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PAKISTAN

Sustainable Development Goal 4

Gap Analysis

Sustainable Development Goal 4 Gap Analysis

Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning

Pakistan

2017

Contents

Foreword ............................................................................................................................. 5

Executive summary ............................................................................................................ 6

Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Education 2030 in Pakistan ....................................................................................... 10 1.3 Organization of this report ......................................................................................... 12

Chapter 2: Unfinished agenda ......................................................................................... 14 2.1 EFA progress from Dakar to Incheon: 2001–2015 ..................................................... 14 2.2 National challenges in the context of SDG-4 .............................................................. 14 2.3 Provincial/ area challenges in the context of SDG-4 .................................................. 17

Chapter 3: Education sector planning ............................................................................. 20 3.1 Summary analysis of the provincial education sector plans ....................................... 20 3.2 Implications, opportunities and challenges ................................................................. 21

Chapter 4: Mainstreaming SDG-4 .................................................................................... 25 SDG 4.1 .......................................................................................................................... 25 SDG 4.2 .......................................................................................................................... 28 SDG 4.3 and 4.4 .............................................................................................................. 31 SDG 4.5 .......................................................................................................................... 34 SDG 4.6 .......................................................................................................................... 37 SDG 4.7 .......................................................................................................................... 40 SDG 4.a .......................................................................................................................... 41 SDG 4.b .......................................................................................................................... 44 SDG 4.c ........................................................................................................................... 45

Chapter 5: SDG-4 monitoring and evaluation ................................................................. 49 5.1 Monitoring SDG-4 indicators – summary analysis ...................................................... 49 5.2 Data availability by province/ area ............................................................................. 53 5.3 Global and national monitoring mechanisms ............................................................. 57 5.4 Provincial and area monitoring mechanisms .............................................................. 58 5.5 Education management information systems ............................................................ 59

Chapter 6: Implementation and way forward .................................................................. 60 6.1 Implementation .......................................................................................................... 60 6.2 Coordination .............................................................................................................. 60 6.3 Next steps ................................................................................................................. 61

Acronyms

AEPAM Academy of Educational Planning and Management AJK Azad Jammu and Kashmir ALP Alternate Learning Pathway ANER Adjusted Net Enrolment Ratio BECS Basic Education Community Schools CPD Continued Professional Development DRR Disaster Risk Reduction ECD Early Childhood Development ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education ECE Early Childhood Education EFA Education For All EMIS Education Management Information System ESP Education Sector Plan FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas GB Gilgit-Baltistan GER Gross Enrolment Ratio GPI Gender Parity Index HEC Higher Education Commission ICT Islamabad Capital Territory IPEMC Inter-Provincial Education Ministerial Conference JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KPI Key Performance Indicators M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MoFEPT Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training NAVTTC National Vocational and Technical Training Commission NCHD National Commission for Human Development NEAS National Education Assessment System NEMIS National Education Management Information System NEP National Education Policy NFE Non-Formal Education PSLM Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement SDG Sustainable Development Goal TEVTA Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority TVET Technical and Vocation Education and Training UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

SDG-4 Gap Analysis – Pakistan

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Foreword


6

Executive summary

In 2015, the world embarked on an ambitious global agenda for education: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 – “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, to be achieved by 2030. The Incheon Declaration constitutes the commitment of the education community to this goal and is accompanied by the Education 2030 Framework for Action to achieve SDG-4. In Pakistan, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) collaborates with provinces/ areas to spearhead the achievement of SDG-4. While all provinces and areas have developed education sector plans, there are differing levels of implementation depending on the degree to which subnational governments possess the institutional structures to absorb recently devolved education functions. This report synthesizes the findings of a series of provincial/ area gap analysis exercises to assess trends in education sector planning across Pakistan, identify gaps in existing plans to guide SDG-4 mainstreaming efforts in future planning, identify data requirements for monitoring and evaluation, and delineate channels for coordination. Pakistan faces severe challenges with regards to achieving SDG-4. Over 22.6 million children aged 5–16 years are out of school and the adult literacy rate stands at 57 per cent. There are severe inequities in access and quality, with substantial disparities by gender, socioeconomic status and location, and the supply, training and qualifications of teachers are inadequate. School environments are poor, and early childhood education (ECE) is not uniformly available. The quality and provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is uneven. In addition, education is hampered by budgetary constraints, weak governance, poverty, insecurity and frequent natural disasters. However, Pakistan’s educational structure offers opportunities and entry points for the achievement of SDG-4. Article 25-A of the Constitution guarantees 10 years of education, and devolution and education sector planning for each province/ area gives opportunity for customized approaches to specific concerns. MoFEPT is potentially a strong coordinating body between provinces, areas, sectors and stakeholders, and the SDG-4 alignment process offers an opportunity to collect high-quality data to inform future education planning. The table below shows the key areas where further alignment is required and the actions needed to achieve it: SDG 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

Gaps:

Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are yet to enact legislation to implement Article 25-A.

Only Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Sindh have enacted rules of business to implement Article 25-A.

Provincial/ area curriculum implementation frameworks.

Large-scale assessments are of varying quality; sampled assessments lack influence on decision-making.

All education sector plans focus on governance but oversight of madrassas is a challenge.

Poor links between alternate learning pathways for

Recommendations:

Extend mandatory schooling to 12 years.

Pass legislation and rules of business in all provinces/ areas.

AJK to update and approve its education sector plan.

Develop quality-focused curriculum implementation frameworks with robust review and quality assurance mechanisms.

Develop joined-up assessment systems for informed decision-making.

Incorporate madrassas into education oversight structures.

Develop agreements to channel out of school children from non-formal to formal education.


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out of school children and formal education.

Varying approaches to language policy.

Develop inclusive language policies.

SDG 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

Gaps:

Legislation on ECE provision only exists in Sindh.

ECE is not budgeted in public schooling.

Multi-sectoral coordination structures for ECE do not exist.

Whilst ECE capacity development is included in many education sector plans, there is no clear action plan for professionalizing ECE personnel.

No structures for high quality integrated early childhood development programmes and services.

Recommendations:

Update laws and policies to include ECE with funding provisions, independently of primary schooling.

Explore opportunities for public-private partnerships, e.g. voucher systems and government oversight of private ECE.

Develop ECE qualification and recruitment frameworks.

Integrate ECE into education sector plans using a cross-sectoral and holistic whole-child approach.

Enhance cross-sectoral linkages creating unified early childhood development framework and linking with the First 1,000 Days approach to child health and wellbeing.

SDG 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.

SDG 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

Gaps:

TVET and tertiary education are not covered in education sector plans.

TVET initiatives have generally had a poor rate of success.

Tertiary education is governed by the HEC Vision 2025.

Recommendations:

Develop collaboration mechanisms and clear understanding with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to ensure a joined-up equity-focused approach and data collection towards SDG targets related to higher education.

Support development of TVET Policy with demand-driven approach and review of school-based TVET provision.

Enhance collaborations related to TVET with both private sector and other government departments.

SDG 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.

Gaps:

While gender is a major focus, other inequities and forms of discrimination are not always explicitly addressed in policies and budgets or through disaggregated data.

No province/ area monitors exclusions so as to capture a range of vulnerabilities.

No systems exist to monitor education frameworks through a gender and human rights lens.

Recommendations:

Budgeted policies on gender, equity and inclusion along multiple axes of vulnerability.

Adoption of the School Safety Framework, and inclusion of child-centred disaster risk reduction by GB and AJK.

A Gender and Human Rights Unit at federal level to provide consultancy services policy, planning, budgetary, training and curriculum reviews.

Strengthened focus on inclusive education, with horizontal linkages with social welfare and youth development departments, and communities.

SDG 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

Gaps:

Significant gender gap in adult and youth literacy.

Literacy programmes do not systematically include numeracy, and have an inadequate emphasis on functional literacy.

Literacy programmes use a range of mechanisms, models and institutional structures including private and civil society providers.

Recommendations:

Drive forward the non-formal education (NFE) agenda, including uniform definitions, assessment frameworks and data collection.

Develop strategies to identify and scale up successful models.

Partner with employers in industries with high proportions of vulnerable employees.


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SDG 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

Gaps:

Not currently included in provincial and area education sector plans.

Requires substantial conceptual and methodological development.

Militancy, sectarianism, climate change and disaster risks make this a critical target for Pakistan.

Recommendations:

MoFEPT to take a convening role to encourage cross-sectoral collaboration and define locally appropriate global citizenship education.

Provincial and area education departments to articulate global citizenship targets in their sector plans, refining existing strategies, relating to local needs, and incorporating into lifetime education.

Incorporate the values of global citizenship, tolerance and environmentalism into pre- and in-service teacher training.

SDG 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.

Gaps:

All provinces/ areas recognize the need to fill severe gaps in school supply and infrastructure.

No comprehensive strategies to ensure schools are safe and free of violence.

Resource allocation is not systematically targeted at schools and locations with greatest need.

Supportive structures to prevent and address corporal punishment and harassment are not in place.

Recommendations:

Develop and implement inclusive Safe School strategies implemented in partnership with communities.

Following NFE policy development, provision of adequate space for NFE and adult education.

Explicit strategies against corporal punishment linked to child protective systems, with community participation.

Nationally agreed minimum standards for child friendly schools.

