STEP Newsletter – Issue No. 5, Vol. No. 1

Message from Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov, Director, AKU-IED

The Strengthening Teacher Education in Pakistan (STEP) Project has been the hallmark project for Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). I am pleased to write this note for STEP’s final Newsletter. As the project moves towards its culmination, the focus has not only been on strengthening capacity but also on empowering the stakeholders and ensuring long term commitment.

Over a span of seven years, STEP has both

engendered and witnessed examples of

remarkable transformation in teaching and

learning practices, attitudes and perceptions

resulting in improved quality, increased access,

and enhanced equity. We hope that these changes

will be sustained by the various stakeholders STEP

has engaged.

A STEP FORWARD

I am delighted to present the last issue of the STEP newsletter. Over the last seven years, STEP has demonstrated that through consistent effort and support, bringing about change is possible at all levels. The stories in this issue focus on the commitment, resilience and hard work by various stakeholders that has resulted in significant transformation. STEP colleagues, government officials, mentors, teachers, head teachers, students and others have consistently enhanced the teaching and learning environment in schools and strengthened systems to improve quality and access. We acknowledge and appreciate their

Editorial

exceptional efforts and dedication and hope that they will sustain and scale up this work. I hope that the readers will find these stories motivating and will inspire them to build on these examples and models for their own professional development and for the development of their own organizations. Happy Reading! Nida Dossa Associate - Documentation

Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov,

Director, AKU-IED

About STEP

Strengthening Teacher

Education in Pakistan (STEP)

project is a multifaceted

intervention that aims to

improve the quality and delivery of elementary

education services

appropriate particularly to the

poor and disadvantaged,

women and children through

professional development

opportunities and networks.

Transforming

education one

classroom at a

time!

AKU-IED values partnerships with the

government and other national and

international stakeholders in the education

sector and believes that through these inclusive

collaborative endeavours, maximum impact can

be achieved. We look forward to continue to

work with our trusted partners, valued donors,

schools and local communities to not only

sustain the positive changes brought about by

STEP Project but also to leverage these changes

and make an impact on the overall education

system in the country.

Congratulations STEP team!

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TEOs engaged in discussion during

the training.

Empowering TEOs for improved school management

Schools nurture children to become productive and skilled members of the society inculcating the values our young generation carries. To ensure that the school does this job effectively, quality teaching and learning is essential which can only be possible with the right amount of support and a continuous monitoring system. The STEP project paid special attention to the capacity building of those responsible for monitoring and decision making to create holistic impact. In this context, a three day training of 36 Taluka Education Officers (TEOs) and other officials with school monitoring responsibilities was conducted in December 2015. This training focused on quality Monitoring and Evaluation strategies using tools that the STEP project has developed.

mentors. The headteachers acknowledged that although change is important, it requires sustained effort. One of the participants commented, “Real change takes time. It is significant that all school stakeholders must be involved and have a clear understanding of school improvement processes and implement school improvement plans”. Participants developed knowledge and skills with regards to school improvement, enhanced thinking skills and a sense of ownership. In addition, reinforcing the concepts of gender equity was also a highlight of the program. Gender as a cross cutting theme in the STEP project, has been incorporated in all of the project facets leading to visible changes in practice at school and classroom level. This is evident from observations and reflections of stakeholders as well as quantitative results like increased girls’ enrolment. One of the headteachers at the refresher course noted, “We now give equal opportunities to boys and girls, we have implemented gender focused activities in school, and shared with teachers and parent the importance of gender equality”.

It is hoped that these changes will be sustained and will continue to make an impact in the communities where these schools exist long after the project is culminated.

