Applicant’s Name:

City & Province:

TEACHING EXCELLENCE & ACHIEVEMENT (TEA) PROGRAM

FOR PAKISTAN 2020-2021
A Program by the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the U.S Embassy Islamabad
implemented by Vision- Building Future (VBF) and the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO).

Application Deadline: December 14, 2019

Only in-service Secondary Level English Language Teachers of Government and
Foundation schools* are ELIGIBLE to apply.

ABOUT the TEAPROGRAM:

The Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program provides outstanding in-service Pakistani secondary
school teachers of English Language with a six-week academic program at a university in United States. Fifty
teachers will travel to the United States on a professional exchange program to further develop expertise in
subjectareas, enhance teaching skills and English language proficiency, and increase knowledge about the
United States. The participants will travel to the United States in two cohorts; 25 participants in each. Upon
return to Pakistan, alumni will be eligible to apply for TEA small grants and will become members of the
Pakistan U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).
Provisions of the Fellowship
● J-1 visa support.
● A pre-departure orientation held in Pakistan.
● Round-trip airfare to and within the U.S.
● A welcome workshop at the University of Nebraska.
● Academic program fees.
● Housing (shared with other program Fellows of the same gender) and meals.
● Accident and sickness medical coverage (does not cover pre-existing conditions).
● A trip to Washington, D.C.
● A re-entry seminar in Pakistan.
● An opportunity to apply for alumni small grants.

Return the application by uploading it at:

Tea.org.pk
Or
Submit the application in hardcopy to:
Vision- Building Future Office, Office # 13, Floor 5, Gulberg Trade Center, Gulberg Greens,
Islamabad.

Visit Tea.org.pk for more information

Carefully read the eligibility criteria and all the guidelines before filling out the
application. Incomplete or inappropriately filled applications will NOT be considered.

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Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:
 Be currently working full-time as a secondary-level (6-10th grade) English teacher in a
government or foundation school* that serves a primarily local (not expatriate)
population.
 Have at least two years of classroom experience in English language teaching;
 Be citizens and current residents of Pakistan;
 Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree (includes BS and BA).
 Be proficient in written and spoken English.
 Demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching for at least five years after
completion of the program.
 Have submitted a complete application with Institutional Support and Reference Form
(ISRF) signed and stamped by school management.

*Foundation schools are funded by the central government via the local education
authority, and do not charge fees from students. In addition, foundation schools are also
schools that are not funded solely by the government, but function under non-profit
foundations, trusts, etc. These schools should have a somewhat well-established on-the-
ground network, almost a parallel system or link to government run schools, especially
where government schools are nonexistent.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

 Staff or families of staff at a U.S. Post or Fulbright Commission or the TEA Program
for Pakistan in-country implementers are not eligible to apply.
 TheTEA Program for Pakistan is a program for practicing teachers (teachers who
are currently teaching). Ministry of Education and Training officials, full-time
principals, educational administrators, full-time teacher trainers, university faculty,
and private English language tutors are NOT eligible.
 The TEA program does not discriminate against applicants due to race, color,
religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic
as established by U.S. law. Applicants with disabilities will be considered equally
eligible.
 Dependents are not permitted to accompany the applicant to the U.S.
 Applicants will need to submit the No Objection Certificate(NOC) issued by their
school management in order to undertake international travel if selected for the
program (does not apply to teachers from foundation schools). Though, this is not
required at this stage of the application, it will be mandatoryif selected for the
program.

IMPORTANT!

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Applications not meeting all the requirements will not be forwarded to the selection
committee. Vision- Building Future reserves all rights to verify the information included
in the application. In case of any discrepancy or false information, applicants will
immediately be disqualified or declared ineligible.

