Dr. Fatima Rehan Dar

Educational Guidance
1. Short and long term courses in teacher development
2. Workshops on issues in teaching and learning
3. Curriculum development for educational institutions
4. Educational management structure development
Student Support Services
1. Student counselling to pursue studies abroad
2. Student visa facilitation
3. Language courses
4. GRE, SAT and IELTS preparations for study abroad
Dr Fatima Rehan Dar is a seasoned educational expert with more than 26 years of experience working in the education sector, on teacher professional development, curriculum and material development, assessment and evaluation, and English language education. She is currently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning Innovation at Iqra University, Karachi and has been associated with the education departments of other academic institutions including SZABIST, Beaconhouse National University, Aga Khan University, IOBM, Virtual University and Ali Institute of Education. She has developed teacher training courses for the Virtual University of Pakistan’s Bachelors in Education (B. Ed) programme in addition to other public and private sector schools in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. She has also served as Team Lead, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research on the USAID funded Sindh Capacity Development Project together with being a Lead Consultant on education projects for DFID, Mckinsey Adam Smith International and JICA. Her special areas of interests are English language teacher education, curriculum development, education management, faculty development, monitoring, assessment and evaluation and research.
Dr Dar holds PhD in Education from School of Education and Cognitive Sciences, Asia e University, Malaysia, an M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University, USA and an MA in English from Government College University, Lahore (PAK). She was also awarded Charles Wallace Trust Scholarship by British Council for the year 2000 to Institute of Education, University of London. She serves on various national and provincial committees on educational and curriculum reform.
She is currently supervising four PhD Students in the field of teacher and language education, and she has successfully supervised and evaluated Masters and M Phil thesis in different areas: Curriculum and materials development; Assessment and evaluation; Monitoring and evaluation; Qualitative Research; Teacher Education; Change management in education; Gender and education; Affective education; and English language teaching.
Nationality: Pakistani
Experience in Academia
August 15, 2018 – To Date
Director & Associate Professor
Centre for Teaching Excellence & Learning Innovation
Iqra University, Karachi
January 12, 2015-April 7, 2017
Head, Department of Education
Assistant Professor
SZABIST, Karachi
August 7, 2014 – January 7, 2015
Assistant Professor (Part time)
VM Institute for Education, Karachi
August 1, 2011- August 7, 2013
Assistant Professor
Department of Teacher Education, School of Education
Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.
Nov.16, 2004 –June 30, 2011
Lecturer (part-time)
Centre of English Language
Aga Khan University,
Karachi.
Aug 15, 2006 – to Dec.2010
Visiting Faculty
Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
January 20, 2003 – to Nov. 15, 2004
Assistant Professor
Centre of English Language
Aga Khan University, Karachi
Oct 2000 – Dec.2000
Part Time Tutor (e-learning courses)
Dept. of English Teaching
Institute of Education (IOE), University of London (UK)
August 24-Sep.20, 2002
Visiting Faculty
Centre of English Language Teacher Education
University of Warwick (UK)
Nov.1995 – July 2001
Senior lecturer, Department of Language Education
Ali Institute of Education (AIE)
Lahore, Pakistan
Jun –Oct 1995
English Language Teacher
Women Development Center
Model Town Lahore
Education Projects and Consultancies
April 1, 2021- June 30, 2021
Adviser, Single National Curriculum English textbooks, Grades 1-5
Adam Smith International
April 26, 2017 – August 5, 2018
Team Lead, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research
Sindh Capacity Development Project
USAID, Karachi
January 16, 2017 – May 16, 2017
Lead Consultant: JICA
Adult Literacy Curriculum, Sindh
- Needs assessment of 6 districts of Sindh with respect to adult literacy
- Monitoring of adult literacy and non-formal education centers
- Evaluating data and providing the framework for adult literacy curriculum
September 2015- December 2015
Team Lead: Adam Smith International
Technical assistance on the compilation of Grade 3 English textbook by Punjab Textbook Board
- Monitoring and evaluating materials of Grade 3 against the given SLOs
- Providing feedback to writers
- Evaluating materials again for textbook publishing
March-August 2014
Resource Person for course recording
- Recorded Classroom Management (B Ed.) course for Virtual University of Pakistan. The course was aired on VU-TV 1 between October-December, 2014.