SDG 4.b: By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, Small Island Developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programs, in developed countries and other developing countries.

Gaps:

Tertiary education falls under purview of the HEC Vision 2025, not provincial education sector plans.

HEC plan identifies disadvantaged students in terms of gender balance and “under-served areas”.

Recommendations:

Develop strong collaboration with HEC to develop contextualized definitions of “disadvantaged” students eligible for support.

Align existing bursaries and funding streams with broader plans to include disadvantaged students.

Enhance private sector collaborations to sponsor bursaries and places for specific groups.

SDG 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and Small Island Developing States.

Gaps:

There is a severe shortage of qualified female teachers.

Education sector plans do not consistently apply a strong gender and equity focus to recruitment, remuneration, management, of teachers, or provide for institutionalized social dialogue.

Teachers are not consistently provided key skills, such as multi-grade teaching and use of IT in teaching.

Continuous professional development (CPD) frameworks and certification systems are not yet uniform.

Recommendations:

Develop clear recruitment and management policies strong gender focus.

Explore innovative strategies to increase qualified female teachers including transferable qualifications, incentive structures and civil society partnerships.

Enhance coordination on training, qualification, certification and CPD frameworks, and incorporate IT, multi-grade teaching and inclusiveness.

Enhance focus on gender-focused recruitment and management to create more gender-positive and empowered workforce.

Evaluate mechanisms for institutionalized social dialogue with teachers.


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Achieving the SDGs requires a strong emphasis on monitoring, evaluation and quality data collection. As such, SDG indicators should be an integral part of education sector plan monitoring and evaluation frameworks, which in turn should be aligned with regional, thematic and global monitoring for SDGs. Monitoring and evaluation is led by the Academy of Educational Planning & Management and integrated with provincial/ area networks extending to district levels. While substantial data is collected through education management information systems and other means, there is a need to finetune indicators, coordinate with other bodies, and draw on household surveys. The table below shows the current situation with respect to data availability.

Available Available from other

sources Not currently available

SDG 4.1 Learning, completion, participation, gross intake

Overage children

SDG 4.2 Pre-primary enrolment Readiness, ECE participation.

SDG 4.3–4 Enrolment, participation (HEC, NAVTTC)

Previous year’s participation, skills

SDG 4.5 Equity cross-targets Mother tongue, allocations

SDG 4.6 Literacy (PSLM) NFE/ literacy participation, functional literacy

SDG 4.7 All indicators to be defined

SDG 4.a Water, sanitation (partial) School attacks (partial; other organizations)

Handwashing, information technology, accessibility, safe environment

SDG 4.b HEC

SDG 4.c Qualification and training (partial)

Teacher motivation, support

An implementation plan has been proposed to enhance alignment of education sector planning with Education 2030: Phase I: Consolidation – Review of all provincial/ area education sector plans to create

an understanding of gaps and opportunities for alignment with SDG-4 implementing strategies.

Phase II: Implementation – Develop a five year Action Plan on mainstreaming SDG-4 in education sector plans and track budgetary allocations for related areas.

Phase III: Coordination and Monitoring – Coordination at the national level will be led by MoFEPT, which will liaise with provincial/ area education departments.

To achieve SDG-4 in Pakistan, the next step is for MoFEPT to work with provinces, areas and sector partners to: Realign and prioritize policy goals and targets.

Identify and address implications for individual and joint planning processes.

Address implications for education coordination and management.

Address capacity gaps.

Meaningfully address implications related to finances and human resources.


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Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background

In 2015, the world embarked upon the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included ambitious global commitments to education in the form of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. To achieve this ambitious agenda, UNESCO Member States have adopted the Education 2030 Framework for Action. Education 2030 proposes ways of implementing, coordinating, financing and monitoring efforts to achieve equal education opportunities for all. It includes indicative strategies for countries to contextualize in light of their realities, capacities and existing policies and priorities. It represents a serious attempt at providing guidelines for overcoming deficits in implementing global reform. The vision for Education 2030 is articulated in the Incheon Declaration, which constitutes a firm commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recognizing the important role of education as a primary driver of development. The Incheon Declaration affirms that successful implementation lies in the government’s sphere of responsibility. It reiterates the need for legal and policy frameworks that promote accountability, transparency, participatory governance and coordinated partnerships. The declaration recognizes the urgent need for countries to commit adequate resources for education, including human, financial and technical, as well as the political will to take the steps required to achieve the goals of Education 2030. Efforts to achieve SDG-4 are underpinned by a need for strong global, regional and South-South collaboration. Streamlined coordination mechanisms, from the international to the national and sub-national or implementation levels, are critical for effective monitoring and accountability.

1.2 Education 2030 in Pakistan

Article 37-B of the Constitution of Pakistan (1973) provides that:

The State shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within minimum possible period.

However, this right remained non-judiciable for nearly 40 years. With the 18th Amendment in 2010, Article 25-A enshrined the right to education for all children aged 5–16 years into the Constitution:


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The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.

In 2010, the 18th Amendment also devolved responsibility for education to the provinces which subsequently developed education sector plans to guide their efforts to achieve national education goals. At the centre, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) coordinates with international development partners and provides a platform to provincial/ area departments of education for exchange of information and to create synergy, synchronization and harmony. In collaboration and coordination with provinces/ areas, the MoFEPT fulfils this mandate by spearheading the implementation of Education 2030/ SDG-4 in Pakistan. The MoFEPT regularly convenes the Inter-Provincial Education Ministerial Conference (IPEMC) to discuss key issues and make recommendations. In the context of a newly decentralized education system, the IPEMC has an emergent role in coordinating experience-sharing and policy coherence. Devolution offers opportunities to develop locally relevant, targeted approaches to education planning, but also raises challenges, particularly with the significant variations in capacity and resourcing between provinces and areas. For example the areas, particularly Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where administrative structures are relatively new, do not receive a share of revenue through National Finance Commission Awards. Within all provinces and areas, primary and secondary education falls under the provincial/ area departments of education. Responsibility for other aspects of education included under SDG-4 varies. The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) is the federal-level apex body that regulates, facilitates and provides policy direction for technical and vocation education and training (TVET), Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTA) act at provincial level, along with departments of industries or social welfare. Higher education is administered by the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC), and/ or a provincial/ area body. Non-formal education (NFE), a critical need given Pakistan’s large population of out of school children, is delivered by a range of public and private providers including the Basic Education Community Schools (BECS), National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and various provincial structures and civil society providers. The 18th Amendment provided provinces with significant legislative, fiscal and administrative autonomy, and offers significant opportunities for education, including efficient resource allocation and public service delivery, participatory development and highly focused initiatives that address specific needs at provincial and district levels. However, the process of decentralization also poses challenges. Devolved institution building is focused at the provincial level; lower tiers of governance lack capacity and face administrative challenges, and are yet to foster local accountability and inclusiveness. Nor are robust local mechanisms in place to reach out to marginalized children within communities such as ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, nomadic children or those from the most socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, or girls and transgender children. This occurs in social and cultural contexts in which education – especially for girls – is not highly valued. Creating community commitment to education such that all children learn, and all citizens have the opportunity to learn throughout their lives, is contingent on increasing


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the perceived value of education. This is only possible with high-quality learning that demonstrably leads to better life prospects for girls and boys alike. Whilst all education sector plans in Pakistan generally follow the direction set by the effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by providing access to education, much remains to be done to align education delivery along the SDG-4 agenda’s broader emphasis on quality, equity, and a focus on relevant and effective life-long learning. Pakistan’s long overdue census in 2017 highlighted the challenges of its growing population. With a population of 207.8 million, Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world, with a higher-than-expected annual growth rate of 2.4 percent,1 a full percentage point above the average for lower middle income countries.2 Despite this growing population, the share of education in provincial budgets has remained stagnant or declined.3 Thus, achieving Education 2030 will require renewed commitment at national and provincial/ area levels to provide political and financial support to education. In 2016–2017, provincial and area education stakeholders conducted a series of gap analysis exercises on SDG-4. These identified areas where education sector plans were already aligned with recommended implementation strategies to achieve SDG-4, as well as entry points for refocused planning; assessed the availability of monitoring data; and articulated implementation plans to bring education sector planning into alignment with Education 2030. The purpose of this national report is to synthesize the findings of the provincial and area gap analyses in order to assess trends in provincial and area education sector planning across Pakistan; identify gaps in existing plans to guide SDG-4 mainstreaming efforts in future planning; identify data requirements for monitoring and evaluation; and delineate channels for federal coordination between provinces/ areas and between sectors.

1.3 Organization of this report

Chapter 1 lays out the rationale and background of the SDG-4 agenda and the process established for its implementation in Pakistan. Chapter 2 elaborates the background of past efforts in education, describing Pakistan’s performance on the EFA and MDGs, and challenges at the national as well as the provincial and regional levels. Chapter 3 discusses education sector planning in Pakistan’s provinces and areas. It gives a brief summary of the implications, opportunities and challenges to SDG-4 alignment across Pakistan. Chapter 4 analyses the degree to which provincial and area education sector plans are aligned with the recommended implementing strategies for achieving SDG-4. Where appropriate, a table is provided showing the alignment of current education sector plans with the implementing strategies.