Selection Timeline
Application Deadline December 14, 2019
Notification to shortlisted candidates for January, 2020
telephone interviews
Telephone interviews January, 2020
Training Needs Analysis of semi-finalists February, 2020
Face-to-face interviews of semi-finalists March, 2020
Notification to finalists March 27, 2020

General Application Instructions & Submission Guidelines

● Answer all questions on the application.
● Type in blue or black ink (or pen, if filling by hand)
● If a question does not apply to you, enter N/A (not applicable).
● Include your full, legal name as spelled on your passport (if available) or other legal
photo identification.
● Include complete contact information (including zip/postal codes for all addresses
and city codes for all phone and fax numbers if available)
● Write your full name, city, and province in the top right corner of each page.
● Hand-sign the Privacy Policy and Application Certification Statement on the last page
in ink.
Institutional Support and Reference Form (Template attached)
All applicants must include the Institutional Support and Reference Form, which must be
completed by their supervisor at the school at which they are currently employed and
signed by their school director/principal. The form must be hand-signed in ink and
stamped by school management. An English translation must be provided if the form and
reference letter are not written in English.

Teaching Excellence & Achievement Program (TEA) for Pakistan

2019-2021

Application for Pakistani Secondary-Level (class 6-10) English Language

Teachers of Government and Foundation Schools

Instruction:Make sure you have read all the above guidelines before starting the application.

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The application is divided into three sections: Personal Information, Educational/

Professional Informationand Essay Questions. Please complete ALL information requested.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Section 1: Personal Information

1. Name (Spell exactly as it is written in your passport, if there is no passport then spell
exactly as it is on your legal photo identity)
First name
YASIR
Middle name

Family name/Surname FAHEEM

2. Gender

Male Female Other

3. Country (Spell exactly as it is written in your passport, if there is no passport then spell
exactly as it is on your legal photo identity)
Country of Citizenship PAKISTANI

Country of Residence PAKISTAN

4. Date of Birth (As listed in passport or legal photo identity)

Date: 30 Month: SEP Year: 1985

Place of Birth (City and MARDAN, KPK , PAKISTAN

Country)

5. Home Mailing Address

Complete Postal
Address STREET# 1 BABU MOHALLA NEW GHALLADHER TEHSIL AND
DISTRICT MARDAN, KPK, PAKISTAN
City MARDAN

Province KPK

Country PAKISTAN

Postal Code 23200

6. Telephone Number
Cellphone +923335770080

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Land line

7. Email YASIR.FAHEEMKHAN@GMAIL.COM
Address 1 Babu mohalla new ghalladher, Mardan, kpk , Pakistan

Address 2 (if any)

8. Have you travelled to U.S. before?

Yes No

If yes, thenspecify purpose and year of the travel.

9. Have you ever been on J-1 visa before?

Yes No
10. How did you hear about TEA Program for Pakistan?

TEA Website U.S. Embassy RELO Pakistan

Publication Program Alumnus Colleague
Friend School Administration
Other:

Section 2: Educational/ Professional Information

Please list your educational background(Write in descending order (latest degree first).
Institution/School Degree/ Certificate Field of Study Year Degree started
(BA, BS, MA, MS, and ended
PhD, etc.) (example: 2017-
2019)
ABDUL WALI KHAN MS (HRM) HUMAN RESOURCE 2014-2016
UNIVERISTY MANAGEMENT

ABDUL WALI KHAN B.Ed Education

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UNIVERSITY
MARDAN

ALLAMA IQBAL Certified Teacher Education

UNIVERSITY
ISLAMABAD

BS(BA) HUMAN RESOURCE 2004-2008

COMSATS MANAGEMENT

Work History
How many years have you been teaching English (excluding student teaching practicum) 4
YEARS.
List your current and past five year work history. Use separate sections for each school/
institution.
Current Work Information
Name of School/ Institution
GOVERNMENT HIGH SCHOOL SOKAI MARDAN

School/ Institution Address

VILLAGE SOKAI POST OFFICE RISALPUR, TESHIL AND DISTRICT MARDAN, KPK PAKISTAN

Type of School
(Government/ Semi Government/ Foundation/ Private)
GOVERNMENT

Position/ Designation
SENIOR ENGLISH TEACHER

Date of employment
(Date when you started working at this position)
2017

No. of classes you teach Grade levels you teach

(Mention all)
7th and 8th
3

No. of working hours per week No. of hours specifically dedicated for English

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language teaching

Any Additional Duties

I. Additional Information regarding current school

Is your school
located in an urban
or rural area? RURAL AREA.

Grade levels at
school

Average no. of 40
students per class

Has any of the teachers from your school participated in the TEA program before?

