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Thursday, July 14, 2011

43 teachers got Fulbright scholarship at US in pakistan



43 Pakistani teachers from all over the Pakistan, will be leaving country for studying and also teaching in USeducational institutions on the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) andForeign Language Teaching Assistantship (FLTA) programs.

This program Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) was arranged here by US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) for the departing students on Friday. The scholarship, receivers were briefed by USEFP about the program, visa regulations, American culture, US higher education and campus life and adjusting to life, as a new teacher/student in United States. The orientation was followed by a formal send-off speech by USEFPExecutive Director Rita Brunn Akhtar, who was the chief guest on the occasion.

TEA program is an eight-week program and is launched in Pakistan this year for the very first time. The program provides, Pakistani teachers from public schools with unique opportunities to develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge of the US focused on building expertise in best practice teaching methodologies and techniques, participants will also engage in host university-organized two-week internships at a local secondary school.

The program is currently being offered, in the fields of English as a Foreign Language(EFL), Social Studies, Civics, History, Mathematics, and Science. A total of 37 grantees will be travelling to US early August this year on this program. Of these, 38 per cent are females. Majority of the participants are teachers from very modest and un-represented areas of Pakistan.

FLTA, on the other hand, is a nine-month- non-degree Fulbright programme that provides young teachers of English an opportunity to refine their teaching skills, increase their English language proficiency and extend their knowledge of the society and culture of the US, while teaching their native language such as Urdu and Pushto to US students. It also enables them to strengthen foreign language instructions at US colleges and universities. A total of six teachers will be travelling through this programme this year, of which 4 are females. Since its inception in 2006, 33 grantees have already been sent via this programme.

Both of these programmes are administered by USEFP in Pakistan and are funded by Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs — US Department of State. The programmes are fully funded covering travel, living stipends, health insurance and tuition for the entire period of study.

Alumni were also invited at the occasion to share their experiences, as how these programmes have improved their professionals’ lives. The departing grantees got a firsthand chance to interact with the alumni members and concerned programme officers to address their concerns. “Opportunities for Pakistani students to study in the US have never been greater”, said USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar, on the occasion. She congratulated the departing students saying, “Teachers are privileged members of society who build the future of nation and I am sure that you will represent Pakistan very well in the US and return to make a real difference here.”

USEFP, a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the governments of Pakistanand the United States, is one of 51 ‘Fulbright Commissions’ located throughout the world. Fulbright is the flagship educational exchange program of the United States Department of State. The mission of the programme is to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of the United States through educational and cultural exchange. Since its inception more than 61 years ago, nearly 4,000 Pakistanis and more than 800 Americans have participated in USEFP administered exchange programs. In addition to the Fulbright program, USEFP administers a number of scholarship programs for undergraduates, teachers, journalists, and other professionals. In addition, USEFP offices in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi assist students interested in applying to study in the United States. USEFP also runs testing centres in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi administering theTOEFLSATGRE, and other standardized examinations.

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