1 Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2017) “Provisional summary results of the sixth population and housing census 2017”. Available at http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/provisional-summary-results-6th-population-and-housing-census-2017-0

2 World Bank data on annual population growth. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW

3 Institute of Social and Policy Science (2016). Public financing of education in Pakistan: Analysis of federal, provincial and district budgets 2010–11 to 2016–2017. Available at: http://i-

saps.org/upload/report_publications/docs/1496496299.pdf


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Chapter 5 assesses data availability for the indicators for SDG-4 targets and discusses monitoring mechanisms across provinces and areas, up to national and global levels. Chapter 6 provides a brief overview of existing and proposed national mechanisms for coordinating the achievement of SDG-4 across provinces and areas.


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Chapter 2: Unfinished agenda

2.1 EFA progress from Dakar to Incheon: 2001–2015

Two major education policy interventions governed education during this period: the National Education Policy 1998–2010, and the National Education Policy 2009. The latter served as a reference and source of guidance for planners and education managers to widen access and improve quality of education. However, an effective institutional mechanism for coordinating Pakistan-wide “Education For All” (EFA) was weak, inconsistent and lacked institutional support from 2001 to 2010.4

Progress against key indicators: 2001/2002 to 2013/2014

Indicator 2001/2002 2013/2014 Target (2015)

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) gross enrolment ratio (GER)

28% 71% -

Primary adjusted net enrolment ratio (ANER) 57% 72% 100%

Adult literacy 47% 58% 73%

Primary ANER gender parity index (GPI) 0.72 0.87 1

Effective transition rate (primary to lower secondary) 71% 82% 100%

Availability of drinking water 49% 61% 100%

Source: Pakistan Education Statistics 2013–2014

Following devolution in 2010, education became a provincial subject but it was agreed that the National Education Policy 2009 would continue to guide planning whilst provinces and areas developed education sector plans (ESP). The MoFEPT took on a coordinating role, organizing the IPEMC for information-sharing and planning. In 2017, a new National Education Policy was approved with buy-in from all provinces and areas that includes goals and objectives aligned with Education 2030.

2.2 National challenges in the context of SDG-4

The Education for All Review Report 2015 found that key challenges to education in Pakistan relate to lack of access, poor quality of education, equity and governance. Other influencing factors include budgetary constraints and weak management, which indirectly accentuate lack of access and poor quality; and external factors such as poverty, insecurity, and devastation caused by natural disasters. These challenges interlink with poor teaching quality and absenteeism, truancy, lack of textbooks, etc. The cumulative effect is to reduce interest and motivation among students who are prone to dropping out from school, and with continuing implications for the achievement of SDG-4. Although the National Education Policy 2009 addressed many of Pakistan’s major issues in education, envisaged strategic actions and provided clear targets, an adequate implementation mechanism could not be instituted. Coordination was further weakened with

4 UNESCO/ Ministry of Education (2014). Education for All 2015 National review report: Pakistan. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229718E.pdf


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devolution and the lack of adequate mechanisms for shared strategies, resources and implementation; as systems were forced to adjust to new realities, procedural delays and financial and technical issues ensued. Access to education. While all provinces/ areas have seen steady increases in primary enrolment since 2005–2006, reaching a nation-wide primary ANER for children aged 5–9 years of 77 per cent in 2015–2016, severe inequities remain. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab exceed the national average while Balochistan, FATA, Sindh, GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are below average. Girls generally have much lower ANER rates than boys. While access to education has improved, the effective transition rate from primary to lower secondary school is 82 per cent, falling as low as 53 per cent for FATA girls. There are 5.0 million children of primary school age who are out of school, of whom 49 per cent are girls.5 About 18.8 children are enrolled in primary school, of whom 10.4 million (55 per cent) are boys and 8.3 million (45 per cent) are girls. About 77 per cent of children of primary school age are enrolled. In the public sector, the number of children enrolled in primary school has remained almost flat over the five year period from 2011–2012 to 2015–2016. Due to a range of reasons (including shortage of nearby schools, teacher shortage and absenteeism, poor teaching quality, poor school environment, family poverty, insecurity, natural disasters and other factors), 33 per cent drop out before completing primary school.6 Quality of education. In 2014, the National Education Assessment System (NEAS) evaluated attainment in Urdu (reading and writing), Mathematics, English (reading and writing) and Science by representative samples of Grade 4 and 8 students.7 It found that: Amongst Grade 8 students, only 31 per cent are proficient or advanced in Urdu reading

and 2 per cent are proficient or advanced in Urdu writing.

In Mathematics only 23 per cent are proficient or advanced at Grade 8 level.

Amongst Grade 4 students, 35 per cent are proficient or advanced in English reading and 14 per cent in English writing.

In Mathematics only 16 per cent are proficient or advanced at Grade 4 level.

This poor quality of education arises from low teaching capabilities due to an acute shortage of well-trained and motivated teachers, unavailability of quality learning materials provided in a timely manner, and a poor school environment. Curricula and assessment systems promote role learning and often fall short of international standards. A National Curriculum Council was established in 2014. Minimum Standards for Quality Education were developed following inter-provincial consultations and approved by the IPEMC in 2016. Inequities in education. There is a persistent gender gap in all aspects of education. Early childhood education (ECE)/ pre-primary enrolment rates are higher for boys than for girls. Adult female literacy is shockingly low (18 per cent) in Balochistan, with significant gaps between male and female literacy rates in all four provinces.8 Despite an average primary

5 Pakistan Education Statistics 2015–2016.

6 Ibid.

7 National Education Assessment System (NEAS) National Achievement Test 2014. Available at: http://library.aepam.edu.pk/Books/NEAS%20National%20Assessment%20Study%20Report%202014.pdf

8 Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) 2014–2015. Available at http://www.pbs.gov.pk/node/1650


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ANER of 85 per cent, KP displays a considerable gap (21 per cent) between male and female rates.9 Transgender persons are even further marginalized. Large inequities also exist by district, rural/ urban location, socioeconomic background, religious, linguistic and caste affiliation, disability and nomadic or refugee status. Since data collection does not necessarily disaggregate by all these factors, and private education/ religious schools (madrassas) are not fully captured in national statistics, the degree of inequity in education is not always fully understood. Budgetary constraints. Since devolution, Pakistan has seen gradual increases in education budgets; from 2012–2013 to 2016–2017, allocations have risen by 51 per cent.10 However the expenditure on education as a proportion of GDP remains inadequate at 2.6 per cent in 2015, below the average of 3.0 per cent across South Asia.11 This remains far below the lower end of the range of 4–6 per cent recommended in the Incheon Declaration. At the provincial level, in 2016–2017, allocations to education were 17 per cent of the total budget in Balochistan, 18 per cent in Punjab, 20 per cent in Sindh, and 24 per cent in KP. However, a significant proportion (79–90 per cent) of education budget allocations are to recurrent budgets, which, in turn, have significant shares allocated to salaries.12 In 2015–2016, 9–15 per cent of the allocated education budgets remained unspent, and shortfalls were particularly notable in development expenditure. Punjab spent 56 per cent of its allocated development budget for education, Sindh 77 per cent, Balochistan 79 per cent and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 91 per cent. Thus, there is a need to improve spending and efficiency to ensure that allocated budgets do not remain unspent due to shortfalls in evidence-based planning, management and monitoring.13 Weak governance. Sustained high-quality capacity and a conducive environment are needed to effectively implement education policies and plans but district and provincial education planners and managers often lack expertise. Financial constraints and recruitment policies contribute to inadequate school supervision, which may in turn lead to irregular or low quality service delivery by teachers and support staff. Community participation is not effective, thus educational quality is not adequately monitored. External factors. High poverty levels contribute to child labour, especially among boys, resulting in high dropout rates from school. Girls, too, tend to drop out in large numbers to help at home and to care for elders and younger siblings. Pakistan has experienced violent militancy in the past decade, with educational institutions, especially girls’ schools, regularly targeted. Security concerns have thus discouraged parents from sending their children, particularly girls, to school. Amidst regular natural disasters, two have been particularly devastating for education: a 2005 earthquake that destroyed over 6,000 schools in KP and AJK, and in 2010 and 2011, country-wide floods that damaged schools or turned them into temporary shelters. As climate change takes hold, Pakistan is increasingly prone to such events at large and small


10 I-SAPS (2016). Public financing of education in Pakistan: Analysis of federal, provincial and district budgets 2010–2011 to 2016–2017.

