By Jaginder Singh Raipatti | MALAYSIA |
Some 200 Punjabi language teachers and support officials attended a two-day course in Ipoh, Perak, as part of an on-going effort to bolster the teaching of the language in Malaysia.
They took part in the annual Teacher Development Course designed for Punjabi Language teachers teaching in more than 40 Punjabi Education Centres (PECs) nationwide.
Organised by Punjabi Education Trust Malaysia (PETM), the education wing of Khalsa Diwan Malaysia (KDM), the two-day event held at an Ipoh hotel ended on 17 Aug 2019.
The participants comprised of kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers, as well as the PEC inspectors.
The course was conducted by four facilitators and 12 co-facilitators led by Prof Dr Kuldip Kaur who heads PETM’s teacher training.
Themed “Instructional Technology In Punjabi Language Classroom”, the course was geared to keep the Punjabi Language teachers on par with the current trends in the field of education.
The teachers were trained to include the use of laptops and desktops, with access to the internet, when planning and executing their lessons. Instead of using poster sheets and Manila cards, teachers were trained to use Powerpoint presentations. This indeed is a major shift from past practices, and teachers reacted positively to this change.
Such courses are conducted annually in an effort to keep improving the knowledge base of teachers and classroom delivery besides providing a platform for teachers to share and exchange knowledge and experience.
The objectives of the course were achieved, thanks to the contribution and effort of the dedicated team of facilitators and co-facilitators, who were mostly professionals in the field of education.
The feedback from the participants was testimony to this fact. Most teachers were satisfied with the course content and delivery, and gained invaluable knowledge on how to incorporate instructional technology in the classrooms.
KDM president Santokh Singh Randhawa and PETM chairman Gurnam Singh Dhillon had addressed the teachers during the closing ceremony.
They spoke about the past and present struggles in teaching the Punjabi Language, and stressed on the importance of a united effort and cooperation from all parties to ensure the continuity of this programme. They also urged the teachers to continue improving themselves, and keep in touch with the current developments in the field of education.
PKR Perak vice chairman Baldip Singh officiated the closing ceremony. In his speech, he praised KDM for doing a splendid job in teaching and preserving the Punjabi Language, and gave a donation of RM 10,000 towards the noble cause.
PETM wishes to thank all the coordinators, facilitators and course participants for the smooth running of this course, and hopes that the support and cooperation from all the relevant parties will continue to prosper in the years ahead.
Jaginder Singh Raipatti is the secretary of Punjabi Education Trust Malaysia (PETM), the Punjabi language education wing of Ipoh-based Khalsa Diwan Malaysia (KDM).
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