Yes No

If yes, then list his/her name and what year they participated in?

II. Previous Employment Information

a. Name of School/
Institution ZONAL MODEL SCHOOL GHALADHER

Type of School SECONDDARY SCHOOL

Position/
Designation

Date of
employment and
retirement date

No. of classes you

taught 5TH, 6TH and 7th

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Grade levels you

taught
(Mention all)

Any Additional
Duties

b. Name of School/
Institution

Type of School

Position/
Designation

Date of
employment and
retirement date

No. of classes you

taught

Grade levels you

taught
(Mention all)

Any Additional
Duties

Foreign Language Proficiency

Please rate your proficiency for each language you know in the categories of reading, writing
comprehension, and speaking. Please rate as Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Fluent.

Language Reading Writing Comprehension Speaking

ENGLISH FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT
URDU FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT
PASHTO FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT FLUENT
FRENCH BEGINER BEGINER BEGINER BEGINER

Have you ever taken an English Language Proficiency Test (TOEFL, IELTS etc.)?
Yes No

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If yes, then kindly mention the name, score, and year you took the test?
Name Score (example: 90/100) Year

Professional Development:
i.List down any certifications or achievements you have in English language teaching outside
the classroom.
Achievement Year Details

ii. Are you currently applying to any other U.S. government sponsored program, including
online programs?
Yes No
If yes, please specify which program:
Program Dates: __________________________________________________________
Name of sponsoring organization:

iii. Are you currently applying or planning to apply to any professional development
programs in other countries?

Yes No
If yes, please specify which program:
Program Dates: __________________________________________________________
Name of sponsoring organization:

iv. Please list other international exposure you have had including working with
international organizations or foreigners in Pakistan.
Organization Position/Designation Details (year, duties, nature of work)
NILL NILL NILL

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Section 3: Essay Questions

IMPORTANT
This is the most important section of the application. Kindly read the questions
carefully before you answer and provide only relevant information.

Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is the most important part of your application. It will allow the
selection committee to better understand you as a teacher, a person, and the goals you
hope to achieve in life. The Statement of Purpose is your chance to tell the committee about
your leadership potential and motivation for applying for this program.

It should not be more than 300 words.

Your Statement of Purpose should highlight the following aspects:

 Any personal/professional struggle linked to your career and how it has shaped you
into the professional you are today
 Volunteer work/community engagements
 Leadership qualities that set you apart
 Your goals as an English language teacher and how they align with the program
 Why are you the suitable candidate for this fellowship?

I have been in teaching learning process from the last 10 years. At the beginning I
started teaching learning process at primary school to primary level learners for the first
two years, and then I started teaching to grade 7th and 8th, at secondary level. I was
appointed as Senior English teacher in Govt. High School Sokai Mardan in January 2017
and currently I am working on same post as a secondary school teacher. The journey of
teaching started from an elementary school and with the passage of time I learned a lot
and my teaching methods transformed from traditional approach to more student
centered approach with the help of senior teachers and mentors. Teacher’s trainings
conducted by local district education office Mardan and that helped me to mould and

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shape my teaching philosophy. When I taught different classes I felt there is still the room
for more sophistication and enhancements required in the teaching methodology. I work
on it and when I come out of my class I feel my teaching strategies improved.
I have also worked with a local NGO, Pukhto Nariwal works for social welfare like to
enroll out of school and dropped out children into school and health awareness on
volunteer bases. The aspiration lies in the fact as to set standards at my country and make
learning easy through new techniques of teaching.
This program will give me international exposure and I will have the opportunity to
interact with multi culture people and with mutual sharing of our experiences we will
have a huge opportunity of learning. As I don’t have any foreign exposure I think this is a
golden opportunity for me to be a part of such prestigious program and visit a country
with such great standards of education.
As a part of my social responsibility I took the responsibility of enrollment of dropped out
and out of school students and guided them for their future achievements in my free time
and made a team of volunteer teachers who wanted to serve humanity. I lead them and
with team work we are able to enroll such dropped and out of school students despite we
faced some issues like the major issue was children were dropped out due to poverty and
lack of resources.
I am fully determined as an English teacher to build such pile of students whose base of
English is strong so they don’t find any difficulty in understanding of their curriculum and
other books as English is an international language as well. These students will further
guide others and thus the chain will go on. In our country the curriculum and even
government medium of communication is English which makes English language as the
back bone of education system as well as professional organizations. But the issue is
English language is not that well propelled on the school level. With weaker base of
English student struggle when they proceed to their professional life as medium of
communication in all organizations in Pakistan is English despite of Urdu is being claimed
as national language but communication is done in English only.
My teaching approaches teach me that all students should be treated equally. My
emphasis of applying for this program has various parameters like as I have observed in