Shifting Mindsets: Re-orientation of STEP trained Head teachers

Head teachers are the pillars of a school. Through the STEP intervention, there has been a paradigm shift in the mind-set of the headteachers. It has been observed that headteachers who were part of STEP are now more encouraging and motivating to the teachers and have much more clarity on their roles and responsibilities as leaders. A six days refresher workshop course was organized at AKU-IED for 95 head teachers of

Whole School Improvement Program (WSIP) schools in two cohorts in May and August 2015, as well as for 131 headteachers from Cluster Based Mentoring Program (CBMP) schools in three cohorts in May, June and July 2015. Sustainability of the STEP model is pivotal therefore emphasis was given on how the activities will be sustained after project culmination in the selected schools by STEP trained MEd graduates, lead teachers and

TEO is a new cadre in the Sindh government system and this training empowered these newly appointed officers with the tools and skills they need to ensure that they assess the school management, academics and infrastructure effectively in both quantitative and qualitative ways. Mr Abdul Aziz, a TEO from Sukkur notes, “It (the training) has given us a better understanding of M&E processes and enabled us to play our role in the results oriented way resulting in better educational atmosphere in the society.” During training, a need for further clarity on roles of school staff was identified. It was noted that this lack of clarity is a major hindrance in the performance and observations that TEOs have to undertake. The facilitators discussed these problems and explained how it is possible to carry out M&E activity in each school despite the challenges.

Headteachers engaged in group work at the CBMP Refresher

course

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Leadership for Holistic Change – Capacity Building for

Education Managers

A teacher is an agent of change who inspires generations of intellectuals, change makers, creative and innovative professionals who strengthen a society. However, in order for teachers to work at their best, systems and governance needs to be strengthened. The model of change that the STEP project has implemented has ensured that stakeholders at all tiers, from students to senior government officials, are engaged to strengthen that support system. STEP organized a capacity building programme for 30 education managers in August 2015 at AKU-IED. The programme aimed at strengthening senior education leaders/mangers’ skills and knowledge about leadership and management. The programme also aimed at increasing awareness about the successful work that has been done at school level by STEP through the CBMP, WSIP and PNTD programmes, to demonstrate the value of these initiatives, to enlist ongoing support and to determine ways to ensure adequate resources are allocated to these activities in district budgets so that this work can be sustained. Educational leaders shared pictorial presentation of pre and post condition of STEP intervened schools.

Furthermore, the program also highlighted project sustainability and participants developed a complete sustainability plan for project activities in future. “Learning about sustainability plan, its strategies and important areas was helpful for us and now we have sustainability plan in our hand so it will be easy to implement in districts to sustain STEP activities. We can modify the plan according to local needs”, a participant commented.

Multi-grade teacher training in

progress in Killa Saifullah

Mentoring support being provided to

teachers in Hyderabad

More in less: A STEP for Multi-grade Teaching

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Multi-grade teaching (MGT) is an appropriate way to provide good quality education to children who are often at a disadvantage because they live in small, poor, and remote communities. Multi-grade teaching practices include classroom organization, student management, and ultimately, the successful transmission of curricula. A Multi-grade teacher plans and organizes the classroom to get the best results from the space and resources available. Needs analysis surveys done by the STEP team, found that in some districts, teachers were unaware of techniques to use when teaching more than one Grade at the same time. Keeping this in view, in 2013 a group of CBMP mentors from 10 districts was selected and given training at AKU-IED. In 2015, these mentors were re-orientated by the AKU-IED before they conducted a 10 day field training in all STEP districts on multi-grade teaching practices for over 272 teachers. The focus of the training was designing of curriculum in four subject areas, time tabling, lesson planning, integration of concepts across the curriculum and classroom management. Further, teachers’ resource kits were also distributed to all participating schools to establish learning corners and facilitate MGT. Teachers were given orientation and follow up support with the use of these kits in their lesson. As a result of the training and follow up, it was observed that teachers benefitted immensely from the training and they are utilizing the techniques learnt in their classrooms. One of the teachers commented, “In the beginning of the session when we were asked what is multi-grade teaching, we were not able to answer but by the end of the program we are able to not only define the term but also implement it in our classrooms”. The programme not only equipped teachers with the right skills but also motivated them to apply group work, peer learning, games, puzzles etc. in their teaching. Use of MGT kit supported their teaching and they felt that now they can manage MG classes better than before.

