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Changing Learning through Teachers' Professional Development

On May 14, 2012, a policy seminar was organised by English in Action (EIA), a large-scale UK Aid funded project in Bangladesh working on developing teachers' knowledge and skills to teach English to primary and secondary school children. The seminar titled 'Making learning effective through teacher professional development implications for policy', aimed to generate discussion around the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) policy in Bangladesh, current practices in the primary and secondary sectors as well as share the experience and impact of EIA teacher professional development programme with a group of key policy makers, leading educationists, practitioners working in the development sector and donor representatives in Bangladesh.

Courtesy: English In Action

Marc van der Stouwe, Representative of EIA, in his opening speech, highlighted the need for a school-focused, evidence-based and flexible approach to teacher professional development and the necessity of the government of Bangladesh and EIA to work together in implementing this approach. The Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of Bangladesh, Md Salahuddin Akbar reiterated the commitment of the government of Bangladesh in extending support and improving the quality of the teacher professional development programmes through innovative initiatives such as English in Action. This was further emphasised by the Chief Guest, A K M Abdul Awal Mazumder, Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), Government of Bangladesh, who referred to this 'partnership' as key to success at a large scale. M Nazrul Islam Khan, PS-I (Secretary) to Prime Minister and Professor Martin Bean, Vice-Chancellor, The Open University, UK, were both present there.

Overall, the participants stressed that the seminar contributed to broadening and deepening of mutual understanding of both opportunities and challenges of school-based teacher professional development in Bangladesh.