The Good News From Pakistan

The paper aims to highlight the progress made in the education sector through efforts expended by Government of Punjab and the lessons that are learnt from past experience. Document analysis reveals that Punjab Schools Reform Roadmap has made substantial progress in the initial stage whereby student attendance, teacher presence, availability of schooling facilities and enrollment rates have improved substantially.

The report recognizes that in light of recent statistics, there is an imminent need to focus on rural areas and education for girls. The author stresses the inherent weaknesses within the education system of Pakistan namely the inability to implement plans, track progress and counter the barriers that prevent effective implementation. The paper details the Roadmap plan that was followed in Punjab whereby targets were determined in advance through data analysis of each district. Roadmap plan entailed the appointment of teachers on merit and placed particular emphasis on training of teachers and ensuring their accountability through continuous monitoring of progress. Monthly coaching sessions and improved course books will be designed in the foreseeable future in order to enhance teacher quality; a factor that has been recognized as being of immense importance within the education sector. Commitment from top management including Chief Minister greatly aided the successful implementation of the Roadmap Plan whereas continuous monitoring and interaction between various teams helped identify the barriers that constrained capacity building within the education sector.

The paper concludes by highlighting the lessons learnt from the experience with particular emphasis on setting clear goals and achieving them through persistent effort. The Roadmap Plan will continue in the foreseeable future and teacher quality and student outcome will be given the top priority in order to improve the overall state of education within Pakistan.