11 World Bank data on education spending. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK-8S&year_high_desc=false

12 I-SAPS (2016). Public financing of education in Pakistan: 2010–2011 to 2016–2017.

13 Ibid.


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scale, and there is a need to integrate and mainstream school safety planning and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the education sector. SDG-4 has a strong focus on education and learning throughout the lifecycle, from pre-primary through adulthood. As such, achieving SDG-4 requires not only a strong focus on basic education, but attention to other education sub-sectors. Early childhood education (ECE). There are no separate public sector pre-primary institutions, however some primary schools provide one-year pre-primary (‘katchi’) education without allocated resources or teachers. As such, the total enrolment at pre-primary stage was 8.7 million in 2015–2016, of which 4.5 million (52 per cent) was in the public sector and 4.2 million (48 per cent) in the private sector.14 Since 2000, all provinces/ areas have seen steady increases in ECE participation. While Punjab and KP demonstrate the highest gross enrolment, progress is also strong in Sindh. Technical and vocational education and training. At the federal level, NAVTTC is mandated by the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission Act, 2011, with devising institutional standards for TVET providers, and skills standards for trainees, developing curricula, a national qualification framework, analysing labour market information, training trainers and entering into public-private partnerships for TVET. Separate TEVTA bodies oversee TVET provision and accreditation in the four provinces and AJK. There are 3,746 accredited TVET institutions nation-wide, of which 70 per cent are in the private sector which, however, accounts for only 56 per cent of the total enrolment of 0.315 million (36 per cent female).15 However, TVET has long been a neglected area in Pakistan. The centres that exist are ill-equipped, and are not oriented towards emerging market needs.16 TVET has never been successfully integrated into secondary education and a meaningful qualification framework has not yet been developed and implemented. Adult literacy. An estimated 52 million adults (aged 15+ years) remain illiterate, of whom 62 per cent are women. Although youth (15–24 years old) literacy rates have increased, the pace remains slow, rising from 63 per cent in 2001/2002 to 72 per cent in 2012/2013. Punjab has seen the highest rate of increase (75 per cent), closely followed by Sindh (70 per cent). However, data on functional literacy or numeracy is unavailable. Tertiary education. Since 2002, higher education has been governed by the HEC through a series of five-year reform plans. Between 2010 and 2015, Pakistan experienced a 174 per cent increase in student enrolment.17 Funding for higher education remains low by international standards.

2.3 Provincial/ area challenges in the context of SDG-4

Balochistan. Balochistan’s scattered population amidst a large and rugged landscape poses specific challenges to SDG-4. A huge number of settlements (10,000 out of 22,000) are believed to lack schools altogether. Teacher capacity and poor community awareness are also challenges. However, in recent years Balochistan has received Global Partnership for Education support to improve access, quality and equity, and improve monitoring. Under this support, joint sector reviews are regularly conducted that offer opportunities for feedback loops and evidence-based improvement of its ESP. 14 Pakistan Education Statistics 2015–2016.

15 Ibid.

16 National TVET Policy Task Group (2014). Skills for growth and development: A draft national Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy – Consultation document. 17 Higher Education Commission. (2016). Overall assessment of the higher education sector. Available at:

http://hec.gov.pk/english/universities/projects/TESP/Documents/FR-Assessment%20HE%20Sector.pdf


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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Geography, natural disasters and insecurity all pose challenges to education in KP. Cultural reasons also contribute to low school attendance and high drop out rates by girls. In recent years, the province hosted large numbers of displaced peoples from neighbouring FATA which strained limited education services. In recent years the province’s major focus has been on strengthening governance to underpin future efforts to improve quality of education. Punjab. Punjab has stronger indicators than other provinces and areas, and has taken a lead in shifting focus towards quality. However challenges in equity remain. Whilst the gender gap has narrowed, over 11.4 million children are of school. There are significant disparities within Punjab between, for example, the northern districts and the very low development indicators in the south which was also severely affected by flooding in 2010–2012. Quality is hampered by weak capacity of teachers. A large number of students are in registered or unregistered private education, which use a wide range of curricula. Sindh. Sindh is home to Karachi, one of the world’s largest cities. The province demonstrates extreme inequalities: for example, 4.8 per cent of people in Karachi live in multidimensional poverty (including education dimensions) compared to 78.5 per cent in neighbouring Thatta district.18 Thus, provincial data often conceals severe disadvantages due to the inclusion of Karachi. Sindh was severely affected by floods in 2010–2012, with 14 per cent of all public sector schools destroyed. Like Balochistan, Sindh is the recipient of Global Partnership for Education support which focuses on systems strengthening (including the development of human resource monitoring system) and programme support. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The self-governing state of AJK has still not passed legislation guaranteeing free and compulsory quality education. Nor has it approved an education sector plan. Further challenges are posed as AJK does not receive a National Finance Commission award and thus struggles to finance education. Moreover it is still developing mechanisms to mobilize and coordinate donor support, collect education data, and coordinate amongst stakeholders. Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). FATA lags behind the rest of the country in education, particularly for girls. This is exacerbated by the security situation which led to militant activity directed at education and millions of people experiencing displacement. Whilst most of those displaced have returned, there is an ongoing need to rebuild education infrastructure. Availability of teachers is a major concern due to low adult literacy and cultural restrictions on women’s movement. Whilst using many of KP’s education services (curriculum and assessment, for example), FATA is federally administered. It is presently in transition as it undergoes “mainstreaming” to correct its anomalous position within the federation. This anomalous status leads to multi-layered decision-making structures and politicization, making structural change in education difficult to achieve. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). GB is not constitutionally a province, but has de facto province-like status since the GB Empowerment Act 2009. It is still in the process of developing policy frameworks and institutional structures and, like AJK, faces budgetary limitations as it does not receive a National Finance Commission award. GB’s extremely mountainous terrain and harsh winters render access to education a particular concern. There are also major challenges to quality and governance structures. Moreover, evidence-based policy making is hampered as GB is not covered in many important Pakistan-wide surveys.

18 Planning Commission of Pakistan, UNDP Pakistan & OPHI, University of Oxford (2016). Multidimensional poverty in Pakistan. Available at:

http://www.pk.undp.org/content/pakistan/en/home/library/hiv_aids/Multidimensional-Poverty-in-Pakistan.html


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Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). ICT is governed by the federal government through the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development which is responsible for primary and secondary education while tertiary education and TVET come under MoFEPT; coordination mechanisms are inadequate. ICT has the best education indicators in Pakistan and is unique in having a gender parity index exceeding 1 at primary level. Specific challenges include the widening gap between a rapidly increasing population and establishment of new schools, and the complexity of post-devolution administration. These contribute to poor teaching quality, truancy, lack of updated learning materials, teacher training and infrastructure, lack of complementary academic facilities and inadequate educational planning.


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Chapter 3: Education sector planning

3.1 Summary analysis of the provincial education sector plans

All provincial and area ESPs take as their primary focuses, access, quality and governance, with varying emphases within these. Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan ESPs are generally well-aligned with SDG-4, including strategies related to areas such as access, quality and governance. GB, FATA and ICT ESPs show a fair degree of alignment. With most ESPs now in the second halves of their cycles, there is an opportunity to identify entry points for SDG-4 to incorporate the latter’s priorities firmly into national, provincial, area and district planning. Generally provincial ESPs cover basic education, though some also include NFE and literacy. Furthermore, ESPs only cover public schooling, despite the significant proportion of Pakistani children in private education (37 per cent).19 Education sub-sectors that are included in SDG-4, such as ECE and TVET, may be guided by separate provincial policies and plans, but are not typically included in ESPs. As such, all ESPs that were formulated before Education 2030 show a need for a sector-wide, holistic approach to lifelong education, from ECD through formal and informal schooling, TVET and tertiary education. Whilst it is not expected that the ESPs should cover all areas under SDG-4, developing linkages and coordination mechanisms with the appropriate stakeholders is essential for the success of this holistic approach. Inclusive education, is another clear gap. Although its importance is acknowledged, the concept is rarely examined in any detail or understood to encompass more than children with disabilities. The lack of disaggregated data along various dimensions of vulnerability lies at the heart of this gap. The Balochistan ESP (2013–2018) places a high value on governance and management, as part of its strategic move towards decentralization in a province with small settlements scattered over a vast area. This geography informs many of its access related strategies, such as upgrading existing schools to offer higher levels of education, and community-based schooling models. Quality and management are also priority areas. As a beneficiary of the Global Partnership for Education, Balochistan conducts regular joint education sector reviews and has constituted local and district education groups. This structure, which brings together government and a wide range of development partners, enables education sector planning to be responsive and data driven and provides a foundation for SDG-4 coordination in the future. This is particularly useful at district level, where institutional structures are often weakest. The KP ESP (2014/15–2019/20) is an outlier within Pakistan in being, effectively, the first half of a ten-year education programme that includes within its strategic objectives the



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development of ESP 2020. The lesson it draws from shortfalls in achieving EFA is that there is a need to lay a foundation of strong education governance, access, teacher capacity and school facilities before significant action can be taken on areas such as quality, provision of TVET, adult education, special education or ECE (guided by a separate policy), all of which are to be included in a new ESP from 2020. The Punjab ESP (2013–2017) runs in parallel with successive phases of the long-running World Bank-supported Punjab Education Sector Reform Project. The province also runs regular enrolment campaigns. The ESP is intended to implement Article 25-A of the Constitution, improve quality, equity and governance, and explore public-private partnerships. With outreach largely the domain of regular enrolment campaigns and school facilities provided by the Punjab Education Sector Reform Project, the ESP focuses heavily on education governance and quality. The Sindh ESP (2014–2018) articulates an approach under which access and learning quality are tackled jointly, acknowledging the relation between low levels of learning and the province’s low retention and enrolment. It includes extensive strategies on ECE, NFE and teaching quality, as well as consolidated education provision. Like Balochistan, Sindh is supported by the Global Partnership for Education, under which an annual joint education sector review process has been established to review and revise the ESP and improve monitoring, with a local education group coordinating at provincial level and district groups operating locally. AJK has drafted an ESP (2016–2021) but it is yet to be finalized or approved. However, this also offers an opportunity to align the ESP with Education 2030 well before the plan’s original expiry date in 2021. The draft ESP as it stands is almost entirely focused on access to education. For most quality-related factors national-level policies and strategies are used, with no systematic localization. This is indicative of a need to advocate for increased political ownership of education in AJK. The FATA ESP (2015/16–2019/20) covers all levels of education from early childhood to undergraduate education along three strands of access, quality and governance with equity as a crosscutting theme. It recognizes FATA’s special circumstances and proposes appropriate strategies with a decentralized implementation process and a central monitoring mechanism. It includes a separate chapter on insecurity and violence. The GB ESP (2015–2030) is a long-term strategy to guide education. Since it intends to cover the entire period up to the target year for the SDGs, it is far more exhaustive than the KP equivalent. The relative youth of GB’s education sector and its lack of access to development funding through National Finance Commission awards is reflected in its twin focuses on developing institutions and providing a framework for donor contributions. Since 2015, the ICT ESP (2014–2018) has been supplemented by the Prime Minister’s Education Reform Programme which fills gaps and leads interventions related to infrastructure improvements. This dual approach carries both risks and opportunities: on one hand, it enables priority areas excluded from the ESP to be addressed; on the other, it prevents a joined-up approach, risking multiple streams of accountability, non-strategic funding allocations, and lack of sustainability.

