KARACHI: Speakers at various seminars have emphasised the importance of empowerment of teachers and full freedom in teaching so that they can fully utilise their knowledge and skills to strengthen society.

They said this in a series of seminars held at AKU`s Institute for Educational Development (AKUIED) to celebrate World Teachers` Day on Saturday.

The seminars focused on the need for professional development to empower teachers and improve their status in society.

The seminars highlighted key issuesfaced by teachersin the country. Teachers from Karachi-based schools and school administrators and other stakeholders participatedin the discussions.

Presenting the idea of empowering teachers, their autonomy and efficiency, speakers said it was important for teachers to have quality professional development opportunities, trainings, fair wages and negotiation powers.

It was equally important for teachers to have the autonomy to choose appropriate approaches and methods for ef fective and innovative teaching.

The focused themes of the seminars were rooted in the UNESCO recommendations concerning the status of teachers. According to UNESCO`s recommendations in 2017 academic freedom has been declared critical for teachers at every level of education to support their abilities to use innovative ideas, explore new and updated pedagogies.

Participants highlighted thebureaucratic and autocratic structures as one of the major hindrances in empowering teachers where teachers had very little say with no negotiation powers.

It was recommended to include teachers` voice in decision making, budgeting and policy making.

Paediatric Research Day Young researches shared their scientific works on a range of subjects including stunting, drug-resistant typhoid and paediatric HIV epidemic on Third Annual Paediatric Research Day organised by the department of Paediatrics and Child Health of Aga Khan University on Saturday.

The aim of the event was to provide a platform to young researchers to highlight their work, interact with seasoned researchers of the depart-ment and help them collaborate with each other.

According to the organisers, this year around 140 abstract submissions were received out of which 18 studies were selected for podium presentation.

The main features of the event were presentations on stunting focusing on the impact of different interventions on reducing its occurrence in Pakistan, outbreak investigations and interventions done during resistant typhoid fever and the launch of its vaccination campaign, steps taken to deal with paediatric HIV epidemic in Pakistan, use of digital health and improving critical care of newborn and children.

Speakers included Dr Fyezah Jehan, Dr Abdul Momin Kazi, Dr Farah Naz, Dr Fatima Mir, Dr Zehra Fadoo and Muneera Rasheed.