May-July 2015
- Recording Student Guidance and Counselling Course (B Ed.) course for Virtual University of Pakistan.
September 15, 2013 – April 2014
Lead Research Consultant, Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE)
- Sindh Language Policy Project
- Needs assessment of 4 districts of Sindh with respect to the implementation of NEP, 2009 policy to make English compulsory from Grade 1
- Monitoring and evaluation of reports from four districts of Sindh with respect to policy implementation
- Report write up
- Education Watch Report
- An analysis of curriculum and textbook development in Pakistan pre and post devolution
Sep.2009–2012
Member of Provincial Review Committee (PRC), Adviser of English Textbooks from
Grade 1-10
Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore
- Monitoring and evaluating the linguistic and cognitive appropriacy of English textbook materials from Grades 1-10.
November 2008 – November 2009
Lead Consultant, Adaptive English language Tool Project
National University of Science and Technology – FAST, Lahore
- This project was an endeavor to develop supplementary online Grade 9 English teaching materials for Government school children. The work involved technical advisement on the linguistic features of the materials, systematic progression of linguistic concepts and a review of the linkage between language teaching and the online mode of teaching and learning.
Nov. 15, 2004 – January 15, 2006
Technical Adviser/Consultant
Action Research Project under the Professional Development
Initiative of ESRA, International Reading Association – ESRA-USAID
- I was a Consultant on an Action Research Project which was part of the Professional Development of Head Teachers, District Education Officers, PITE’s of nine districts of Sindh and Baluchistan. The work involved conducting workshops for Master Trainers on Action Research, enabling them to introduce the concepts in their respective districts.
- The work also involved monitoring their progress on the given professional development indicators for action research
- The work also entailed evaluating the master trainers in terms of disseminating the concept of action research to teaches in the districts and making them practice it in classrooms
August 2001- Dec. 2002
Lead Language Consultant
Lahore Grammar School, Lahore-Pakistan
- I was responsible for training teachers in language education.
- I worked on curriculum development and syllabus review from Grades 1-8
- The work also involved monitoring and evaluating teachers’ progress in following newly developed guidelines
August 2001- 2002
Language Consultant
Society for the Advancement for Higher Education (SAHE)
- Developing language support material for the Punjab Textbook Board books and English language improvement materials for teachers teaching in rural areas of Pakistan.
- Developing teachers’ manuals for community schools supported by SAHE in District Pakpattan, Punjab. The manuals focused on teaching English language from Grades 1-5 and also gave appropriate teaching techniques to teachers for classroom use.
- Developing training manuals for teaching vocabulary and grammar for the community schools supported by SAHE in District Pakpattan, Punjab. These were training kits which facilitated the teaching of vocabulary and grammar.
- Monitoring and evaluating the progress of teachers in terms of successfully using the newly developed manuals
1996-2010
In-service teacher training projects
- Developed and conducted language teacher training programmes, professional development workshops for the following schools and organizations:
- Lahore Grammar School, Lahore
- Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore
- Divisional Public School, Lahore
- Jinnah Public School, Gujrat
- ICI Winnington School, Khewra
- Engro Chemicals School, Dharki
- Army Public Schools Lahore, Mailsi
- PAF schools Lahore, Mianwali, Shorkot
- Elementary Schools, District Pakpattan
- NOWA Pirbhat, Khairpur
- Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) Master Trainers’ program, Karachi
- Education Sector Reform Assistance Program (ESRA- USAID)- Training in action
research of trainers from Hyderabad, Thatta, Sukkur & Khairpur districts of Sindh
and Gwador, Turbat, Noshki, KillaSaifullah and Chaghi districts of Balochistan
- Directorate of Staff Development, Lahore
The teacher training was conducted in the following areas:
- Curriculum and materials development
- English language teaching
- Teaching methodology
- Assessment
- Monitoring and evaluation
Curriculum and Materials Development Projects
- Lahore Grammar School
– Revised and developed the English language curriculum of Lahore Grammar School (2002) by introducing literature based textbooks from Grades 1-8. Training workshops were also given to the teachers to teach the above mentioned textbooks.
