The National Education Policy of 2009 states that to improve the overall quality of education in Pakistan, the standard of teacher education must be raised. The policy calls for reforms in pre-service training and standardization of professional qualifications.
As a step towards improvement in educational standards new National Scheme of Studies for school education was developed. ADE is a transitional two year program of 72 credit hours linked with and leads to B.Ed (4 year) and will replace the existing diploma, PTC and CT programs providing an opportunity to prospective teachers to enhance their academic qualifications and acquire a professional degree. It was notified by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2006. Major objectives of new scheme included teaching of school subjects using interactive student centered methods focusing on development of higher order cognitive skills. The new scheme suggests a paradigm shift in learning from teacher centered, rote learning to student centered and active learning. Better educated and trained teachers are required to implement the scheme effectively. ADE is a transitional two year program of 72 credit hours linked with and leads to B.Ed (4 year) and will replace the existing diploma, PTC and CT programs providing an opportunity to prospective teachers to enhance their academic qualifications and acquire a professional degree.