Moalims

ISLAMABAD: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training jointly conducted a weeklong workshop to establish national standards for Urdu reading skills.
The USAID-funded programme was led by the Pakistan Reading Project. USAID Pakistan Education Office Director Thomas LeBlanc and Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Balighur Rehman jointly presided over the closing ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, LeBlanc said that these new reading standards would enable teachers across Pakistan to track the progress of their students and provide clear benchmarks for measuring the children’s development. He added, “Setting these standards will also support the Government of Pakistan to objectively monitor the children’s early grade reading abilities and adopt more effective approaches for improving their reading skills.”
The five-year, $160 million Pakistan Reading Project, aims to improve the reading skills of children in grades one and two through changing classroom learning environments, strengthening education policies and systems, and garnering community support for reading.
Over 65 educators, linguists and government officials spent the week developing reading standards and creating tools to assess students’ fluency in Urdu. Participants discussed the factors that indicate fluency in Urdu at each grade level.

News Reference: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/13-Jun-2015/usaid-funded-workshop-held-on-urdu-reading-skills