LAHORE: The United States (U.S.) Consul General in Lahore William K. Makaneole has said that English is an international language which opens the doors of dialogue and discussion and helps people understand and appreciate other religions and cultures.
Speaking at the certificate distribution ceremony of a two-week English language training workshop for teachers of madrassas at a local hotel here on Friday, he said English language is a great tool for all including religious scholars for teaching, preaching and interfaith dialogue to create interfaith harmony and tolerance which will ultimately help in achieving global peace.
The two-week workshop titled ‘Professional Development Program for English Language Teachers for Non-Mainstream Institutes’ was sponsored by the US embassy Islamabad and provided training to 42 English language teachers from different madrassas across Punjab, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
William K. Makaneole congratulated the madrassas teachers on successfully completing the language workshop and expressed the hope that the knowledge gained would help their students in better understanding English language. He said four more cohorts will be trained as part of this program, adding that the first cohort of eighty-two teachers had already completed the training.
Makaneole said the US embassy in Islamabad is committed to bring the non-mainstream institutions (madrassas) at par with the mainstream educational institutions so that the students could improve their lot and play their part in progress of the country.
Some prominent religious scholars including Sahibzada Syed Usama Zia Bukhari of Al Badar Foundation, son of Allama Syed Ziaullah Shah Bokhari – Chairman Muttahidda Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan, was among the participants of the professional development program of the US embassy.