IED alumna Salima Begum ’04 is one of just 10 teachers around the world to be nominated for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize by the London-based Varkey Foundation. To be considered for the prize, which carries a US$ 1 million award, nominees must be regarded as “exceptional teachers” who have made an outstanding contribution to their profession.
Over the past 25 years, Salima Begum, who holds three master’s degrees, has worked in roles across the education sector. From leading change in clas
srooms as a teacher and headmistress in her hometown, to conducting research in the field of education as a faculty member in universities in Sindh and Balochistan, to leading the implementation of wide-ranging programmes in the development sector with the IED, USAID, AusAid and Germany’s GIZ-GFA; Salima’s career has been devoted to inspiring students.
This interview, in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, February 11, Salima Babar opens up about the steps she’s taken to champion science education and a girl’s right to education.
Tell us about your own experience as a student.
I went to the local school in the village of Oshikhandass in Gilgit, northern Pakistan. Conditions were cramped and there was a very rigid approach to teaching. The emphasis was on rote learning and on students memorising text with little to no interaction in class. There were no desks or chairs in junior classes and there wasn’t much beyond a blackboard and chalk for the teacher to use.
There were no classes beyond Grade 7 and local traditions meant that girls were expected to be married as soon as they ended school. You’d hear phrases such as ‘A girl’s place is in the home’ or and people expressing fears that the outside world would ‘corrupt’ the character of a girl. The ambitions of girls in my village to go to school were not supported by their family and so the women of our village lacked the skills to pursue any profession at all.
How did you career as a teacher begin?
I started teaching in 1992 in a government school in Gilgit-Baltistan. Back then it was a common practice for teachers to come to school with cradles and even their cattle! I was very wary of the casual attitude that most teachers had and so I acted as a mentor to them. I guided them on how to plan their daily lessons and how to formulate annual work schemes. A year later, I was asked to be a part of the school management committee where I worked with teachers and parents to ensure that the school was meeting its targets.
Even though I had gained a great understanding of how to manage the school, I felt that I could do much more if I had formal qualifications in teaching. That’s when I began my bachelor’s degree in Science Teacher Education at Punjab University where I deepened my understanding of subjects in science and the humanities and grasped the best educational methods for such subjects. That degree gave me the confidence and the skills to return to my village and to introduce science education in schools.
Tell us more about your return to your hometown.
I had two goals. Firstly, I wanted to increase the number of grades in the local school in my hometown so that girls could complete their secondary school qualifications. Secondly, I wanted my students to learn about the world around them and how the application of education through subjects such as biology, chemistry and botany can improve their lives. And so within a year of my return in 1997, I introduced Grade 8, 9 and 10 classes in our local school.
I had multiple responsibilities back then. Not only was I teaching eight subjects but my role as headteacher meant that I was responsible for the guidance and training of other teachers too! I remember seeing teachers working in isolation. They wouldn’t share plans and activities with peers and an absence of professional development courses in the area meant that there was a rigid adherence to teaching methods that they were comfortable with. But by actively mentoring teachers I slowly persuaded them to experiment and to constantly ask themselves if students were learning what they were teaching. This led to my mentees introducing cooperative learning strategies and applied project-based learning approaches in school.
I also conducted professional development sessions for teachers that improved their writing and speaking skills to make them into better communicators. These sessions really help make the classroom more interactive which is particularly important for science subjects where children need to grasp concepts.
By working with volunteers and the local community I also convinced parents to let their girls study longer . As a result, community members willingly paid a nominal fee for grade 9 and 10 which enabled me to hire additional teachers. This initiative raised their confidence and trust in the school management and teachers. Enrollment at our school increased from 130 students to more than 400 just two years and I’m proud to say that many of those girls are now nurses and doctors who are playing a vital role in Oshikhandass.
While I loved teaching and being involved in my community, there was so much progress in the field of education and teaching practice that I wanted to be exposed to. That’s when I decided to begin a master’s degree in Education at the IED in 2002.
How did the master’s degree help you achieve your goals?
The IED master’s programme was a turning point in my life as it gave me the conceptual knowledge to understand curriculums, the structure of a country’s education system and the tools to appreciate how to improve an area’s educational outcomes. I learnt different ways to assess students and gained a deep appreciation of how reflective teaching practices can transform the experience of education in the classroom .
After my degree, I stayed on with IED and began applying my knowledge in the Institute’s programmes. I started to work at the IED’s Professional Development Centre, North, where I led the implementation of a Whole School Improvement Programme (an EU-funded project aimed at uplifting the infrastructure, leadership and management practices of schools) in five districts. I then went on to implement the AusAid-funded Educational Development and Improvement Programme in Gilgit.
Both projects had wide-ranging effects in northern Pakistan as they led to higher enrollment rates, better-equipped schools, better-trained teachers who were innovating in the classroom, and a community that believed that education had a role to play in developing the character of girls and boys.
What will you do if you win the prize?
I want to continue my efforts to support needy students who lack the means to pursue education. So far I’ve been able to help students to complete their secondary education but I want to be able to financially support those who want to go to University. The costs of higher education, particularly accommodation and fees, are prohibitive for people from my hometown. So I’d like to expand systems of need-based financial assistance so that underprivileged students, particularly girls, don’t have to worry about paying their fees and accommodation expenses.