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developed countries like United states there are more emphasis on practical learning
rather than focusing on theory solely. I have attended different trainings programs
conducted by local education office but the focus on practical learning is very little. Here
they rely on theory only and I believe learning happens through practical and exposure to
such learning environment that makes it easier and more long lasting learning for the
learners.

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2. Please narrate any extra-curricular activities that you have conducted within your
capacity as an English language teacher that highlights your professional
experience outside the formal classroom. (200 words)
I belong to a small town in Mardan, KPK and the mother language is Pashto and children
face a lot of issues in English. We conducted a meeting regarding the issue as mainly the
books are in English and higher studies are also in English making it the backbone for
understanding. Therefore under my limited resources we decided to conduct evening
classes and I took the responsibility for organizing it. For that purpose we involved district
authority in it. They provided us the building and appreciated our efforts. As there are
many socio economic problems due to poverty we face some problems in the start as our
targeted students were those who belonged to lower income class. The challenge was to
convince people to send their children to the arranged classes as majority of people are in
connection with farming and in the evening their children help them out. So to persuade
them that their studies and learning English language is more important than farming and
other activities were a tough task but we succeeded through a series of meetings with
their parents. Now after some efforts the program is running smoothly. We checked the
results of our students after three months and saw significant improvement in their
results especially in English.
With the help of my colleagues and friends we arranged speech competitions in English in
different schools and distributed prizes to outstanding students with the help of local
leaders and community. After its success we arranged debates in English on topics like
“Improving literacy rate in Pakistan”, “relationship building”, peace keeping etc. This
helped the students both in English language and awareness on topics through mutual
knowledge and idea sharing.

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3. Imagine a student in your class is being targeted due to his minority faith. The
other students often gang up on him/her and it has started to affect the student’s
grades. Explain how you would you tackle the situation in a manner that would not
further single out the student and increase cohesiveness in the classroom? (150
words)

I think a biased thinking towards a minority faith student from other school mates are due
to majority of factors which includes classroom environment, cultural perspectives in
curriculum and the method and technique of evaluations of progress and results. By
creating awareness among the students about different religion and their respect we can
curb this issue.
Imagining my class with such a situation I will conduct a session with the students and give
them an example of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) that he stressed on respect of every
religion, as there are many example of his (P.B.U.H) own life time giving respect to other
religion and never disgraced them. The reason of giving the example in my class is that
majority are Muslims here. My aim will be to train my students and drive their behavior
through continues guidance and motivation. I will try to change the way of thinking of the
students towards the minority faith students. I will also conduct sessions with that minority
faith student and give him guidance as well. I saw a very good example in a video where

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the trainer gave 100$ to the audience and asked them to throw it and then fold it and then
sit on it. Later on he asked them if the worth of the $100 dollars have decreased of that
note. But all said that it still worth $100. Then the trainer said that no matter people do with
you, your worth never comes down. So be yourself and be motivated no matter what
people do and thing about you.
I think consistent guidance and motivation can change student’s behaviors and thinking.
Regardless of this situation I always teach my students that to be friends and live like
brothers regardless of your language, culture, ethnicity and religion and it is your skills
what distinguish you from others not your religion, language and nationality.

50 selected teachers will travel in two cohorts of 25 and 25 each in 2020. Please tick your
top preference below as per your choice:

Please tick your preference

Travel Dates to the United States here
(tick only one option)

Saturday, June 6th, 2020

Sunday, July 12th, 2020

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Note: This section only marks your preference which will be considered but you may travel
on alternate dates, if selected.

