia-ud-din Medical University, Karachi
BEST UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN CONTAINING HIGHEST STUDENT.
1.Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad (16th number in world highest student)
2. University of the Punjab, Lahore
3. University of Karachi, Karachi

Exploring the reasons of contamination of Urdu

Urdu is one of the most rampant languages of the subcontinent. However, it is seeing a decline these days. The Urdu enthusiasts are very concerned about this situation and they are finding different methods to revive Urdu.
This article explores some of the most significant reasons that why the Urdu language has been contaminated. Learning these reasons is the first step towards the revival of the Urdu language.
1. Trying to strip the status of the regional languages
In Pakistan Urdu was declared the national language by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Dhaka. This was a huge mistake. It was okay to declare Urdu the national language. However, right from the inception of Pakistan, the regional languages were never given any importance or status.
In fact, this had been a big cause of the partition of the East Pakistan from the west. It was but natural for the Bengalis that they loved their language and wanted it to be their national language. However, Bangla was never recognized and resultantly they felt that it is an effort to take away their roots and identity form them.
Recently the same thing happened in Baluchistan. Nawab Akbar Bugti passed a bill to make Balochi language compulsory from grade 1 in the schools of Baluchistan instead of Urdu. Nevertheless, after his murder, Pervez Musharraf reverted to Urdu, causing a lot of hatred among the Baluchis.
2. Relating Urdu to the religion
Many other people do not feel connected to the Urdu language because it has always been related to the Islam, excessively. The language should have an international and harmonious outlook, which Urdu has lacked.
3. Bollywood's influence on Urdu
The Indian film industry has never been kind to Urdu. The Bollywood movies are popular all over the world. People see them and pick Urdu-Hindi phrases from them. It is an unfortunate fact that in Bollywood scripts and songs, the Urdu language is often distorted. Sometimes wrong words are used contextually. At other times, the pronunciation is simply pathetic. Alternatively, Urdu is contaminated with too many rustic Hindi words.
4. Failure of the older generation to pass Urdu heritage to the young generation
It is a sad fact that our older generation did not make serious efforts to involve their children in peaking Urdu. Even today, the parents who know excellent Urdu do not realize the importance of teaching it to their children. Sadly, they are so obsessed with the English language that they make their children learn English right from the early childhood.
5. The lack of promotion of Urdu and incompetency of the Urdu teachers
Urdu has never been promoted properly. The society overall is responsible for this trend. The decline of Urdu and the lack of promotion of Urdu has become a vicious circle for the doom of the language. Other than that, in the schools the Urdu teachers are not competent. Teaching a language is an art. The teachers today lack the abilities of teaching a language to the children.

A Language Translation Overview

What is language translation?

Put simply, translation is the process of rendering the content and meaning of one language into another language. Translation relates specifically to the written word, unlike interpreting which is the conversion of the spoken word from one language to another.

Translation is usually performed by freelance professional translators or in-house translators working in a translation company or agency. Both freelance and company translators are professionally qualified experts with extensive linguistic knowledge. A professional translator should only ever translate into their native language as this helps to ensure that the translation reads and flows naturally.

In this article we are looking specifically at human translation and not the computer-assisted machine/statistical machine translation equivalent. Whilst machine translation has its place, human translation is a complex, time-consuming process that can deliver exceptional results far superior to automatic translation.

How long does it take?

On average, a translator can translate approximately 2,500 words in any one working day, but there are occasions when the volume of words translated is significantly higher or lower. There are numerous variables that contribute to this, including language combination, subject matter, complexity, source document format and required target document format.

Tools of the trade

It may sound obvious, but the most important tool of the trade is the translator’s brain. It contains a vast amount of linguistic knowledge about their source and target languages, which enables them to accurately render one language into another. Translators often spend years in higher and further education developing their language and translation skills to make themselves a more versatile, informed and competent linguist.

Many translators also make use of sophisticated translation tools, known as Computer Aided Translation (CAT) tools. These complement the human translation process and assist the translator in areas such as consistency and with repeat content. Trados, Dejavu and Wordfast are some of the CAT tools available today.