2. Sindh Textbook Board
- Worked on the development of English Grade XI textbook
3. Punjab Textbook Board
– Worked with the editors of English and Urdu of the Punjab Textbook Board, Lahore. Helped them in developing effective materials for textbooks from Grade 1-5. This was my assignment at the Ali Institute of Education
- Grade 9 English, Punjab Textbook Board Co-Author
- Contributed and authored 5 chapters in the Grade 9 Punjab Textbook Board Book.
Member & Adviser
- Punjab Textbook Board Provincial Review Committee Member (2009-2012)
- Member, Editorial Board, Universal Journal of Educational Research, Horizon Research Publishing(HRPUB), USA
- Member, Board of Governors, Manzil Educational Organization, Karachi
- Member Board of Studies, Department of Humanities, NED University, Karachi
- Member Board of Studies, Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi,
- Member Board of Studies, Department of English, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi
- Member Board of Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Zia ud din University, Karachi
- Member, Standing Committee Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) on Technical and Vocational education
- Member, Advisory committee, International Journal of Childhood Studies, IOBM Karachi
- Member, Review Committee under Educational Reforms Committee, Government of Sindh
- Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Ministry of Federal and Professional Training, Government of Pakistan
Reviewed the Single National Curriculum (English) from Grades 1-8 and given comments to the Ministry
- Member, Curriculum Advisory Committee, Ministry of Federal and Professional Training, Government of Pakistan
Teaching and Research Supervision Focus:
Supervised and evaluated Masters and M Phil theses in the following areas:
- Curriculum and materials development
- Assessment and evaluation
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Qualitative Research
- Teacher Education
- Change management in education
- Gender and education
- Affective education
- English language teaching
Currently supervising 2 PhD students in the field of teacher education.
Research
- Empathy and pro-social awareness in primary school children: A case study (PhD thesis)
- Teaching and learning of English in Sindh: A case study of four districts
- The process of curriculum and textbook development in Pakistan: historical perspective and way forward
Extra Professional Qualifications
Papers read at Conferences
| No | Date | Paper | Venue |
| 1 | Feb-27-March 1, 1998 |
Language learning in large classes
|
SPELT International conference, Lahore |
| 2 | April 26-20, 1998 | Impact of research by student teachers on their teaching practice | International conference on Teacher Education in the Asian Region, Shanghai-China |
| 3 | Oct.15-17, 1999 | Teaching and writing poetry
|
SPELT International conference, Karachi
|
| 4 | Feb.17-18, 2001 |
English language teaching through e-mail
|
1st CEL International Seminar
Aga Khan University, Karachi
|
| 5 | Nov. 10, 2001 | Language Teacher Education programs in Pakistan
|
National Conference on Teacher Education,
SAHE, Lahore
|
| 6 | Oct. 25-27, 2002 | Teaching literature to young learners
|
SPELT International conference, Karachi
|
| 7 | May 7-8, 2003 | Online language Learning
|
Teacher –To- Teacher International conference
Military Language Institute, Abu Dhabi
|
| 8 | Aug. 16-17, 2003 | Cooperative learning: is it an aid to learning?
|
English and Higher Education: Future Directions
CEL International Seminar, Aga Khan University, Karachi
|
| 9 | Oct. 10-12, 2003 | Teaching Creative Writing
|
SPELT International conference, Karachi |
| 10 | Oct.1-3, 2004 | Teaching vocabulary development
|
SPELT International conference, Karachi |
| 11 | July 17-18, 2005 | Language and culture
|
CEL-AKU International Seminar 2005 |
| 12 | Sep. 8-10, 2006 | Teaching reading skills
|
22rd SPELT International conference, Karachi |
| 13 | Nov.2-4, 2007 | Teaching creative writing
|
23rd SPELT International conference, Karachi |
| 14 | Oct. 17-19, 2008 | Teaching Gender through children’s literature
|
24th SPELT International Conference, Karachi |
| 15 | Oct. 16-18, 2009 | How affective is our learning?