3.2 Implications, opportunities and challenges

Alignment with SDG-4 / Education 2030 offers a unique opportunity for Pakistan in the context of recent devolution. The national effort is backed by political and institutional will through Vision 2025 (which broadly aligns with SDG priorities), and requires strong, sustainable coordination mechanisms between the centre and the provinces/ areas. This will


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lay the foundation for a sector-wide approach that will continue to benefit education planning and delivery long after 2030. For areas, in particular, which have a de facto province-like status, this is an opportunity to develop education institutions that are, from the outset, aligned with national and global development goals whilst providing locally relevant services. This is also an important opportunity to address the challenge of budgeting, particularly in the areas which do not receive National Finance Commission awards. This opportunity also poses a challenge. Achieving consensus between provinces and areas given their different starting points and priorities, and different places in the planning cycle, may hamper efforts to develop a unified understanding of national progress towards SDG-4 achievement. The alignment process is an opportunity to develop cross-sectoral coordination that breaks through siloes and enables, for example, TVET provision in secondary schools based on local employer needs, or alternative learning programmes that channel students into formal education. All provinces and areas have noted the importance of continuous high-quality continued professional development (CPD) and pre-service qualifications. Whilst some, such as Balochistan and FATA, suffer from a shortage of even minimally qualified teachers (especially women), a strong qualification and professional development system, particularly if linked to compensation, will attract applicants in the long term. The drive towards SDG achievement can, therefore, serve as a push towards a coordinated qualification system that will eventually allow transferable qualifications and encourage public-private or civil society partnerships, such as the Teach for All model,20 that support teacher placement in deprived areas. Evidence-based policies and actions pose challenges nationwide. All current planning is based on population data from the 1998 census, and projections do no necessarily account for population shifts as noted, for example, in the KP ESP. Many populations are omitted; Balochistan faces difficulty in identifying and accommodating unregistered Afghan refugee children. The 2017 census provides details of the latest population data. The SDG-4 alignment process is thus an opportunity to update data collection and reporting mechanisms including data in Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), bring provinces and areas into alignment, create channels for data from other sectors, and add ways to analyse and address exclusion along multiple dimensions. An important implication of this process is that it will, perforce, bring clarity regarding the coordinating role of the MoFEPT post-devolution. Whilst provinces and areas are now fully responsible for planning and delivering education services, the MoFEPT acts to create shared definitions and directions, provide advisory and consultancy services, facilitate knowledge exchange and resource sharing, and provide links to donors, other federal bodies, and international counterparts for South-South exchanges. In Balochistan, the alignment process has implications related to the legal and policy environment for education, the need to mobilize stakeholders, improve planning and resource allocation, expand collaboration and promote innovation. It offers opportunities to reform the curriculum, build partnerships and capacity, improve data, develop resource centres, achieve inclusive education, and enhance political commitment. However, major challenges relate to its low population density and difficult terrain, scarcity of resources (including qualified human resources), the multiple and unregulated education systems in existence and lack of awareness.

20 See: http://teachforall.org/


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In KP, alignment offers an opportunity to achieve its ESP’s aim to create a coordinated and quality-focused approach to ESP 2020. However, the province’s vulnerability to natural disaster and socio-political environment pose challenges. KP has already experienced years of insecurity, with horrific violence against education, and hosted large displaced populations from FATA and neighbouring Afghanistan. The alignment process in Punjab has implications related to the provincial efforts to achieve universal basic education, the need to coordinate with other related programmes, projects and government departments, focus on improved quality, peacebuilding, and enhanced policymaking. However, there are opportunities related to school-focused interventions, inclusive education and teacher training, as well as in partnerships with the private sector and civil society. An existing ECE strategy, institutional structures for literacy and NFE, school consolidation and scholarships also offer opportunities for success. However, data, infrastructure, school and teacher supply, coordination, finances, policy advocacy and community mobilization pose challenges. In Sindh, implications of the alignment process relate to accountability, governance and coordination, as well as sustainable growth and poverty reduction. This will require a focus on equity, inclusive education, education in emergencies, resource utilization and results-based implementation. The ESP is already well-aligned with SDG-4 and structures such as the local education group may accelerate implementation. Effective monitoring and evaluation, functional school management committees, curriculum review provisions, NFE structures, policies addressing gender disparities, ongoing debates on school facilities, and calls for robust budget allocations also offer opportunities. However challenges are posed by deficiencies in governance, coordination, data quality, teacher availability and capacity, infrastructure shortcomings and community engagement. AJK is the only province or area to have not yet approved an ESP. It is also yet to pass legislation guaranteeing free and compulsory education. Concerns raised by the lack of political will thus demonstrated are exacerbated by AJK’s other challenges, such as lack of a development budget that restrict large-scale improvements to education. Its ESP remains in development which offers an opportunity to align with SDG-4 whilst enhancing donor, policymaker and community engagement. The FATA ESP will need to be updated to include ECE and ECD, a Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education and textbook board, and a comprehensive assessment system. New schools are being established (80:20 in favour of girls’ schools), and scholarships for girls’ education are provided. Grassroots administration is weak and community buy-in minimal, with no local government structures. Politicization at all levels hampers efforts. Teacher capacity poses challenges, particularly following KP’s change in medium of instruction to English in 2013, and resources for middle and secondary schooling are inadequate. Mainstreaming madrassas remains an ongoing challenge. FATA’s long-running insecurity, in which schools were particularly targeted, has caused significant setbacks in an area which already had the lowest education indicators in Pakistan. Alignment in GB will require policy updates, particularly related to quality education and ECE. This will necessitate a gradual revision process. There are opportunities in GB’s substantial development and tourism potential, as well as its dynamic population and track record of successful project implementation. Major challenges include low population density and difficult terrain, lack of opportunities to develop TVET, scarcity of resources including physical and qualified human resources, gender biases, lack of reliable data, and inadequate provision of ECE and special education.


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In ICT, SDG-4 alignment has implications for policy (e.g. related to ECE, NFE and literacy), stakeholder mobilization and coordination, planning and resource allocation, capacity building and innovation. However, it offers opportunities to build social cohesion, achieve curriculum reform, build the capacity of the education workforce, improve data and planning, and achieve inclusive education. Strong political support for education in ICT offers an opportunity for the success of the alignment exercise. However, challenges are posed by ICT’s recent population growth, inadequately trained teachers and the existence of parallel education systems. The lack of a coordination mechanism between the Federal Directorate of Education on one hand, and areas where MoFEPT retains responsibility on the other, has adverse impacts on education planning.


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Chapter 4: Mainstreaming SDG-4

SDG 4.1

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. All provinces and areas with the critical exception of AJK and GB have now enacted legislation guaranteeing 10 years of free and compulsory education in accordance with Article 25-A of the Constitution. It is vital for AJK and GB to immediately enact this important legislation. While Education 2030 recommends that such legislation covers 12 years of education, the constitution only provides for 10 years (5–16 year olds). To date, only Sindh and ICT have introduced rules of business to implement this right. Minimum Standards for Quality Education were developed by the MoFEPT in 2016 and a new National Curriculum was published in 2017, following a review for quality and relevance. Both documents are aligned with this target. KP, Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and FATA have a Curriculum Implementation Framework in place, or provisions in their ESPs to establish one. Provinces and areas aim to conduct both internal formative, and internal/ external summative assessments, and most explicitly aim to move towards curriculum rather than textbook-based assessment. While external summative assessments (by NEAS under MoFEPT) have not historically led to meaningful reform, the current exercise (2016–2017) is the first to include a broad range of education providers (including government, private and BECS) in all provinces and areas, covering both winter and summer zones. Additionally, Punjab, Sindh and KP have introduced large-scale assessment exercises. There is thus an opportunity for Balochistan and the four areas to draw on the experience and capacity of their counterparts to develop large-scale assessments, and to ensure they complement, rather than duplicate, the sample-based national assessment exercise by NEAS. A total of 28 Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education conduct external examinations in grades 9 and 12 across Pakistan and have been criticized for assessment design, scoring and analysis.21 All ESPs focus heavily on institutional development and school governance. This is a particular priority in the areas (AJK, FATA, GB and ICT) where separate governance structures are relatively new. There is broad emphasis on community-led school governance by strengthening or establishing school management committees, particularly to enhance access and retention especially at the primary level, and to oversee and build school infrastructure. ESPs recognize the need to develop separate management cadres with

