ISLAMABAD - The first three-day international conference of the Pakistan English Language Teachers Forum (Pak ELT Forum) at Allama Iqbal Open University will commence on Wednesday, September 21. 
President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi will be the chief guest at the opening session. 
Professor Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum, Vice Chancellor AIOU, will preside over the event. This conference will continue till September 23. 
Deans, faculty members, and principal officers of the university, 30 action group members of the ELT group, and about 200 English teachers from different universities in the country will participate in the inaugural session.
The conference is jointly organized by the Department of English, AIOU, the US Embassy’s Regional English Language Office (RELO), and the Pak ELT Forum. 
Apart from foreign keynote speakers (Dr Andy Halvorsen, Dr Patricia Pashby, Dr Ivan Eubanks, and Dr Jakeline Troy), 25 national speakers will shed light on the importance and usefulness of the English language.
According to the project director of Pakistan ELT Forum, Dr Muhammad Kamal Khan, the main objective of this conference is to develop the skills of English language teachers of federal educational institutions on modern lines and align them with international requirements.
Conference Secretary, Dr Rashida Imran, said that eminent English language teachers and researchers from all over the world have been invited to this conference. 
By utilizing their teaching skills and experiences, the English language teachers of Pakistan’s educational institutions will be able to teach their students English language skills in a better way. 
He further said that English teachers and students from all over Pakistan should make full use of this important opportunity.