SALALAH, April 24 - Staff professional development is a vital tool to upgrade an institution and make it suitable to maintain pace with the latest techniques of teaching. Keeping this in mind, Salalah College of Technology (SCT) conducted the second annual symposium themed with ‘communication, culture, and creativity in ELT (English language teaching)’. The two-day symposium provided a friendly and stimulating learning atmosphere where presenters got constructive feedback on their researches and the participants benefited from learning new developments in ELT.
Two workshops, 12 concurrent sessions and a panel discussion were held besides a keynote address and a featured talk.
Around 200 participants from various academic institutions in Dhofar Governorate and a few from Shinas and Muscat took part in the symposium.
Shaikh Hussein al Bathari, Head of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Dhofar Governorate, impressed upon the students and academics to do more such activities and involve the industries and local companies to address the right audience when it comes to taking up a job or starting own enterprise. Industry representatives OCTAL, Salalah Mills and Salalah Methanol also took part in the event.
Hamdan al Mandhari, Dean of the college, assured more such engagements with academics, industry and students. In his welcome speech, Said al Meshiki, Head of the English Language Centre, put stress on the institution’s familiarisation with the latest happening of the sector. He also appreciated participation from local higher education institutions, companies and a few schools.
He insisted that the ELC still continues to pursue the three I’s which in recent years have become common concern of prestigious universities and colleges around the globe. He exhorted the participants to give importance to innovation; internationalisation; and interdisciplinary research. He also added that the SCT’s English Language Centre had been trying to upgrade its system to become a leader of higher education.
The two-day symposium had 12 research paper presentations and workshops dealing with diverse educational issues presented by researchers from different institutes, colleges, universities and schools within the country. The event has provided a platform for practitioners, scholars, teachers and educational experts to exchange and share expectations and ideas.
Kaushalendra Singh
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