|
5th International Seminar: Teaching English in multilingual contexts: current challenges, future directions
Institute of Education Development, Centre of English Language, Aga Khan University, Karachi
|
| 16 | Oct. 16-18, 2009 | Material Development and adaptation
|
25tth SPELT International Conference, Karachi |
| 17 | March 6, 2010 | Teaching guided and creative writing | PTAN Conference 2010, IED Karachi
|
| 18 | Oct. 1-17, 2010 | Teaching guided and creative writing | 26th SPELT International Conference, Karachi. |
| 19 | Jan. 29-30, 2011 | Social competence and language learning | 6th International Seminar
Institute of Education Development, Centre of English Language, Aga Khan University,Karachi
|
| 20 | Oct. 21-23, 2011 | Advocating pro-social behaviour through language
|
7th SPELT International Conference, Lahore
|
| 21 | Oct.19-21, 2012 | Empathetic awareness through literature based texts
|
28th SPELT International Conference, Lahore |
| 22 | Nov.7-9, 2012 | Materials And Their Successful Application In The Classroom: Implications for language development
|
Antalya, Turkey |
| 23 | Oct.2, 2013 | Curriculum, materials and textbooks
|
Curriculum and Textbook Reforms in Sindh
Sindh Textbook Board Conference, Karachi
|
| 24 | Nov. 30, 2013 | Empathy Development: A compromised feature in textbook development
|
2nd Education Conference IoBM, Karachi
|
| 25 | Sep.5-7, 2014 | Cognitive-Affective Curriculum-A dynamic curricular approach
|
30st SPELT International Conference, Karachi
|
| 26 | Nov. 17-19, 2014 | Rethinking Education: Emerging roles for teachers
|
ELLTA Conference, University Sains Malaysia
|
| 27 | January 24-25, 2015 | Teachers and Parents as agents of Peace
|
I am Karachi, Teach for Peace Conference
Karachi
|
| 28 | October 4, 2015 | Empathetic and prosocial awareness in primary students: A case study
|
Asia e University PRC 2015, Malaysia
|
| 29 | November 7-8, 2015 | Exploiting texts for cognitive-affective integration
|
31st SPELT International Conference
Habib Public School, Karachi
|
| 30 | March 14-15, 2016 | Blended mode of learning A way forward for professionals | ELDEC 3rd International Conference
Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore |
| 31 | May 19-22, 2016 | Teaching through the blended mode of learning: benefits, issues and challenges
|
International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (ICEMST), Bodrum, Turkey |
| 32 | October 29-30, 2016 | Finding meaning in texts | 32st SPELT International Conference
Habib University, Karachi
|
| 33 | Nov. 23-25, 2016 | Using texts to teach a cognitive-affective curriculum | International Conference on Research in Education (ICORE)
Punjab University, Lahore |
| 34 | May 19, 20, 2017 | Best Practices for Teachers: Creating Useful Linkages in Teaching and Learning
|
Language and Learning Conference
SAHE, Lahore |
| 35 | July 25-27, 2017 | School improvement through monitoring and evaluation | ELTA 2017 Conference Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok |
| 36 | October, 12-14, 2017 | Cognitive-Affective Language Curriculum: A Step Towards Holistic Learning | 3rd International Conference of the Linguistic Association of Pakistan (ICLAP 2017) |
| 37 | October 28-29, 2017
|
Reading that Enables Critical Thinking | 33rd SPELT International Conference
Dawood Public School, Karachi
|
| 38 | April 5-7, 2019 | Scaffolding English Language Teaching through Technology | 5th International Conference on Education,
