Daily Times

The Millennium Institute of Professional Development Saturday launched Pakistan’s largest Teacher Development Conference-2020 titled ’35 Minutes’, in continuation to The Millennium Education Teacher Development legacy here at Pakistan-China Friendship Center, according to a press release issue by the organisation.

Nearly 1000 teachers from The Millennium Education and organizers were enthusiastic and highly motivated to take the learning initiatives and training ahead to their classrooms. This year’s conference brought together leading national and international speakers including Abbas Husain, Director Teachers Development Centre, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, a renowned nuclear physicist, Umair Jaliawala, Director and founder Torque, Yousaf Bashir Qureshi, artist and spiritual speaker, Asma Mustafa, OD trainer, Uzma Yousuf, Country Director CAIE, Shazia Khawar, Regional Director British Council, Dr Nishat Riaz, Director British Council, Dr Rizwan Taj, Head of Psychiatry PIMS and representatives from Microsoft, JS bank, ACCA Pakistan who motivated and injected new ideas into the conference delegates comprising.

The Millennium Education CEO Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq, Executive Director Anna Faisal, directors, general managers, head mistresses, branch heads, academic coordinators and the entire teaching faculty. The Millennium Education’s annual teacher development conference is the largest gathering of educators, teacher educators, reformers and thinkers who are fiercely committed to transform teaching and learning practices. For the past eleven years this platform has provided a phenomenal opportunity to think thanks and classroom practitioners to engage in discussions and dialogues on issues that matter the most for the students, they serve, to achieve educational excellence and equity.

Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan was the chief guest, who presented awards and certificates to teachers who had completed their Cambridge professional development qualifications, foundation courses and Microsoft innovative educator expert certificates. Overall 600 teachers were awarded for their excellence in service for the Millennium Education.

Abbas Hussain, the founder of SPELT (Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers), facilitated the conference and enlightened the delegates about the concept of ‘critical spaces’ in classrooms and how effective and enthusiastic teaching converts all kinds of areas into ‘learning spaces’ that may nurture young minds and foster quicker learning. He emphasized that the ideal and intrinsically motivated teachers open new doors of knowledge that helps intelligence transition from one phase to another productive one.

Umair Jaliawala mesmerized the audience with his motivational talk. He urged the teachers to build positive classrooms that don’t insulate learning spaces from young and impressionable students through knowing learners as per their needs and abilities

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy talked about the 21st century skills that students need to survive and succeed in the future world that is peppered with digital technicalities. His message of creating safe spaces for such an environment hit a spot with the audience.

Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq talked about the underlying objective of the conference. His discourse revolved around creating collaborative thinking on key issues like education to generate thought provoking discussions on contemporary approaches. He reiterated that the institution’s support of the legendary history of teaching, learning, and knowledge creation has been the reason why the conference was conducted. From the beginning, the vision of the Teacher Development Conferences has been to bring teachers into direct contact with leading scholars, academia, and educational thinkers in a stimulating environment.