Document Checklist
Once you have completed the application, you must assure following documents are
attached with the application.
Check the documents attached with your Application
1. Photocopy of Academic Transcripts

2. Hand signed Privacy Policy and Application Certification Statement page.

3. Institutional Support and Reference Form completed by your supervisor

and signed/stamped by your school director/principal
4. A clear copy of first two pages of passport or (legal photo Identification,
CNIC)

PRIVACY POLICY & APPLICATION CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

1. USE OF INFORMATION: Information, which is described above, will be:

A. Used by selection committees and interviewers to review applicants;

B. Supplied to the program’s funding organization;
C. Submitted to potential host schools, universities, or organizations and/or organizations that
provide practicum opportunities; and
D. Used for the evaluation of an individual’s participation in the program and in the collection of
data for general program evaluation funding agencies or other organizations contracted to
conduct evaluations.

2. CERTIFICATION: I certify that I completed this application myself, that the information given in this
application is complete and accurate, and that I have carefully read and understand all notes and
disclaimers provided therein.

I understand that Vision- Building Future reserves the right to verify all the information listed in the
application. I understand that giving false or misleading information in the application will result in
exclusion from the competition or immediate dismissal from the Teaching Excellence Achievement
(TEA) Program for Pakistan.

Also, I acknowledge that I am aware of the following requirements that I must observe if I am selected

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for the program:

 I must abide by all program rules and regulationsand observe all the laws of the United States
during my stay there, including returning to Pakistan for at least two years at the conclusion of
the program in compliance with J-1 visa requirements.
 The medical coverage provided to me during my travels is intended only for emergencies and
does not cover ordinary, pre-existing, and routine dental conditions.
 My spouse, children, other relatives or individuals are not permitted to accompany me to the
United States on the program.

Signature of Applicant (must be hand signed):

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT AND REFERENCE FORM

To be completed by the Applicant:
Name of Applicant: Name of Supervisor: ______________
Job Title of Supervisor: Name of School:
City and Province of School:
Telephone of Supervisor: E-mail of Supervisor:

This institutional support and reference form must be completed by your supervisor (school
director/ principal) at the school where you are employed at the time of application to the
program. The form must be hand signed by your school director/principal.
An English translation should be provided if the form and reference letter are not written in English.

TEACHING EXCELLENCE & ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM (TEA) FOR PAKISTAN

2019-2021
The TEA Program for Pakistan invests in teacher professional development by bringing outstanding
secondary school teachers of English from Pakistan to the United States to further develop expertise
in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills and English proficiency, and increase their
knowledge about the United States. Fifty teachers will travel to the United States in two different

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cohorts; 25 participants in each. Upon return to Pakistan, alumni will be eligible to apply for TEA
small grants and will become members of Pakistan U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).
To be completed by the SUPERVISOR:
1. I certify that the applicant has been an English language teacher at ____________________ for
the last _____ year(s).
2. Please provide an instance where the applicant exhibited exceptional leadership potential in a
crisis situation.

3. Why do you think the applicant is an ideal candidate for this program? How will the program
enhance his/her skills as an English language teacher?

I certify that our school supports this teacher in participating in the Teaching Excellence and
Achievement Program (TEA) for Pakistan, a professional development program funded by the U.S.
Embassy in Islamabad and administered by Vision-Building Future and the University of Nebraska
Omaha (UNO).
Our school will provide assistance to this teacher for the duration of the six-week TEA Program for
Pakistan to be hosted by the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) in 2020. We will support the
participant in all program activities, which I understand includes a customized academic program
providing development of lesson planning skills, assessment techniques, and teaching strategies for
the home environment, as well as instructional technology training in the use of computers for
internet and word processing as teaching tools.

Ms. /Mr. will be granted leave with/ without payduring this

time and will be re-instated upon his or her return to the school.
We recognize the importance of this program for the advancement and development for our
teachers and for the facilitation of positive relations between Pakistan and U.S. educators. Our
school looks forward to participating in the program.

Name of School Director/Principal ______

Signature of School Director/Principal (must be hand signed)

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Date School Stamp: ___________

*Please note that applicants will need appropriate permissions from their school management, such as No Objection Certificate
(NOC) issued by the competent authorities, in order to undertake international travel if selected for the program. Although this is
not required at this stage with application, however, this will be an essential requirement if selected for the program.*

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