This was a first of its kind study on the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC), which administers a census based examination to students in grades 5 and 8. The study involved an independent review of the examination design process, conduct and marking, as well as the management of assessment data and its interpretation. It entailed collection
The establishment of the Punjab Education Sector Reform Program in 2003 was the catalyst for various initiatives that produced data for guiding education policy in the province, both through providing information about various school inputs and by revealing differences in student learning outcomes. However, the role of such data in generating meaningful and reliable evidence
The last few decades have seen a spike in interest in standardized assessments globally. A number of factors “ such as the need for comparative data, a focus on teacher accountability, and a desire to implement a uniform education “ is driving this interest in assessments as a basis for education reform. Alongside the emergence
Access to education is not only considered a basic human right but also a service that ―must be provided to the populace, irrespective of affordability, and it is generally considered to be the responsibility of the state to deliver primary education.‖1 Unfortunately, in the case of Pakistan, this sector has suffered from neglect and inadequate
Strategic policy interventions can play a central role in changing the existing scenario of gender disparities provided they are based on accurate and reliable information. Recognizing the gap in understanding the prevailing situation in education, the School Education Department in Punjab identified two focus districts - Rawalpindi and Khanewal - to be made as ‘Model
The Gender Review of Education in the Punjab 2003-2004 was commissioned by UNICEF Islamabad and coordinated by the UNICEF Lahore Office. I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Maurice Robson for his pertinent comments and detailed suggestions on the first draft of the report which helped in giving shape to the document. Mr.
This report has been produced by the Campaign for Quality Education (CQE) in collaboration with the Institute of Social and Policy Studies (I-SAPS) and is part of an on-going initiative to improve education in Pakistan. The purpose of this particular report is to advocate for an important, yet often ignored, aspect of providing quality education,
More than 120 million school-aged children are denied their right to go to school the majority of these are girls. The gender gap is greatest in South Asia, thus girls from South Asia comprise the majority of children with no access to basic education, Pakistan is a country with the widest gender gap in education.
Introduction of a New Curriculum in 2006 and subsequently a National Textbook and Learning Materials policy in 2007 are attempts under the Education Sector Reforms in Pakistan to create space for improvement in teachinglearning materials and to provide a break from the system of rote and traditional learning. With the promulgation of the 18th Amendment
We would like to thank all the organizations and individuals who contributed to the ‘Learning while you teach’ (LWYT) program. This program was designed, piloted and evaluated by Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE) and Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) with the generous financial support of the Sub National Governance (SNG) Programme.
This study tries to investigate whether the 2011 Punjab language policy that makes English the Medium of Instruction (MoI) from grade 1 supports meaningful teaching and learning in Punjab government schools. It uses observations from English, science, and math classrooms, as well as in-depth qualitative interviews with parents, head teachers and teachers from six districts
The aim of the Baseline Survey of Student Learning Achievements in City District Faisalabad was to establish a reference point for student achievements against which the Faisalabad District Government could monitor and evaluate improvements in the quality of education over time. The methodology for conducting the survey was developed keeping in view the interventions carried
This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Education Sector Reforms Action Plan 2001-2005 by calibrating the extent to which fiscal decision-making authority has been devolved to school-based governance as part of the drive to empower districts with development objectives. Since the aims of the study included evaluating the quality of education, it employed
Since independence the state has envisaged an important role for the private sector in education. Over the last three decades the role of private schools, especially low-cost-private schools, has g The report notes that delivering quality is a challenge in both public and private schools, and explains how using the former as the benchmark for
The Social Cohesion and Resilience (SC&R) project is part of UNICEF’s Peacebuilding Education and Advocacy (PBEA) program that focuses on peace building through education in 14 post-conflict or fragile states. Its goal is to strengthen social cohesion, human security and resilience in conflict-affected contexts. In Pakistan, UNICEF has partnered with the Society for the Advancement
This study explored demand and supply-side factors contributing to the low transition of girls from primary to secondary education in 18 tehsils of 14 selected districts/territories where UNESCO has a presence. The districts comprised Ziarat, Jaffarabad in Balochistan; Tharparkar in Sindh; Kohistan, Swat and Mohmand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur in Punjab; Muzaffarabad and
This first edition of the Education Monitor aims to provide insight into the education system in Pakistan, following the 18th constitutional amendment and the insertion of Article 25-A which makes provincial governments responsible for providing free education to all children up to secondary school. It seeks to investigate the reasons for continued low-level outputs and
This report, produced through a joint collaboration between SAHE and Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) sought to fill the gap in information on the Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) sector in Pakistan and report on its current state with a view to providing insight into the institutional arrangements, the role of the community and
This study aims to shift the emphasis from an overwhelming number of doomsday descriptions for education in Pakistan toward a search for the positive that would connect with possibilities of reform. By examining five to six quality schools each in eight sites across the country, the report sought to better understand the factors that enabled
The promise of universal quality education for all children has remained elusive in South Asia as more than a third of out-of-school children of the world live in the region. Along with dealing with issues related to access South Asian countries must also contend with the pressure to deliver better quality education to all. In
Prior research exploring the link between educational attainment and economic opportunities has conclusively demonstrated that an individual’s salary and the number of years spent in school are strongly correlated. Few studies, however, attempt to link job prospects with quality and type of schooling. In Pakistan, rigorous research in this area has been non-existent. This study
We would like to extend our gratitude to all the people who made their contributions to this study. We would like to thank those connected to the government, as well as academics, educationalists and experts who shared their opinions and insights on the matter of language and education in Punjab. We want to thank Mr.