21 Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE) (2016). Assessment systems in Pakistan: Considerations of quality, effectiveness and use. Available at: http://www.sahe.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/EM-III-

Assessment-systems-in-Pakistan-2016-1.pdf


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specialized training and a gender focus, and to ensure that school leadership and local education managers have the capacity to fulfil their roles. A large proportion of education provision is in the private sector, and the four provinces and ICT all propose strategies for bringing these into mainstream education. A particular challenge to oversight is posed by madrassas and the FATA ESP, especially, examines this in detail, recommending for example that madrassa oversight be moved from the Home Department to the Department of Education. Alternative learning programmes to reach a broad range of out of school children – including those engaged in child labour, in madrassas and those who are overage – have been piloted across Pakistan.22 These are largely the responsibility of NFE and adult literacy departments and directorates as well as the BECS programme (see also the discussion of SDG 4.6) accordingly there is inadequate coordination with education departments that would enable out of school children to be channelled into mainstream schooling. Whilst provinces and areas have individualized approaches to language learning, Pakistan’s wealth of languages offers an opportunity to strengthen local cultures and develop exchange programmes for teachers and students to promote national unity. Linguistic minorities within provinces/ areas (such as linguistic minorities in Karachi) may also be catered to through these programmes. To achieve this target, the following actions are recommended: AJK, GB and FATA must immediately enact legislation guaranteeing 10 years of free

and compulsory education. With support from MoFEPT, all provinces and areas should implement rules of business to implement legislation, with strong language related to quality, equity and inclusiveness.

All provinces and areas should put in place a Curriculum Implementation Framework that includes a transparent and quality-focused process for developing learning materials and accompanying teacher training; review processes to ensure quality and up-to-date student-centred approaches and feedback mechanisms.

MoFEPT should coordinate the development and implementation of joined up assessment strategies in which NEAS sampled country-wide assessments are complemented by provincial/ area assessments, with channels to enable these to meaningfully influence education decision-making.

A strategy must be developed to incorporate madrassahs into education oversight structures and cooperate with private school associations.

Agreements facilitated between education and NFE departments will enable out of school children to be channelled into the formal education system as far as possible. MoFEPT should oversee the development of national standards and a certification process for alternative learning programmes, while provinces/ areas oversee delivery in partnership with private sector and civil society providers where appropriate. A 2017 agreement between the MoFEPT, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), UNESCO and other national stakeholders to strengthen NFE provides an opportunity to strengthen and systematize alternative learning programmes.

Provinces and areas should develop school language policies that are inclusive and appropriate to learners, and collaborate on language exchange programmes to promote national cohesion and support linguistic minorities.

22 See, for example, UNICEF Pakistan (2015) Alternative learning programmes in Pakistan. Available at:

https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/ALP_2014-15_BOOK_eVersion.pdf


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Balochistan and Sindh’s ESPs are well aligned with this target, with strategies in place for quality textbook development, assessment and bilingual education that also offer an opportunity to develop mother tongue ECE. These lay the ground for policy development related to alternative learning programmes for out of school children, though much remains to be done, particularly in Balochistan. Sindh conducts a large-scale assessment exercise, however this is not mandatory and participation is low. Mandatory participation by private and public schools alike will provide stronger data on education quality. KP is unique in taking a multi-cycle planning approach to achieving its education goals, and has deferred the development of quality strategies to its next ESP in 2020. The ESP also excludes a language policy, however the province has enacted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion of Regional Languages Authority Act, 2012, and a policy to introduce English medium education. Governance is a major focus of this ESP. Punjab also conducts regular assessments that provide important data on quality of education. Its ESP is well aligned with SDG-4. However, while it mentions Urdu and English language education, it omits mother tongue education. AJK is yet to approve an ESP. It is imperative that this be approved at once to guide the area’s efforts to achieve SDG-4. FATA’s ESP reflects the earlier stage of education sector development in the area and focuses heavily on decentralized governance that reflects the diversity of its component agencies. In terms of management, GB’s ESP focuses on creating institutional structures to oversee, implement and monitor education provision, both at the area level and, locally, by empowering head teachers and communities. SDG 4.1 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Policies and legislation that guarantee at least 12 years of free, publicly funded, inclusive and equitable quality primary and secondary education.

Provincial legislation enacted guaranteeing 10 years of free, publically funded education.

Define standards and review curricula to ensure quality and relevance.

National standards and curriculum developed.

Curriculum Implementation Framework and capacity assessment; quality textbooks.

Omitted from current ESP.

Includes development of standards for curriculum review.

Emphasis on research-based and contextualized curriculum, with curriculum authority, Curriculum Implementation Framework.

More robust, comprehensive assessment systems to assess learning outcomes.

Shift towards critical skills assessment and developing capacity to conduct diagnostic assessment.

Omitted from current ESP.

Review assessments for curriculum-based assessments; assessment for system diagnosis.

Focus on formative assessment and improved examinations. Curriculum-based assessment.

Strengthen institutions, school leadership, and governance.

Develop supportive political leadership, decentralized governance and managerial efficiency.

Improved data and developing district level management skills.

Strengthening management especially in rural areas.

Capacity building of head teachers and district planners, improved monitoring. Induction training for head teachers.

Alternative modes of learning and education

Develop policy framework,

Not included. Develop formal linkages between

See SDG 4.6.


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SDG 4.1 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

for out of school children and adolescents.

expand programmes and build capacity.

NFE and education departments.

Foster bi and multilingual education.

Develop school language policy and capacity to teach in mother tongue.

None, but there is debate in province on English vs mother tongue education.

Language policy balancing Urdu and English.

Sindhi and Urdu language education already exists.

SDG 4.1 AJK FATA GB ICT

Policies and legislation that guarantee at least 12 years of free, publicly funded, inclusive and equitable quality primary and secondary education.

Urgent need to enact legislation and to update and approve ESP.

No legislation enacted: federal legislation (10 years) applicable.

Urgent need to enact legislation.

12 years of education.

Define standards and review curricula to ensure quality and relevance.

National standards and curriculum developed.

Not included. Uses curricula from other provinces (primarily KP), proposes implementation framework.

Mandates development of a flexible, modern curriculum.

Curriculum Implementation Framework and develop curriculum review process.

More robust, comprehensive assessment systems to assess learning outcomes.

Aligned with national assessment regimes.

Not included. Formative assessment, curriculum-based examination.

Review standards and institutionalize assessment processes.

Strengthen institutions, school leadership, and governance.

District education elementary boards exist; CPD provided for education managers.

Decentralized decision making, empowered SMCs, improved management.

Expand roles of head teachers and communities in school management.

Focus on filling management and coordination gaps at higher levels, and head teacher and community roles at local levels.

Alternative modes of learning and education for out of school children and adolescents.

NFE provision through national mechanisms (NCHD, BECS).

Establish ALP programme.

Establish NFE and literacy centres.

Establish NFE unit and coordinate with other directorates to mainstream children.

Foster bi and multilingual education.

None. Review language policy and initiate pilot.

Multilingual education with emphasis on mother tongue up to Grade 3.

Not included, however language of instruction is predominantly English.

SDG 4.2

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. Universal quality ECE is the foundation for achieving other SDG-4 targets, particularly those related to equity and access (4.5), learning (4.1), literacy and numeracy (4.6) and global citizenship (4.7). Pakistan’s constitution does not include a right to free and compulsory quality pre-primary education. While most provinces and areas lack legislation mandating ECE (Sindh is the exception), there is general recognition of the need for policies and frameworks to ensure all children receive ECE. There is a need to advocate with provincial and area governments to update existing education laws and explicitly include ECE and early childhood development (ECD).


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FATA, Punjab and Balochistan have stated an explicit intent to create policy frameworks, and some form of ECE models (including the katchi model) exists in all provinces and areas. However, ECE is typically unfunded in public schooling, with rudimentary systems for professionalization or teacher development, and sometimes run by donor-funded pilots with limited timespans. There is little consistency as to ECE models, and minimal community understanding of the need for ECE and what it entails. It is thus essential that ECE provision be included in future ESPs as an integrated and adequately funded educational offering, acknowledging its unique curriculum, teaching and cross-sectoral coordination requirements, rather than an add-on to primary schooling. Private schools are major ECE providers, offering opportunities for public-private partnerships using vouchers. Moreover, a nationwide ECE qualification framework (ICT has taken an initiative here) accompanied by province/ area specific recruitment policies will help professionalize this service. Cross-sectoral coordination at this stage of life is a gap in all provinces and areas. For this reason, the process of integrating ECE into existing ESPs must be done using a cross-sectoral approach, with close coordination with departments related to health, nutrition, child protection and WASH along with development partners and private sector providers. ECE is not only beneficial for the child, it creates the conditions for women to become economically active by reducing their childcare duties. Thus, women’s development, social welfare and labour departments also have stakes in ECE. The Lady Health Worker programme, whilst lacking full penetration in many areas, remains the largest community health initiative. It has an important role to play in creating joined up holistic services from the first 1,000 days of life to ECE integrated with health and nutrition services. This approach has been initiated in Punjab. Balochistan’s ESP links child health and nutrition to its ECE framework, however these are not explicitly included in the strategic objectives. To achieve this target, all provinces and areas should: Pass ECE legislation and integrate ECE into their ESPs.