“Educational Innovations: The Future of Education” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 39 | November 27, 2019 | Overview of Qualitative Research | Institute of Language and Literature,
Sindh University |
| 40 | February 25-27, 2020 | Mentoring in higher education, A case study of Iqra university, Karachi
|
Higher Education in the ERA of the fourth & future Industrial Revolutions Challenges and Opportunities
Dubai |
Featured Talks
| No | Date | Topic | Venue |
| 1 | Nov. 4, 2018 | Teaching and learning in a digital age | 34th SPELT International Conference
IOBM Karachi
|
| 2 | Feb. 16, 2019 | Paradigm shifts in education research | National Symposium on Research in education
Iqra University, Karachi |
| 3 | Feb. 26, 2019 | Women, education and peace | Iqra University, Karachi |
| 4 | March 31, 2019 | Supporting English language learning through technology | 1st International conference on English Language and Linguistics
Mehran University, Jamshoro |
| 5 | Sep. 25, 2020 | Quality assurance in Online Education | International virtual seminar: Society, Quality, Materials, and English language Teaching, Indonesia |
| 6 | Oct. 14, 2020 | New Normal in Education: Transformation in curriculum & pedagogy | 2nd Education Summit
Pakistan Academic Consortium, Karachi |
Publications
Research Publications
- Dar, F., Aslam, A., Butt, S. (2014) Teaching and learning of English in Sindh: A case study of four districts. Lahore: SAHE
- Dar, F. (2014). Curriculum and textbooks. In Rashid, A., Muzzafar, I., Dar, F., Aslam, A., Awan, A., Butt, S., Khan, A.S.(Eds.). Education Monitor: Reviewing quality of key education inputs in Pakistan. Pp. 80-90. Lahore: SAHE
- Dar, R. (2015). Rethinking Education – Emerging Roles for Teachers. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3,63 – 74. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2015.030201.
- Dar, F. R. (2016). Empathetic and Pro-social Awareness in Primary School Students: A Case Study. Universal Journal of Educational Research 4(10): 2406-2414, 2016 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2016.041019
- Dar, Fatima (2018). Using texts to teach Cognitive-affective curriculum. Journal of Education and Educational Development. Vol (5), No.2. 28-44. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v5i2.1976
- Dar, F., & Faruqui, A., & Asad, M. (2019). Scaffolding English Language Teaching through Technology, Journal of Education & Social Sciences, 7 (2), 79-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0721907206
- Pathan, H., Khatoon, S., Memon, S. A., Raheem, A. M., Dar, F., Mushtaq, F. (2021). Impact of multimedia gloss on learning reading comprehension in ESL context. Elementary Education Online. ISSN: 1305-3515
International Book Chapters
- Dar, F. (2003). English Language teaching through e-mail. In, Sabiha Mansoor, Aliya Tahir, & Shaheen Meraj, (Eds.). Language policy, planning and Practice. (pp. 235-243). Karachi: Oxford University Press.
- Dar, F. (2005). Online language learning. In Zafar Syed (Ed.) Culture, context, and communication in English language teaching. (pp. 331-343) Abu Dhabi: Military Language Institute.
- Dar, F., Kassim, Z.A. (2009) Cooperative learning – Is it an aid to learning? In, Sabiha Mansoor, Aliya Sikandar, Nasreen Hussain & Nasreen Ahsan (Eds.) Emerging issues in TEFL. (pp. 254-269). Karachi: Oxford University Press
- Dar, F. (2011) Affective education: How affective is our learning. In G. Cane, A. Ahmad & M. Hanzala (Eds.) Teaching English in multi contexts: current challenges, future directions. (pp.91-103) Newcastle upon Tyne: CSP.
