Highlights of the 3rd Seminar in the Policy and Comparative Development Studies Seminar Series

In the third Policy and Comparative Development Studies Seminar Series held on 18 November 2021, Mr. Abdul Wali Khan presented his ongoing research on School Improvement Reforms in Public Schools of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

As a colonized country Pakistan heavily relies on foreign aid to develop its education system. Public sector education in Pakistan is abounded by several challenges of infrastructure, teaching aids, trained teachers, and week students’ intake. To transform public sector schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, donor funded reforms are undertaken, and School Improvement Program (SIP) is one such initiative which is intervened by international NGO in collaboration with the local government. The focus of the SIP intervention is to enhance students’ learning outcomes employing whole approach of school improvement. Community, parents, teachers, and students sit together and plan for their local school to improve and make the school a learning environment for the students. This study aimed to see how effective the SIP has been in bringing change in terms of students’ learning, community participation and overall school infrastructure of selected project schools in district Ghizer Taking Fullan’s 3Is of change model as a theoretical lens, school principals, teachers, community, and students were interviewed to know their perspectives on the changes brought about by SIP. The initial findings show that SIP has been instrumental in bringing about visible changes in school outlook, teachers’ teaching, and parents participation in the education of their children. Consequently, there is gradual increase in students’ learning. However, institutionalisation of change has yet to be achieved. The study suggests that to make the change part of the school practice the stakeholder should own the change and do not rely on the external motivation.