Awantipora: The Department of English Language and Literature, IUST organized a three-day English Language and Learning (ELL) Workshop for upper primary and secondary school students at IUST. The workshop aimed to provide four basic skills of English language to students and was attended by about forty students from Govt. Girls High School Noorpora and Govt. High School Awantipora.
The workshop was organized under the University Community Outreach program. Besides having theoretical and practical sessions on English Language writing, the students visited the university library and were provided hands-on training on the language learning software at the University Language Lab. The programme was lauded by the school administration, as such programs contribute to enhancing the communication skills of the students.
Speaking about the effectiveness of the workshop, Dr. Munejah Khan I/C Dean School of Humanities and Social Sciences IUST said that more programs of this kind will be held in the future as well. She encouraged the students to improve their language skills as good language are critical for any profession.
Prof. Lily Want, Dean Outreach IUST congratulated the department for conducting the workshop and emphasized that universities have to redefine their role in contemporary times. She deliberated upon how educational institutions, in particular universities, must acquire transformative competencies so that students are able to apply their knowledge and learning in changing circumstances and practical situations. Talking about the role of universities in producing knowledge workers and not just graduates, Prof. Want urged upon all higher educational institutions to replace rote learning with a broad range of skills such as linguistic competencies, critical thinking, creative thinking, and learning to use communicative technological devices.
Shazana Andrabi, Coordinator Community Connect IUST underlined the importance of conducting such workshops and laid stress on having more such programs in the future to build a strong and healthy relationship between IUST and the community. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Misba, Coordinator Department Outreach. Prof. Want and Dr. Khan distributed certificates among all the participants.
The session ended with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Fayaz Sultan, Sr. Assistant Professor.

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