Pakistan will soon have its first, internationally recognised, teaching Fellows, after a new programme was launched to support early-career academics develop their teaching skills. The programme, developed by Advance HE in collaboration with the National Academy of Higher Education and the British Council Pakistan, is for graduates of the already established Interim Placement for Fresh PhD’s (IPFP) programme in Pakistan. Following a further workshop to introduce the UK Professional Standards Framework, staff will be supported to apply for Advance HE Associate Fellowship.
Advance HE Fellowships provide academic staff international recognition of their teaching skills and experience and demonstrates a personal and institutional commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching in higher education. There are now nearly 150,000 Fellows recognised across the globe and the scheme continues to go from strength to strength. The adoption of the scheme in Pakistan is a further demonstration of its international standing.
Earlier this year, Advance HE CEO Alison Johns spoke at the inaugural Pak-UK Education Gateway Conference, where representatives from the Pakistani and UK governments spoke about how HE in Pakistan and the UK can learn from each other and develop sustainable practices moving forwards from the Covid-19 crisis.
She said of the programme: "I am delighted that graduates of the Interim Placement of Fresh PhDs (IPFP) programme will have the opportunity to apply for recognition as Advance HE Associate Fellows. Our Fellowship programme recognises those that teach and support learning in higher education worldwide, with over 140,000 Fellowships in 99 different countries now being awarded.
“Associate Fellowship allows a person to reflect on how they support student learning and has been shown to have benefits for the applicants, their institutions and their students. This is an excellent opportunity for IPFP participants to achieve this global recognition, and I am delighted that we can work with the British Council, the Higher Education Commission and National Academy of Higher Education to support this."
Dr Nishat Riaz MBE, Director of Education at the British Council Pakistan also tweeted her delight at the launch of the new Fellowship programme.
First time in Pakistan!
— Nishat Riaz (@nishatriaz) June 9, 2021
Excited, proud & hubmled to be part of this amazing team who worked on the programme design for months. @pkBritish @hecpkofficial & @AdvanceHE bringing the first ever internally recognised fellowship for Pakistani faculty.https://t.co/zsPM8GUiXM pic.twitter.com/FfV8n8Becn
Fellowship demonstrates a personal and institutional commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching in higher education. Across four categories, from Associate to Principal, Fellowship provides individuals with recognition of their practice, impact and leadership of teaching and learning. Find out more.