Introduction to the Department
The Department of Elementary Education is one of the oldest and the largest departments in the Institute of Education and Research (IER). The department is running the graduate and the undergraduate programs within IER. The department was established back in the year 1960 under the umbrella of the Institute of Education and Research in cooperation with the School of Education, Indiana University, United States of America. It is a pioneer institute in Pakistan for advanced studies in the field of elementary education. It enjoys the status of a premier and prestigious department in Pakistan. The department has 20 faculty members with a total of seven permanent faculty members whereas the rest of them are rendering services as visiting teachers. Many of the staff members are highly qualified having Post.Doc. and Ph.D degrees.
The department started Masters’ degree programs in elementary education along with other academic and professional programs. It is the first department which has introduced these programs in the country. The programs are accredited by the various academic and professional bodies of Higher Education Commission of Punjab and Pakistan. The department has also started the post graduate diplomas of one year for preparing teachers in elementary as well as early childhood education. The department has thousands of alumni. Now the department is preparing models for elementary and early childhood education for education departments and other stakeholders for quality education system at elementary and early childhood levels.
Chairman’s Message
The department of elementary education is one of the most important departments which provide the foundation for the development of school education in the country. The current federal and provincial governments have emphasized the importance of elementary education. The recent draft of education policy 2018/19 speaks that “the first and foremost education challenge that Pakistan faces is addressing out of school children (OOSC) and ensuring that enrolled children complete their education”. These two areas are the priority areas in this current draft of education policy 2018/19.
The department of elementary education is providing teachers, researchers, teacher trainers, educational administrators and academic leaders not only in the country but also in the world. The department was established in 1960 in collaboration with Indiana State University, United States of America. It is still the largest and oldest department in the country. It is providing professional assistance to the provincial and federal governments at all levels. The female enrolment percentage in the department is 95% in graduate and undergraduate programs. The department is running two journals; one is the journal of elementary education and the other is the journal of early childhood education. We believe in quality of education at elementary and early childhood education levels. The recent development, in collaboration with university of Oxford, UK; Madina University, Quala Lampur, Malaysia and some other high ranked universities of the world, shows that the department intends to provide professional leaders in this global competitive world. We believe in women empowerment through education and the department declared the year 2019 as the year of women empowerment through education in Pakistan. The department of elementary education is dominated with female faculty and students. We have 20 visiting and permanent teachers with more than ninety percent teachers having PhD degrees which is the highest number in any department of elementary education with PhD faculty in the country. The curriculum has been revised in the light of global context. The course packs has been prepared to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the department.