- Dar, F. (2013) Social competence and language learning. In, A. Ahmad, M. Hanzala, F. Saleem &G. Cane (Eds.). ELT in a changing world: Innovative approaches to new challenges. (pp. 243-254). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Rashid, A., Muzzafar, I., Dar, F., Butt, S. (2016). The issue of English as Medium of Instruction in primary schools in Pakistan: Learning English, mathematics or science? In Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite (Ed.) Human Rights in Language and STEM Education. Boston, (pp.179-204) MA: Sense Publishers
Journal Articles
- Dar, F. (2000). Teaching and writing poetry. SPELT Quarterly, Vol 15: No 2, 13-19
- Dar, F. (2003). Developing emotional intelligence through literature. SPELT Quarterly, Vol 18 – No. 1, 20-22
- Dar, F., Saleem, N. (2006). Time to clean up environment: Reading strategies. SPELT Quarterly, Vol 21- No.2.
- Dar, F. (2012) Let language run its natural course. SPELT Quarterly, Vol. 27 – No. 1, pp. 13-16
- Dar, F. (2012) Textbook materials and their successful application in the classroom: Implications for language development. Journal of educational and instructional studies in the world. Vol. 2, issue: 4 article 13, pp. 109-114 ISSN: 2146-7463.
- Dar, F. R. (2016). Teaching Through the Blended Mode of Learning: Benefits, Issues and Challenges. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational & Social Sciences, 4, 84-92.
Conference Proceedings
- Dar, F. (2002) Private Schools Teacher training Programs: Learning from the experience of two school systems: In Abbas Rashid. (Ed.) SAHE Education Watch Report 2002: Learning to Teach.
- Dar, F. (2017, 19-20 May). Best Practices for Teachers: Creating Useful Linkages in Teaching and Learning. Paper presented at Language & Learning Conference: A Deliberation on Language-in-Education Policy and Practice in Pakistan. Lahore, Pakistan: SAHE. https://llconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Dr.-Fatima-Dar-Equipping-teachers.pdf
Newspaper Articles
- Dar, F. (2002, July 14). Emotional intelligence and literature. DAWN
- Dar, F. (2008, June 15). Gender disparity in children’s literature. DAWN.
- Dar, F.R. (2017, November 9). Iqbal, Education and Youth. The Nation. Retrieved from: http://nation.com.pk/09-Nov-2017/iqbal-education-and-youth
- Dar, F.R. (2020, March 31). Education in times of crisis. The Nation. Retrieved from: https://nation.com.pk/31-Mar-2020/education-in-times-of-crisis
Grade 9 English Textbook, Punjab Textbook Board
- Dar, F. (2012) Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. In Khwaja Mazharulhaq (ed.) English 9. Lahore: Punjab Textbook Board Lahore.
- Dar, F. (2012) All is not lost. In Khawaja MazharulHaq (ed.) English 9. Lahore: Punjab Textbook Board Lahore.
- Dar, F. (2012) Drug Addiction. In Khawaja MazharulHaq (ed.) English 9. Lahore: Punjab Textbook Board Lahore.
- Dar, F. (2012) Noise in the environment. In Khawaja MazharulHaq (ed.) English 9. Lahore: Punjab Textbook Board Lahore.
Honours and Awards
- Sept 30-Dec.15, 2000
Got the Charles Wallace Trust visiting fellowship for the year 2000 (Great Britain)
Visiting scholar at the Institute of Education, University of London
- May 15-30, 1998
Was selected to visit Stockholm Institute of Education, Sweden for a collaborative research project on teaching /learning problems in second language acquisition
- 1995
Editor, The Ravi (English Section, Annual magazine of Government College, Lahore
Awarded the Roll of Honour for being the editor
- 1987
Head Girl, Cathedral High School, Lahore
EDUCATION
2011 – 2015
PhD (Education)
School of Education and Cognitive Sciences,
Asia e University, Malaysia
PhD Thesis: Empathetic and Pro-social awareness among primary school children through a cognitive-affective curriculum
Jan – Dec., 1997
MA Curriculum and Teaching
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York City, NY, USA
MA Thesis: Enhancing speaking skills of primary students through cooperative learning
1992 – 94
MA English Language and Literature
Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
