Teachers’ Training-A Grey Area in Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine current in-service training needs of university faculty of N.W.F.P in Pakistan. A survey/descriptive research methodology was used to conduct the study. The target population of the study consisted of all faculty members working in public sector universities of N.W.F.P. The study assessed teachers’ priorities for National Teaching standards and their competence with thirty professional competencies using a self developed research instrument. The overall in-service training needs were analyzed and teaching standards were ranked using mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA. The top four in-service training needs by university faculties included assessment skills, use of information technologies in educational setting, communication skills, and classroom management skills. The result of this study has practical implications for developing teachers’ training programmes in Pakistan. The government and donor agencies programs should study how the top in-service areas can be addressed in training workshops. Further needs assessment studies need to be conducted across public universities in Pakistan in order to build a baseline of research data, which may be used by the policy makers before training workshops designed.