The programme helped participants understand the complete model of STEP, the ongoing activities and major outputs & outcomes and gained commitment from these influencers and decision makers in the field to ensure that these models are not only sustained but are replicated, scaled up and improved to benefit teachers and students in their districts.

Continuous Professional Development – Strengthening Networks

The Professional Network for Teacher Development (PNTD) is a cluster of nine voluntary professional associations. The mission of PNTD is to promote a sustainable environment for the professional growth and development of teachers and educators from diverse backgrounds and communities with the vision to bring improvement and quality in the Education system of Pakistan.

In order to provide a sustainable professional development platform for teachers/head teachers the existing PNTD was strengthened by the STEP project and expanded in 7 districts across Pakistan. A variety of schools including government, private, NGO and community-based schools are members of PNTD and their teachers regularly attend PNTD professional development workshops at all seven chapters. During 2015, 3,336 teachers which includes over 75% female participation, attended PNTD activities. Various activities have been conducted by

PNTD chapters, including professional development workshops, seminars, courses and student Olympiads. The workshops not only enhance the skills of teachers but also provide a platform to form professional links and networks for knowledge sharing. The student Olympiads are a unique facet of the PNTD network as it inculcates a sense of healthy competition, achievement and scholastic ability in students. Each district organized Olympiads where students from various schools participated. Students noted that one of the most exciting aspects of participating in this event is working with students of different schools in team activities fostering a collaborative learning culture. One of the teachers from a participating schools commented, “…students should be provided with such opportunities where they develop different skills, such as group work, team work, leadership skills and arts etc.

While working with different students in

mixed-groups, students learn to respect both cultural and intellectual diversity and use this as strength to excel. This is something we hope to continue when we go back to our school”. Other stakeholders in districts have also committed to continuing and replicating this practice. STEP sponsored MEd graduates, in all the districts, continue to support the chapters by leading PNTD workshops and sessions as facilitators and provide trainings to their fellow teachers in their role as teacher educator. Through the PNTD effort, tangible transformation in the professional development in targeted schools has been observed. It is hoped that this strong network will now be sustained by the teachers, government officials, community members and stakeholders who have taken ownership of the PNTD initiatives in their respective districts.

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Sustaining Professional Network

In order to ensure that the impact from the PNTD effort is disseminated widely, seminars are being conducted in each district engaging stakeholders at all tiers. These one day seminars were a platform to bring stakeholders together to gauge commitment and resources to sustain PNTD activities in all the districts. Steering committees were formed and comprehensive TORs were formulated by PNTD and STEP officials. These committees comprise of government officials, headteachers, mentors, lead teachers and STEP sponsored MEd graduates who will carry forward the work done under PNTD.

The seminars focused to develop an understanding and consensus around the need for teachers’ and educators’ professional networking as well as deliberating on how this need can be addressed by sustaining the PNTD network through public private partnerships. Realizing this essential need for continuous professional networking and development, each district came up with action plans suited to their own context to continue and expand the PNTD initiative. This was informed by the successes and challenges experienced by existing PNTD chapters.

The seminar also provided excellent opportunity to the participants to identify monitoring and follow up mechanisms for the successful functioning of PNTD initiatives which was highlighted in each of their action plans. The sense of responsibility and commitment from stakeholders evident from the robust discussion, the pragmatic action, a vow to presenting voluntary services for future workshops, and activities in the districts is a significant achievement and one that will ensure that these networks continue to benefit teachers and students for a long time to come.