This brief summarizes a study that examines whether the prevailing linguistic, pedagogical and administrative conditions in public schools provide space for the teaching of English as a subject at the primary level and whether a transition towards adopting it as the Medium of Instruction (MoI) is possible. A situational analysis of schools in four districts
This brief summarizes a study that tries to investigate whether the 2011 Punjab language policy that makes English the Medium of Instruction (MoI) from grade 1 supports meaningful teaching and learning in Punjab government schools. It uses observations from English, science, and math classrooms, as well as in-depth qualitative interviews with parents, head teachers and
To address the Math content knowledge deficit of students and teachers, SAHE, in partnership with the Department of Staff Development (DSD), initiated this project that used the growing trend of using technology in the classroom as an aid for teaching and learning. Based on weak content knowledge of teachers, student assessment scores, location, and student
This report is purposed to share learnings and findings from conducting Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) responsive research under a KIX-supported regional grant project: Data-driven School Improvement (DSI) – Challenges, Opportunities and Scalable Solutions (2021-23). A joint endeavor of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), KIX aims to
This document outlines a strategy for scaling innovations in data-driven school improvement based on the findings of a KIX8-supported research for development (R4D) project implemented in Pakistan and Nepal. The project titled Data-driven School Improvement (DSI) – Challenges, Opportunities and Scalable Solutions is an application of scaling science9 to the shared policy challenge of sub-optimal
We would like to thank all the organizations and individuals who contributed to the ‘Learning while you teach’ (LWYT) program. This program was designed, piloted and evaluated by Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE) and Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) with the generous financial support of the Sub National Governance (SNG) Programme.
This first edition of the Education Monitor aims to provide insight into the education system in Pakistan, following the 18th constitutional amendment and the insertion of Article 25-A which makes provincial governments responsible for providing free education to all children up to secondary school. It seeks to investigate the reasons for continued low-level outputs and
Given the importance of teachers within the education landscape, the Voice of Teachers aims to bring to the fore teacher perceptions regarding the education universe they inhabit. Through the use of survey tools and in-depth qualitative interviews the study helps better understand the challenges teacher face, the support they require and their own assessment of
We would like to extend our gratitude to all the people who made their contributions to this study. We would like to thank those connected to the government, as well as academics, educationalists and experts who shared their opinions and insights on the matter of language and education in Punjab. We want to thank Mr.
