Insights from the Provincial Foundational Learning Mission
What did we do?
In April 2024, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) dispatched a mission team to conduct foundational learning visits to Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. Alongiside MoFEPT’s Project Coordination Unit (PCU), the Pakistan Foundational Learning Hub (PFL Hub) set out to share research findings on learning levels, causes of lost learning and key ways provinces can take action, especially in their upcoming foundational learning policies.
We met education departments in each capital as well as conducted seminars at the University of Peshawar’s Institute of Educational Research and Aga Khan University’s Institute of Educational Development
What did we learn?
Foundational learning policies are underway in all provinces - this is a big deal! Despite many challenges, provinces are working hard to develop policies - now we need to ensure that these policies make an impact.
The barriers to learning are fundamental and substantial. Education departments are low on resources, schools lack basic facilities, teachers are overburdened, classrooms are overcrowded and, in many cases, multigrade, and children lack basic nutrition. An ECE teacher told us that there were 165 children in his class. An education department told us that a school meal programme would cost them more than their entire budget. A government official told us too much time is taken up in teacher transfers, and little time is spent on thinking about learning outcomes.
Officials want to act, but need help with implementation. Secretary Education, Punjab declared, “We are convinced, we want to take action…now help us to implement!”
Research is welcome, but governments also need to hear practical solutions that are often on shorter time frames. Provinces engaged deeply with the research findings we presented and were enthusiastic about using it in their foundational learning policies. Since our provincial consultations, the PFL Hub has received multiple requests to share our research. But ministers often said, “show me a way to trial this in 2 or 3 districts with a select number of schools, so I can show the leadership that this works.…”
We need to solve the learning crises if we want to decrease the number of out of school children. Stakeholders from the education departments, academia, and practitioners see poor learning outcomes as a major determinant of dropouts.
The language of instruction is much debated, controversial, and complicated. Wherever we went, the language of instruction sparked debate, yet yielded few solutions. In Balochistan for instance, a language policy has been stalled as there is fundamental disagreement between the diverse linguistic groups about what should be the dominant language.
Health and education need to work together but the system is not set up for this. When we emphasised the impact of child and maternal health on learning, some departments told us that they could only focus on education, not health too!
Learning losses from climate disaster and the pandemic have not been recovered. While governments are doing a lot to bring learning levels back to pre-emergency levels, remediation programmes need to be scaled up because many children are still behind.
Punjab
Lahore: Our Punjab visit started off with meetings with the education minister, Rana Sikander Hayat and the Education Secretary, Ehtesham Anwer. A real highlight was the Secretary’s commitment to action and appeal for implementation:
"We are convinced about the importance of foundational learning...we want to take action...now help us to implement it!.”
Following our meetings with the Punjab education department, we also had an enriching visit to the Society for the Advancement of Education. It was wonderful to witness their dedication to making visually appealing and engaging Urdu storybooks for young children and their commitment to quality education over so many decades. Finally, we met a tireless advocate of foundational learning, Baela Jamil, at the Idara e Taleem o Aagahi to hear about ITA's plans for assessing foundational learning, working with the PAL Network, and campaigning to save SDG4.1.1a.
Image: Minister Education Rana Sikander Hayat with PFL Hub
Image: Secretary Ehtisham Anwer with PFL Hub
Image: An animation from SAHE’s storybook for Punjab. The characters’ cultural and geographic setting reflects the context of children in Punjab.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Peshawar: Next, we travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where we learned about the growing momentum in the province’s enrollment drive, and the Chief Minister’s commitment to improving the quality of education especially in merged areas. We met with Special Secretary Asfandyar Khattak and his team to discuss our latest research policy brief titled 'Improving Foundational Learning in Pakistan'. Later, we joined our colleagues in the Aspire MoFEPT team to discuss the progress towards KP's foundational learning policy.
Subsequently, we conducted a seminar at the University of Peshawar’s Institute of Education Research (UoP-IER), where we presented our research findings from the Landscape Analysis on Foundational Learning. This was followed by a compelling discussion with teachers and students (many of whom were public primary schoolteachers) to gain insights into the pressures they were under. Talking to teachers keeps us grounded. Some key comments highlighted during our discussions included:
"You can't teach a hungry child."
"We're overburdened and under supported."
And the devastating revelation, "I am the only teacher in a class of 165 pre-primary children.”
Getting these basics right lies at the heart of improving foundational learning. The seminar concluded with the Director of UoP-IER declaring “elementary education” as the research theme for the institute’s academic year 2024-25.
Image: Special Secretary, Asfandyar Khattak, and his team with the PFL Hub and PCU teams from MoFEPT.
Image: Seminar at the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Peshawar.
Sindh
Karachi: The Pakistan Foundational Learning Hub’s meetings with the Government of Sindh began with Dr. Fouzia Khan, Chief Advisor in the Curriculum Wing of the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD), also serving as the Additional Secretary and leading the Sindh Foundational Learning Unit (and South-South Fellow). This was followed by a brief meeting with the new Education Secretary, Zahid Ali Abbasi, and Dr Junaid Hameed Samoo of the Reform Support Unit. Next, we visited the Reform Support Unit to understand Sindh's rapid strides towards a Foundational Learning Policy. We also delivered our latest research, shedding light on the learning crisis in Sindh and the budgetary allocations for education.
Following this, we had an insightful seminar with Masters and MPhil students at the Agha Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development, where we presented the findings from our Landscape Analysis. This led to stimulating discussions with faculty and students regarding ways to enhance foundational learning pedagogical practices and learning outcomes in Sindh. The seminar concluded with a request from AKU-IED faculty for a list of under-researched topics on foundational learning.
Image: PFL Hub presenting their research to the Reform Support Unit, Government of Sindh.
Image: Seminar at the Institute for Educational Development, Agha Khan University.
Balochistan
Quetta: We began our engagements in Quetta by presenting our research to the Project Management and Implementation Unit at the Balochistan School Education Department, tasked with developing the Balochistan foundational learning policy. This was followed by an engaging discussion around generating implementable solutions informed by the PFLHub’s Landscape Analysis and taking into account the unique context of Balochistan. The discussion was led by the director of PMIU, Abdul Khaliq, along with his dedicated team, including principals and district education officers. We then received updates from the department regarding their progress in developing the foundational learning policy, including insights into the ongoing consultative sessions and focus group discussions with education stakeholders that would inform the policy.
We also had the pleasure of meeting the remarkable Education Minister of Balochistan, Ms. Raheela Durrani. We were inspired by her tireless efforts to enhance opportunities for women in Balochistan, and her deep commitment towards fostering development through educational reform.
Image: Project Director PMU, Abdul Khaliq and his team with the PFL Hub and PCU teams from MoFEPT.
Image: Minister Education Raheela Durrani with the PFL Hub and PCU teams from MoFEPT.
Final Word
Our deepest gratitude to the education departments of Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan, to SAHE, ITA and the University of Peshawar and AKU-IED. We hugely appreciated the warm welcome and generosity shown throughout our visits.
Thanks also to the MoFEPT for constant support and the PCU team for their companionship and advice.
We look forward to the next steps towards foundational learning in Pakistan!