Community Mobilization

Community mobilization increases the participatory decision-making processes by bringing diverse stakeholders to the table including those people who may not normally be involved in the decision making process. Mobilization also fosters strong relationships between local governments, businesses and community members. Community mobilization played an important role in reaching out to the community members during the STEP project. Community mobilizers conducted regular face to face meetings with stakeholders and strengthened the existing school management committee (SMC/PTSMC) structure in selected districts of Sindh and Balochistan through trainings and consistent follow up. This effort continued throughout the project despite harsh weather, security risks and cultural sensitivities in even the remote areas of Sindh and Balochistan making sure that the community is

empowered to support schools in their areas. Through STEP interventions, role of school committees was strengthened. It also motivated parents to participate in school events and to play an active role in the education of their children. All the STEP interventions have gender equity strategies embedded in them. This facet was also part of STEP’s community mobilization efforts. Training included gender sensitive material and advocacy around girls’ education. In addition, female SMCs were formed in schools to address the issue of gender equity in education which has resulted in increased girls’ enrolment in very difficult areas of Sindh and Balochistan. . The key to successful mobilization efforts is making sure that communities are in the driver’s seat during the process. This has been the approach that the STEP project has taken.

Engaging parents through

community mobilization efforts

at a school in district Hyderabad

Synergy for change – Success story from Balochistan

Community plays a vital role in a school’s development. In this regard PTSMCs (Parent Teacher School Management Committees) are established in schools in Balochistan. The STEP project has been working in Balochistan for several years over the life of the project and has conducted sessions and training programs for PTSMCs covering multiple dimensions such as organizing administrative sessions for education managers and dynamic leadership skills sessions for head teachers. The project also trained teaching

staff, mobilized community through training and advocacy so that PTSMC and the wider community can perform their role in the whole school improvement of their school to ensure quality of and access to education for children. Women were empowered during this effort to ensure that their voices are heard and they have equal participation in the community’s effort to make learning environments better. Government Girls High School (GGHS) Wahdat Colony is a great example of how sustained and consistent community engagement can bring transformation. GGHS Wahdat Colony is a girls’ school located in Quetta with 1300 students and 45 teaching staff. Through deeper engagement with the community, constructive measures have been taken to improve the ambience of the school. One can observe that the school now has a stimulating teaching and learning environment where students engage with the text they study via hands on activities and project work. The students not only use the STEP established LRCs but also a community established

computer lab. The school lacked a computer lab in the past and due to lack of resources computers could not be purchased. The PTSMC realizing the importance of ICT for learning took this up as a challenge. The PTSMC members lobbied with the local government and extensively raised awareness about the importance of ICT integration in teaching and learning. These efforts resulted in a substantial grant from a Member of the Provincial assembly that enabled the establishment of the new computer lab. Now the school has an updated computer lab which is functional and is being used by both students and teachers. Without motivation, ownership and collective effort from the community, this would not have been possible. STEP is a multi-faceted project and has empowered and built capacity of not only individuals but has also motivated and empowered communities at a broader level so that a school can develop holistically and that development is owned and sustained at local level.

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Community mobilization

session in progress in

Balochistan

The following stories from the field showcase examples of the impact achieved through this effort.

Director Schools, signing approval for

school upgradation

Community leaders and educational

managers attending community

mobilization event

In his speech, Director Schools appreciated the efforts and commitment of students, teachers and the community; and announced the upgradation of this primary school to middle level with immediate effect as well as an approval to start high school classes from the upcoming academic session 2016-17. This will facilitate a comprehensive education for children of this village, particularly girls as there is no other middle school in the area and the nearest high school is 18 KMs away which puts children, particularly girls at a disadvantage who cannot travel that far.

The journey of this school has seen children being taught in a small hut in the 1940s to the school falling into disrepair and being shut down, to it reopening, striving, surviving and thriving due to the initiative

and consistent dedication of its teachers, head teachers, students and especially the community that drive the school to excellence both in term of access and quality.

