BECS opens 100 community-based schools: Training programme launched to improve teaching standards

ISLAMABAD: The Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) Directorate, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, has launched a five-day training programme aimed at improving teaching standards across 100 newly established community schools in Karachi.

The initiative, organised in collaboration with the Association for Academic Quality (AFAQ), seeks to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical skills, enhance classroom management, and promote child-centered and inclusive learning practices. The programme marks a key step in the government’s efforts to support non-formal education and integrate out-of-school children into the learning system.

The BECS recently inaugurated 100 community-based schools in some of Karachi’s most deprived localities, offering free education to help children from underprivileged families re-enter formal learning pathways.

BECS Director General Hameed Khan Niazi emphasised the importance of investing in teacher capacity.

“These trainings are essential to equip our teachers with modern teaching strategies, improve their efficiency, and ensure quality learning outcomes for children,” he said.

The opening ceremony was attended by notable guests including Senator Nasreen Jalil, senior educationist Azhar Rizvi, and BECS officials, who appreciated the joint efforts to uplift teaching standards in low-income communities. They praised the government’s focus on inclusive education and community-based learning models, noting that such initiatives are crucial for addressing urban education inequities.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi and BECS DG Hameed Khan Niazi are scheduled to attend the concluding session of the training programme later this week.

The initiative underscores Pakistan’s continued commitment to expanding education access, reducing the number of out-of-school children, and supporting teachers serving on the frontlines of community development in marginalised areas.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025