As is true of many professions, the internet has also become a standard tool of the trade for translators today. The vast amount of information available makes research fast, effective and instantly available.

How is it charged and how much does it cost?

Most translation companies and freelance translators charge by the word. Prices are often indicated per 1,000 words, although they are normally calculated on the actual word count and not a rounded figure.

Translation prices vary depending on language combination, format, complexity and deadline. In the UK you can expect to pay between £80.00 - £300.00 per 1,000 words for translation through an agency. It is worth noting that the higher rate is reserved for incredibly rare or unusual language combinations, so for commonly translated language pairs the price will be far lower than the top amount.

In summary, buyers of translation should be aware that it is a complex process performed by skilled experts, and a professional translator is much more than someone who can speak another language. Always speak to a translation company/experienced translator when planning your project as it will pay dividends in the long run and will ensure that you get a translation perfectly matched to your requirements.

For more information about professional translation or to discuss a project, get in touch with Sure Languages at www.sure-languages.com.

Language Connect Are Crowned Business Language Champions

Language Connect has completed the first in a planned series of interactive school workshops aimed at encouraging secondary school pupils to realise the benefits of language learning.
Language Connect devised the workshops in close collaboration with the Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College in Willesden, London to educate its students about career opportunities in the translation and interpreting services industry. The workshops confirm Language Connect's commitment to support the Business Language Champions programme which is aimed at inspiring young people to learn languages through interaction with the business community.
The Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College was an ideal choice for the workshops because of its specialist status as a language college and the large numbers of its pupils for whom English is a second language. Following consultation with the school, Language Connect designed the first workshop for Year 10 and 11 students whose first language is Polish.
The workshop's aim was to help students realise that their natural linguistic abilities could lead to opportunities in higher education and even a career in the language services industry. The workshop successfully achieved this goal by involving the students in an interactive session where they could directly use their bilingual skills in a face-to-face interpreting context. A Language Connect interpreter demonstrated with other staff some typical interpreting scenarios to help the students understand the basic principles. The students then created and acted out role play dialogues themselves in scenarios such as a doctor's surgery and a courtroom. The best role plays were rewarded with Language Connect certificates.
The 16 students who participated in the workshop showed real promise as future interpreters and several expressed interest in exploring the profession further by asking for work placements at Language Connect. Iwona Stepien, Partner of Language Connect, who is herself Polish said after the workshop:  "It was great to see the enthusiasm and creativity of the students. I think it was a real eye-opener for the pupils, teachers and us. I was also pleasantly surprised at the number of students requesting work experience placements."
Following the workshop, Dr Luisa Bonelli, Assistant Head Teacher at the school commented that ‘both teachers and students enjoyed it very much and to see so many requests for work experience placements at the end was just fantastic – it is a sign that the girls enjoyed the experience and would potentially be interested in pursuing this further'.
Dr Bonelli's colleague Joanna Lyskawa who teaches the students on a regular basis also commented that many of the girls ‘really came out of their shells' during the role play task, something that she was unused to seeing in some of the quieter students.
On asked what they thought of the workshop, one student commented that ‘it was a wonderful and useful experience that gave us a greater understanding of translation and interpretation.  We particularly enjoyed the practical exercise.  It was based on a role play in a court where interpreting played a big role.  Our role play was humorous and fun to watch and we got an award for it'.
Following the success of the workshop, Language Connect plans to tailor the programme for Portuguese-speaking pupils at the school and hope to be able to run this in the next few months. A work placement scheme for pupils participating in the workshop is also planned.
About the Business Language Champions programme
The Business Language Champions programme inspires and supports employers and employees to work with schools through languages. The programme aims to encourage young people to understand the benefits of learning languages and the exciting and rewarding careers available to them with languages.
Sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the programme engages employers of all sizes and sectors. These employers recognise the importance of language and intercultural skills for business success and are helping young people to develop these vital skills to compete successfully in a competitive global economy.

(ArticlesBase SC #1944001)