Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS) Vol. 30, No. 1 (September 2010), pp. 85-97 Assessing Quality of Teacher Education: A Student Perspective Rana Muhammad Dilshad Assistant Professor, Department of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Email: dilshadiub@hotmail.com Abstract Quality of school education largely depends, among other factors, on quality of teachers prepared in teacher education institutions. Teacher education in Pakistan has been criticized by the concerned constituencies for excessive quantitative expansion and poor quality. This paper presents findings of a study designed to assess quality of teacher education at three Government Colleges for Elementary Teachers located in Bahawalpur and four Education Departments of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB). To arrive at findings, opinions of 350 students enrolled in B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes were surveyed through a questionnaire that covered five quality variables. The data was analyzed by using descriptive as well as inferential statistics. Results showed reasonably good quality of learners but low quality of contents, learning environment, processes and outcomes. Only on quality of learners, significant difference was observed between male and female students’ perceptions, GCETs and IUB, B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes, and annual and semester systems. Poorly equipped classrooms, lengthy course contents, lack of highly qualified teachers and English used as medium of instruction were the major problems identified by the students. The paper suggests revision of curricula, updating of academic resources, use of student-centred approach and emphasis on faculty development for improving quality of teacher education. Keywords: Quality of Education; Learning Outcomes; Learning Environment; Training Programme’s Effectiveness I. Introduction Quality education for all has emerged as one of the most desirable goals throughout the world. One of the six goals, outlined by the World Education-Dakar- Framework for Action (2000), is related to the improvement of “all aspects of quality education” in order to achieve the identified learning outcomes (UNESCO, 2000). As various factors including curriculum, delivery of content, learning environment, supervision, and administration of academic facilities contribute to the quality of education, the central importance of the teacher can not be denied. The competence and enthusiasm of teachers determine the heights to which an educational system can rise (Iqbal, 1996). Fargusan, as cited in Paliakoff and Schwartzbeck (2001), observes that quality of teachers is the most critical aspect of schooling and that it has a direct impact on student learning. Literature suggests that quality of teachers depends on educational qualifications of teachers and quality of pre-service and in-service teacher education (Aga