This report, produced through a joint collaboration between SAHE and Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) sought to fill the gap in information on the Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) sector in Pakistan and report on its current state with a view to providing insight into the institutional arrangements, the role of the community and
This brief summarizes a study that examines whether the prevailing linguistic, pedagogical and administrative conditions in public schools provide space for the teaching of English as a subject at the primary level and whether a transition towards adopting it as the Medium of Instruction (MoI) is possible. A situational analysis of schools in four districts
To address the Math content knowledge deficit of students and teachers, SAHE, in partnership with the Department of Staff Development (DSD), initiated this project that used the growing trend of using technology in the classroom as an aid for teaching and learning. Based on weak content knowledge of teachers, student assessment scores, location, and student
This was a first of its kind study on the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC), which administers a census based examination to students in grades 5 and 8. The study involved an independent review of the examination design process, conduct and marking, as well as the management of assessment data and its interpretation. It entailed collection
This study aims to shift the emphasis from an overwhelming number of doomsday descriptions for education in Pakistan toward a search for the positive that would connect with possibilities of reform. By examining five to six quality schools each in eight sites across the country, the report sought to better understand the factors that enabled
The promise of universal quality education for all children has remained elusive in South Asia as more than a third of out-of-school children of the world live in the region. Along with dealing with issues related to access South Asian countries must also contend with the pressure to deliver better quality education to all. In
The establishment of the Punjab Education Sector Reform Program in 2003 was the catalyst for various initiatives that produced data for guiding education policy in the province, both through providing information about various school inputs and by revealing differences in student learning outcomes. However, the role of such data in generating meaningful and reliable evidence
The last few decades have seen a spike in interest in standardized assessments globally. A number of factors “ such as the need for comparative data, a focus on teacher accountability, and a desire to implement a uniform education “ is driving this interest in assessments as a basis for education reform. Alongside the emergence
Since independence the state has envisaged an important role for the private sector in education. Over the last three decades the role of private schools, especially low-cost-private schools, has g The report notes that delivering quality is a challenge in both public and private schools, and explains how using the former as the benchmark for
Prior research exploring the link between educational attainment and economic opportunities has conclusively demonstrated that an individual’s salary and the number of years spent in school are strongly correlated. Few studies, however, attempt to link job prospects with quality and type of schooling. In Pakistan, rigorous research in this area has been non-existent. This study
Access to education is not only considered a basic human right but also a service that ―must be provided to the populace, irrespective of affordability, and it is generally considered to be the responsibility of the state to deliver primary education.‖1 Unfortunately, in the case of Pakistan, this sector has suffered from neglect and inadequate
Strategic policy interventions can play a central role in changing the existing scenario of gender disparities provided they are based on accurate and reliable information. Recognizing the gap in understanding the prevailing situation in education, the School Education Department in Punjab identified two focus districts - Rawalpindi and Khanewal - to be made as ‘Model
The Gender Review of Education in the Punjab 2003-2004 was commissioned by UNICEF Islamabad and coordinated by the UNICEF Lahore Office. I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Maurice Robson for his pertinent comments and detailed suggestions on the first draft of the report which helped in giving shape to the document. Mr.
This report has been produced by the Campaign for Quality Education (CQE) in collaboration with the Institute of Social and Policy Studies (I-SAPS) and is part of an on-going initiative to improve education in Pakistan. The purpose of this particular report is to advocate for an important, yet often ignored, aspect of providing quality education,
More than 120 million school-aged children are denied their right to go to school the majority of these are girls. The gender gap is greatest in South Asia, thus girls from South Asia comprise the majority of children with no access to basic education, Pakistan is a country with the widest gender gap in education.
Introduction of a New Curriculum in 2006 and subsequently a National Textbook and Learning Materials policy in 2007 are attempts under the Education Sector Reforms in Pakistan to create space for improvement in teachinglearning materials and to provide a break from the system of rote and traditional learning. With the promulgation of the 18th Amendment
This study explored demand and supply-side factors contributing to the low transition of girls from primary to secondary education in 18 tehsils of 14 selected districts/territories where UNESCO has a presence. The districts comprised Ziarat, Jaffarabad in Balochistan; Tharparkar in Sindh; Kohistan, Swat and Mohmand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur in Punjab; Muzaffarabad and
The aim of the Baseline Survey of Student Learning Achievements in City District Faisalabad was to establish a reference point for student achievements against which the Faisalabad District Government could monitor and evaluate improvements in the quality of education over time. The methodology for conducting the survey was developed keeping in view the interventions carried
This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Education Sector Reforms Action Plan 2001-2005 by calibrating the extent to which fiscal decision-making authority has been devolved to school-based governance as part of the drive to empower districts with development objectives. Since the aims of the study included evaluating the quality of education, it employed
The Social Cohesion and Resilience (SC&R) project is part of UNICEF’s Peacebuilding Education and Advocacy (PBEA) program that focuses on peace building through education in 14 post-conflict or fragile states. Its goal is to strengthen social cohesion, human security and resilience in conflict-affected contexts. In Pakistan, UNICEF has partnered with the Society for the Advancement
Given the importance of teachers within the education landscape, the Voice of Teachers aims to bring to the fore teacher perceptions regarding the education universe they inhabit. Through the use of survey tools and in-depth qualitative interviews the study helps better understand the challenges teacher face, the support they require and their own assessment of