Develop institutional structures including mutually agreed qualification and recruitment frameworks for ECE.

Enhance cross-sectoral linkages with health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and other departments, creating a unified ECD framework to provide linked-up services from birth to primary school.

Allocate sustained funding to ensure schools in all communities have the physical and teaching capacity to provide ECE, involving communities and the private sector where appropriate.

Explore public-private partnerships in ECE provision, including voucher systems and government oversight of private provision.

Balochistan and Sindh’s ESPs are well aligned with this target, though both lack strategic objectives related to ECD and coordination structures. Balochistan should enhance its focus on equity in its ECE policy to include marginalized communities such as nomads, refugees and children in madrassas, and establish oversight structures. From a policy and planning perspective, Sindh is unique in having legislation stating that government “may” make provisions for free ECE for children above three years of age. However, implementation is slow: the approved ECE teaching cadre has not been budgeted and a proposed Directorate for ECCD is yet to be established.


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While KP’s previous ESP included objectives related to ECE, these are largely excluded in its current plan. The intent is to build institutional structures and then return to ECE provision in the next ESP, due to start from 2020. Whilst a strong foundation for ECE is extremely desirable, it is also important that current progress is monitored to prevent future delays. Punjab’s ESP aims to establish ECE in all schools though it, too, lacks cross-sectoral coordination. The UNICEF-supported phased whole-district approach,23 with cascade trainings, ECE rooms in schools and community involvement, provides a model that may be imitated across Pakistan. AJK lacks an approved ESP, which hampers efforts to include ECE. There is an urgent need to approve the ESP with ECE policies that emphasize cross-sectoral coordination and a whole-child approach. Under the FATA ESP, ECE programmes are to be included in primary schools that have an enrolment of at least 200 children. As FATA mainstreaming proceeds, this requirement should be relaxed, drawing on newly available funding streams for school rehabilitation to provide ECE to all FATA children. GB aims to include ECE in all primary schools or communities by 2020, however elevation of ECE from projects to permanent programmes will ensure sustainability. About 90 percent of ICT schools already offer ECE on a self-help basis. This may be formalized and integrated into the ESP. ICT also offers a model for expanding public-private partnerships under PMERP, which may be institutionalized by integrating into ESP and offers lessons for other provinces and areas. SDG 4.2 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Integrated and inclusive policies and legislation that guarantee at least one year of compulsory and free quality pre-primary education.

None, however ESP notes needs to create policy framework.

None None, but ECE policy development and models exist.

Yes, but range of ECE models exist.

Integrated multi-sectoral ECCE policies/strategies, with coordination among ministries responsible for nutrition, health, social and child protection, water/sanitation, justice and education.

Not included. Not included. Need to build coordination structures to include in next ESP is noted.

Not included. Not included.

Clear policies, strategies and action plans for the professionalization of ECCE personnel.

Institutionalizes ECE teaching but no mention of training.

Draws link to CPD planned in ESP, but not explicitly included.

Includes training for education managers, head teachers, teachers on ECE.

Strong emphasis on standards and capacity development, ECE recruitment policy and certification.

High quality inclusive, accessible and integrated programmes and services for early childhood.

Not included. Not included. First 1,000 days approach in PESRP, and coordination with LHW programme.

Not included.


Integrated and inclusive None. None. Intent to None. Intent to None. Intent to

23 Project overview available at: http://dsd.edu.pk/images/content-images/ece/Early%20Childhood%20Education%20Initiative%20in%20Punjab.pdf


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policies and legislation that guarantee at least one year of compulsory and free quality pre-primary education.

introduce ECE in selected schools and to develop ECE policy.

introduce ECE gradually in all schools.

introduce ECE in all schools, building on existence of ECE on self-help basis in 90% of public schools. Key gaps in ESP filled by PMERP.

Integrated multi-sectoral ECCE policies/strategies, with coordination among ministries responsible for nutrition, health, social and child protection, water/sanitation, justice and education.

None. Develop a policy on ECD in consultation with the Directorate of Health Services.


Clear policies, strategies and action plans for the professionalization of ECCE personnel.

None Includes teacher recruitment, training.

None. Develop standard teaching qualifications. Ongoing CPD for ECE.

High quality inclusive, accessible and integrated programmes and services for early childhood.

None None None None

SDG 4.3 and 4.4

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. The Education 2030 indicative strategies under SDG 4.3–4.4 are: Holistic, equitable and market-responsive evidence-based national policies and plans for

vocational skills development, TVET and tertiary education.

Cross-sectoral policies for TVET and tertiary education supported by effective partnerships.

TVET curricula that include work-related and transferable skills, entrepreneurial and ICT skills.

Policies and programmes for tertiary distance education.

Transparent, efficient TVET quality assurance systems and qualifications.

Quality assurance, comparability and recognition of tertiary education qualifications.

Flexible learning in both formal and non-formal settings.

Development of dual systems (combination of work and training) where appropriate.

International cooperation in cross-border tertiary education and research.

Since ESPs generally do not include TVET and tertiary education, tables describing the alignment of individual ESPs with these closely related indicative strategies have been omitted in favour of the qualitative discussion below. Across the provinces and areas, TVET, vocational learning and tertiary education are generally excluded from ESPs, falling instead under the purview of separate higher


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education departments, the HEC, NAVTTC, various provincial TEVTA bodies, etc. As such, SDGs 4.3–4 are not covered by ESPs, and coordination between these bodies and securing buy-in between sectors and provinces/ areas is essential to achieve these targets. Future ESPs in all provinces/ areas should therefore contain clear structures for coordination and data collection, to ensure these targets are achieved. In 2017, the HEC Vision 202524 governing tertiary education was published. SDG-4 related priorities included commitments to a three-tiered integrated tertiary education system (including the establishment of vocational education institutions), research innovation and commercialization (including international research collaborations), equitable access (through funding for distance education), quality of curricular offerings (including four-year courses consistent with the Bologna Principles, integrated work-study programmes and quality assurance frameworks). However, following devolution, Punjab and Sindh have established their own higher education commissions. The Federal Government argues that as per a 2011 Supreme Court decision, “the status of [federal] HEC shall remain intact unless it is changed through new legislation.”25 Agreement is essential on roles and responsibilities at provincial and federal levels in order to avoid duplication and to maximize collaboration. There is significant scope for improvement in TVET provision, as discussed in detail by the National TVET Policy Task Group.26 The development of a research-based national TVET Policy under the purview of MoFEPT, that includes holistic, equitable, market-responsive plans for TVET and vocational skills, is underway. Most provinces and areas have their own TEVTA or equivalent authorities, which the policy proposes will be responsible for TVET delivery. In all provinces and areas, however, there is a recognized need to enhance collaborations related to TVET. These include collaborations with education, youth, women’s development and social welfare departments, and demand-side collaborations with a broad range of government departments related to labour, business development, industry, agriculture, IT, tourism, forestry, water management, etc., as well as potential private sector employers and entrepreneurship incubators. There is also a wide range of public, for-profit and non-profit providers. While the draft TVET Policy proposes collaborations via the Pakistan Skills Partnership, it makes no specific recommendations. Involvement in programmes designed to enhance economic landscapes and supply chains (such as UNDP-supported supplier development programmes in KP and Balochistan) will enable a holistic and consolidated approach to vocational education. With careful planning, CPEC may also offer an opportunity for demand-driven TVET. With MoFEPT as a clearinghouse, and a strong coordination mechanism between NAVTTC and provincial/ area TEVTAs, there is an opportunity to ensure that TVET qualifications are comparable and transferrable. Vocational streams in secondary schooling have historically been unsuccessful, and the proposed National TVET Policy recommends a separate initiative to assess these and revise provision. Research to define training needs, develop competence-based qualifications, and

24 Available at: http://hec.gov.pk/english/HECAnnouncements/Documents/Announcement/HEC-Vision-2025.pdf

25 Mahmood, K. (2016). Overall assessment of the higher education sector. Higher Education Commission. Available at: http://hec.gov.pk/english/universities/projects/TESP/Documents/FR-Assessment%20HE%20Sector.pdf

26 National TVET Policy Task Group (2014). Skills for growth and development: A draft national Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy – Consultation document.