When Hope Meets Commitment – Success story from Sindh

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Village Habib Soomro of Union Council

Sonda, District Thatta is an old and

underdeveloped area which lacks basic

facilities of education and health. In this

context, the Government Boys Primary

School, Habib Soomro provides hope to the

community; and when hope meets

commitment, transformation happens.

In a setting like this, it is not only important

to open schools and offer classes but to also

ensure that children in the community have

access and are attending regularly. The STEP

Project has worked over the last seven years

on school transformation through

multifaceted interventions and community

mobilization is one of them. The enrolment

at the school has risen from 12 to 179 boys

and girls over the past few years.

STEP’s community mobilization team

conducted regular activities including Broad

Based Community Meetings in the nearby

village to mobilize the villagers and parents

to enhance educational awareness about

the importance of quality education for

their children. As a result of this consistent

effort, the community started to take a

deeper interest in the school, working to

upgrade their school from primary to middle

level as well as improve existing facilities.

The community leaders along with STEP mentors, mentees and teachers had several meetings with officials from the government’s education department including, TEO, DEO and Director Schools in this regard. Recently an event was organized at the school by the STEP mentor in coordination with the community leaders and villagers to showcase the achievements of the students in front of their parents. The main purpose of the event was to involve the wider community and parents in their children’s education. Students from Grades 1 to 8 participated in different activities such as gallery presentation, poetry, oratory, role play, writing, reading and drawing activities.

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Education for All: Facing Challenges around equity in education

Pakistan ranks second last on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report rankings 2014 for gender equality. Despite education being a constitutional right of every child in Pakistan, according to a UNICEF report, an estimated 31 million girls of primary school age and 32 million girls of lower secondary school age were out of school in 2013. AKU-IED, Pakistan organized a two-day National Seminar on October 28th and 29th to deliberate on this key concern. Over 100 professionals including policy makers, researchers, academicians and heads of civil society organizations from across Pakistan attended the seminar to develop deeper insights into classroom and school-based challenges, structural barriers, worthwhile strategies and policy initiatives to enable equitable delivery of quality education.

Gender equity has been a cross cutting theme under the STEP project which has reached over 1600 schools across Pakistan, integrating gender equality into classroom

teaching and school governance as well as community mobilization efforts. The stories of change shared by mentors and teachers during presentations and live panel discussions reflected how the multi-pronged strategies employed by the STEP project helped them transform their personal belief systems about gender equity in education and permeated into their families, other teachers, communities and students in the classroom. “I became part of the STEP project as a mentee teacher. Initially when there were discussions about gender in the project trainings, I and my other colleagues used to feel uncomfortable. But gradually the programs helped us question our own pre-conceived notions about gender. The project adopted very unique strategies sensitive to my family norms and culture to make my participation in the M.Ed program possible at AKU-IED. It now feels very rewarding when I see my community members, who were earlier against me getting a higher education, requesting me to counsel their

daughters and encourage them for further education” shared Sadia Kanwal from district Tando Allayar, who is an MEd graduate from AKU-IED and was part of a live panel at the seminar. Sadia’s story represents the complex social context of Pakistan, particularly in the rural areas where cultural and religious sensitivity, issues around mobility and poverty make it difficult for children, especially girls to get access to the quality and relevant education. A consistent discourse during the seminar to address this was through community engagement. This means that communities are more susceptible to change if the change comes from within. Initiatives that are sensitive to the culture and value systems of the communities, which take into account the needs of the community, the safety and security of children and familiar examples of success much like Sadia’s, enable a sense of agency and lead to changes in perceptions and actions. A display of gender inclusive material prepared by various government school teachers under the STEP project was also organized showing best practices in integrating gender inclusiveness in teaching curriculum in classrooms. The two day seminar drew on these examples and academic research to analyze issues and identify potential solutions and policy recommendations. One of them is to acknowledge that one size does not fit all. A case-to-case based approach is more effective to ensure education for girls and women coming from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. This means taking into account unique circumstances of communities with reference to religion and culture particularly, and empowering communities from within. Secondly, real life experiences and successes are powerful and relevant to inspire and trigger the change process and should be shared as widely as possible. Though education for all is difficult to achieve in Pakistan given the various socio-economic, political and cultural challenges, reflections and deliberations from this seminar instill some hope. If the needs of the communities are understood, if they are empowered in their own contexts, if good role models are created and opportunities provided, these challenges can be turned into possibilities.

