Press Release Education Innovation Alliance
7th February, 2013 ISLAMABAD: Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali stated that Pakistan needs to find innovative solutions to combat the education emergency and the public and private sector must pool resources to encourage and support innovators. She was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the education Innovation Alliance organized by Developyst, Ilm Ideas and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF)
The Education Innovation Alliance is a group of visionaries coming together to transform the education landscape in Pakistan. Alliance member, Shahid Kardar, former governor State Bank said there is a need to challenge the status quo in the education sector. All participants pledged to support and mentor innovators in education as the scale of the education problem will require out of the box thinking and collaboration across segments of society.
The Chairman of Nayatel, Rashid Khan identified that innovation and a desire for change is evident amongst Pakistan’s growing middle class, youth and members of civil society and this needs to be harnessed in a systematic way. The Education Innovation Alliance Declaration identified seven key priorities that all Alliance members will endeavor to address.
Ahmad Jamal, Senior Group Head PPAF, stressed the need to reach out to individuals and institutions across the country, including the poor, to identify scalable and innovative solutions that provide access to quality education.
Members of the Alliance developed recommendations for finding and inspiring innovators in education. The Alliance members pledged to advocate with the public and private sector to build an enabling environment for innovation. They also stressed the need for evidence and data-based decision-making in the education sector. All Alliance Members agreed to help develop connections of people and ideas, to allow innovative ideas to interact and feed off each other to create a multiplier effect.
For innovation in education to take hold, significant changes need to be made in the way stakeholders do their work, orienting them towards common goals and providing incentives to strive collaboratively. The dialogue included education entrepreneurs, politicians, policymakers, private sector representatives.
About the Education Innovation Alliance Organizers
Developyst is Pakistan’s first education focused non-profit social enterprise that uses innovative technology and data-driven interventions to scale up the access of the underprivileged to high quality education on an equitable basis. Ilm Ideas is a three-year program to award grants nationwide for the purpose of improving education for the children of Pakistan and seeks to advance: the implementation of research studies, evidence based advocacy and establish innovative school-children education related pilot projects. PPAF is one of the largest sources of pro-poor spending and as the lead poverty reduction agency within Pakistan engages in private-public sector partnerships to achieve social and economic betterment. The organization upholds holistic and multi-sectoral strategies that generate broad and deep impact at the community level.
Click here to view the pledge signed by the Education Innovation Alliance members.
Developyst is Pakistan’s first education focused non-profit social enterprise that uses innovative technology and data-driven interventions to scale up the access of the underprivileged to high quality education on an equitable basis. Ilm Ideas is a three-year program to award grants nationwide for the purpose of improving education for the children of Pakistan and seeks to advance: the implementation of research studies, evidence based advocacy and establish innovative school-children education related pilot projects. PPAF is one of the largest sources of pro-poor spending and as the lead poverty reduction agency within Pakistan engages in private-public sector partnerships to achieve social and economic betterment. The organization upholds holistic and multi-sectoral strategies that generate broad and deep impact at the community level.
Click here to view the pledge signed by the Education Innovation Alliance members.
