Professional Development has always been an area of main concern for our organization as without qualified, trained and professionally competent faculty it is not possible to achieve the objective of imparting quality education to the students of remote areas. Uswa has responded to it by organizing a schedule of training programs for its teaching staff. The salient features of this professional development program are appended below:

Main Components of our Professional Development Programs are as under:

In addition to the general training in teaching methodology the teachers are provided with training in the respective subjects being taught by them. The training is provided in the Subjects of Science, Mathematics, English and Urdu. Class room training comprising on job application of the teaching skills and its evaluation / appraisal through a general critique by the experts have always been the main areas of focus for Uswa.

Ever since its inception Uswa had a plan to establish its own Training Institute for providing necessary training to its teaching staff. One of our Uswa friend from USA Dr. Sarwat Hussain M.D Imamia Medics International made it possible for us in the year 2001 when he provided required funds for construction of the institute dedicating it to his late grand father Syed Muhammad Naqi who himself was a generous philonthropist. The Institute’s building after being utilized for training sometimes was handed over to Uswa College Islamabad due to the shortage of accommodation. Since then it is being utilized by the College and alternate arrangements have been made in Jamia Alkauthar where a portion of the Academic Block is being utilized for this purpose. Keeping in view the importance of teachers training for the system a separate building is required for this purpose where training camps could be help and regular B. Ed classes are started.

Keeping in view the growing demand for training it was decided to establish a Cell at Uswa Central Directorate to hold these activities in a more coordinated manner. The Cell started functioning in Jan 2009 when it conducted a training program in collaboration with the Friend’s Trust held at Islamabad and Karachi simultaneously. Later on when due to launching a Pilot Project by the Friends Trust for improvement of certain Uswa Schools in Baltistan region and shifting of the training venue there a need was felt to organize training for the rest of the regions locally. The Cell since then is fulfilling these requirements by conducting the training programme independently without collaboration of any other organization.

Realising the need for an independent training centre for the teaching staff of its focused Uswa institutions, out partners the Friends Educational Trust has established Centre For Educational Development (CED) at Skardu. The centre though meant for the staff of their focused institutions, would extend training facility for other Uswa schools located in Gilgit/Baltistan region as well. An eminent educationist from northern area has been appointed as Cheif Trainer/Head of the Institution. Transport facility has also been made available for the staff to join the training sessions as and when scheduled.

Since its establishment Uswa continued exploring resources for training of its teachers. We carried out a number of training programs in order to make our teaching staff professionally competent enough to carry out the task assigned to them. Besides organizing training programs for our teaching faculty we arranged a number of training camps for our managerial staff as well which included a number of Uswa principals and the vice principals. A detail of such training programs so far carried out by us with the collaboration of various organizations is appended below:

The recent batches included a number of Education Officers, Teacher Educators, Mentors and the Account Officers from Uswa Gilgit & Baltistan Region.

In addition to the aforementioned training camps we have been availing training facilities offered by the Agha Khan Foundation’s Professional Development Centre (PDCN) at Gilgit under which a considerable number of Uswa Principals attended training courses and awarded with the Certificate in Educational Leadership and Management (CELM).