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Top: Panellists speaking on theorizing lessons learnt from the field

Bottom: Seminar participants attending presentation on case study from

Quetta

For more information:

STEP Project Office at

Institute for Educational

Development, Aga Khan

University, Karimabad,

Karachi

Phone:

+92 21 3634 7611-4/3682

6991, Ext: 8559

Email:

Nida.dossa@aku.edu

Web Site:

www.aku.edu

Transforming

Page 8

Inspiring change from within – exploring successes of localized models of

teaching

quality but is what the child can relate to and understand. “Previously teachers would teach us from the book. Now when the teachers enter the class, they have something in their hand, maps or globes or charts which make learning in classrooms fun” said the student panelist further elaborating on how these models have made teaching and learning innovative and child friendly. The Senior Minister for Education and Literacy,

Government of Sindh, Mr Nisar Khuhro also

commented on the quality of teaching and the

commitment of teachers towards professional

development in his address. He said, “Quality

education is important so that we can identify

diamonds in our rural areas and polish them so

that they can face any challenges in the world.

And this responsibility of polishing these

diamonds in the rough lies with the teachers in

schools. Teachers must engage with the

society and the community.”

It is hoped that these partnerships with the

government will be built upon for sustainable

impact in the sector. These partnerships will

ensure that the change created and the

models introduced are sustained and

replicated on a much larger scale.

Access to quality education has been deemed an essential foundation to improve chances of people having a better quality of life and for the economy to grow. However, this requires a consistent effort to make education relevant and for teachers and education managers to develop and sustain local practices that are suited to the needs of the context of the learner. This was the primary discourse at the AKU-IED’s 10th International conference. The conference also showcased the successes and lessons learnt from the STEP project. The STEP dissemination seminar at the conference highlighted the impact from STEP’s local models for school development which have been running successfully in districts of Sindh and Balochistan since 2009. The seminar featured panel discussions, research presentations and an exhibition displaying low / no cost teaching learning aid developed by teachers and students to aid learning in a way that is relevant to their own context.

STEP disseminated success on the level of governance and leadership, teaching and learning and community engagement; each reflecting on experiences of senior government officials, headteachers, teachers, students and community members.

The panel discussion on leadership focused on

ownership of schools and its related

stakeholders, keeping in mind their needs and

ensuring quality in that perspective. “We have

been motivated by the (STEP) project and the

training it provided to actually go to schools

and monitor change, change which is visible”,

said Mr Liaquat Ali Khaskheli, DEO, District

Khairpur. “I learnt that we cannot change the

government as a whole but when we change

ourselves, we start seeing change externally as well. This is what we did. Not only do we teach, our walls teach as well by the learning resources that adorn them”, added Ms Fehmida Khanum, Education Supervisor from District Tando Allayar. This sense of ownership combined with

strategies implemented to make teaching

and learning child centric has led to visible

change not just in the quality of teaching

but also the academic achievement of

students.

The STEP project has implemented a whole

school improvement programme focusing

on holistic development of the school as

well as a cluster based mentoring

programme which promotes training and

peer coaching to improve teaching and

learning practices. This mentoring model, as

shared in the research findings at the

conference has huge potential for improving

teaching practices and can be replicated.

Both of these models have successfully

transformed the way teachers teach in

these schools, making sure that the child is

at the centre of the process and the

education being provided is not only of high

Senior Minister for Education and Literacy, Government of

Sindh, Nisar Khuhro addressing the audience at the

conference