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identify and learn from success stories elsewhere (such as models with on-the-job learning at upper secondary schools),27 will be a critical first step. Balochistan’s ESP does not include TVET, however a Balochistan TEVTA policy is under development. There is an opportunity for Balochistan to provide skills training based on CPEC needs, but this is limited by capacity issues, limited access for marginalized groups, and Balochistan’s difficult terrain. The ESP covers tertiary education to the undergraduate level, and proposes the introduction of four-year degrees in two colleges. The KP ESP explicitly does not include TVET and higher education which will require collaboration with other departments, and focuses instead on building institutions to underpin collaboration in these areas in ESP 2020. In Punjab, the ESP recommends review of secondary school curricula to enhance relevance to the world of work, and to assess why technical streams have not been successful in schools. There is a need for linkages with the Higher Education Department and TEVTA, as well as to assess the integration of TVET into mainstream secondary education. Sindh’s ESP seeks to revitalize demand-focused vocational education in secondary schooling, in collaboration with TEVTA. It includes paid work-study programmes for children formerly involved in child labour and adults in literacy programmes. Tertiary education is not included in the ESP. In the absence of an approved ESP, AJK has adopted the national TVET Policy and National Education Policy 2009 to govern TVET and tertiary education respectively. Existing TVET provision is weak, particularly in terms of quality, entrepreneurial skills, communication training and ethics. Links with potential employers are weak. As the National TVET Policy is implemented, addressing these gaps will become a priority. Similarly, tertiary provision in AJK through its Directorate of Public Institutions (excluding five HEC-supported universities) is largely through two-year colleges, which require urgent upgrading to four-year colleges aligned with Bologna principles. TVET is not covered in the FATA ESP as it falls under the Directorate of Technical Education. FATA’s higher education is currently in transition as the area recovers from insecurity and embarks on a complex reform process. Its education challenges are such that tertiary education will necessarily benefit from close cooperation with institutions elsewhere in Pakistan. Nevertheless, FATA’s ESP proposes converting its two-year graduate programmes to four-year programmes, encouraging female enrolment, and rebuilding or upgrading existing facilities. Whilst GB’s ESP proposes an ambitious programme for establishing professional and TVET institutions, human and financial resources are lacking while institutional structures are relatively new. GB has identified tourism, forestry and CPEC as opportunities for growth in this area. Its difficult terrain renders GB a strong candidate for distance tertiary education. In ICT, TVET is not included in the ESP, but some aspects related to IT training are covered by PMERP. The National Institute of Science and Technical Education has the mandate for TVET in ICT and should be strengthened further to become a degree-awarding institute. Students with ICT domicile are currently excluded from higher education quotas which severely hampers their access to tertiary education.

27 Finnish National Board of Education (n.d.). Vocational education and training in Finland. Available at:

http://www.oph.fi/download/131431_vocational_education_and_training_in_finland.pdf


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SDG 4.5

By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. SDG 4.5 is a critical target in Pakistan, where children are deprived of the right to learn due to many intersecting vulnerabilities (including gender, rural/ urban background, disability, socioeconomic position, insecurity, etc.). Historically, however, efforts to promote access have lacked an equity focus that responds to these multiple forms of marginalization. Moreover, the focus on access has sometimes led to inadequate attention paid to retention – girls are considerably more likely to drop out before completing a full course of education. In Pakistan’s context, there is a need for explicit policies underpinned by adequate budgets to prevent discrimination or stereotypes in education (e.g. on the basis of religion, sect, ethnicity, caste or gender). With severe gender-based inequities in access to education especially at lower socioeconomic levels, the first implementing strategy (“Identify, monitor and improve girls’ and women’s access to and participation in education”) has for long been a major focus area and is covered in some manner by all ESPs, albeit using different approaches. Sindh and GB include gender equity as separate priority areas in their ESPs and have a correspondingly wide range of approaches, while Balochistan’s gender and equity focus is included under access and covers school establishment and community mobilization. In Punjab, equity is dispersed across various strategic areas and gender equity is not explicitly a focus area. Despite its low gender parity, the KP ESP does not have a strong gender focus, with key relevant initiatives included being schools upgradation and cash transfers. FATA includes as a strategic objective reducing the gender gap by 50 per cent through school establishment/ upgrading, community involvement and enrolment/ incentives. Equity more broadly requires attention and coordinated action through disaggregated data collection, studies to identify vulnerabilities to exclusion down to district level, and affirmative measures to include excluded children. UNICEF’s Out of School Children reports identify the vulnerabilities that exclude children in the four provinces (2013) and in GB and AJK (2016) and provide broad policy recommendations.28 A Simulation for Equity in Education exercise held in Balochistan offers a means of using simulations to assess approaches to addressing identified inequities, on the basis of cost, as well as effects on entry, retention, completion and learning.29 However, understanding marginalization also requires coordination between provinces/ areas; for example, children from nomadic communities regularly cross provincial boundaries, mother language education in one province might offer examples for educating children in other areas, etc. Similarly, there is scope for collaboration on blended distance learning programmes (proposed in GB and with potential applications in AJK, FATA and Balochistan) for remote or under-served areas.

28 UNICEF Pakistan (2013). Out-of-school children in Pakistan. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/overview_8436.html. UNICEF Pakistan (2016). Out-of-school children in Gilgit-Baltistan. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/GB_OOSC_-_Report_-_Compressed_-_Pakistan_-_2017.pdf. Out-of-school children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (2016). https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/AJK_OOSC_-_Report_-_Compressed_-_Pakistan_-_2017.pdf

29 UNICEF Pakistan (2016). Simulations for equity in education: Balochistan model. Available at:

https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/SEE_Final_Report.pdf


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At present, no province or area monitors exclusion in a way that captures a range of vulnerabilities and there is no consistent system for ensuring that plans, policies, budgets and curricula are free of gender discrimination or take a human rights lens. Working with planning departments and following the example of federal and Punjab education planning to incorporate gender responsive budgeting into the education planning process (both annual development and longer-term planning) will not only reduce discrimination against women and girls, it has been shown to have economic benefits in the long term.30 Sindh’s ESP includes the establishment of a Gender Unit focusing on curricula and textbooks. A useful approach might be the establishment of a Gender and Human Rights Unit at MoFEPT that provides on-demand consultancy services for all education policies and frameworks. With many areas of Pakistan vulnerable to disaster and insecurity, child centred disaster risk reduction and school resilience is increasingly important. All provinces and areas except GB and AJK already include disaster risk reduction and/ or education in emergencies in their ESPs. The National Disaster Management Authority, in collaboration with UNICEF, has piloted a School Safety Framework, and it is recommended that the overall framework be incorporated into all education sector planning, and budgeted and localized as required. With Pakistan’s first ever National Curriculum Framework published in 2017, there is an opportunity for all provinces and areas act in coordination to revise textbooks and teacher training materials to eliminate biases and promote human rights, promoting social cohesion by extending this framework to cover private and religious schools. There is a need for a systematic, well-funded approach to inclusive education across all provinces and areas, although some (e.g. ICT) continue to provide separate facilities for children with disabilities instead of including them in mainstream education. To achieve this target, therefore, the following actions are recommended: All provinces/ areas should develop and approve budgeted policies on gender, equity

and inclusion to guide education provision and mandate data collection and reporting along several axes of vulnerability including gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.

All provinces/ areas should adopt the School Safety Framework in partnership with provincial/ area disaster management authorities. GB and AJK should, as a matter of urgency, include child-centred DRR in their ESPs.

At federal level, a Gender and Human Rights Unit should be established to provide advocacy and support services to all provinces/ areas including policy, planning, budgetary, training and curriculum reviews.

Provinces and areas should strengthen their focus on inclusive education, developing horizontal linkages with social welfare and youth development, and assess inclusion into mainstream education through targeted incentives and involving communities in providing support to excluded children.

In Balochistan, gender imbalances remain with regard to the distribution of education resources. Moreover, traditional barriers remain strong. Initiatives such as the community action process provide models for achieving community buy-in, identifying marginalized groups, and enhancing demand.31 Its ESP briefly alludes to exploring IT for outreach for education delivery.

30 UNESCO (2010). Gender-responsive budgeting in education. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001894/189456e.pdf

31 UNICEF Pakistan (2008). Community action process in Kalat. Available at:

https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/Kalat_report.pdf


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Girls are not explicitly included in Punjab’s ESP strategies, though many education initiatives (such as the Girls’ Stipend Initiative) have a strong gender focus. These may be systematized through inclusion in ESPs. Recognizing the impact of sudden events on education in the past, KP includes emergency management planning and a drawdown fund intended to respond quickly and effectively. Informed by recent history, FATA’s ESP puts strong emphasis on access for children excluded due to insecurity, gender and disability, including gender-based affirmative actions and school safety planning. While GB has a strong focus on gender equity, there is a need for a monitoring mechanism to ensure girls’ and women’s access, participation and inclusion. There is also an urgent need to include and systematize School DRR. In ICT, Institutes of Special Education have the mandate to provide inclusive education and their number can be increased, while new centres may be established in affiliation with public schools and colleges. SDG 4.5 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Identify, monitor and improve girls’ and women’s access to and participation.

Major component of access strategies.

Not explicitly included in ESP, but major component of access strategies including cash vouchers.

Not included but major component of access strategies.


Identify barriers that exclude marginalized children and youth and institute affirmative actions.

Included. Not explicitly included, but access strategies include cash vouchers.

Focus on inclusive education.

Included.

Policies, sector plans, strategies and budgets to ensure non-discrimination and equality.

Not included. Not included. Not included. Not included.

Policies, sector plans and budget planning that include risk assessment, preparedness and response to emergency and conflict situations.

Emergency management plans and drawdown fund.

DRR planning and budgeting; education system diagnosis.

Education in Emergencies institutional structures.

A comprehensive approach to make schools resilient.

Develop DRR policy for education.

School Safety Planning.

Preparedness training; review of school building designs.

Teacher training and curriculum related to Education in Emergencies.

Distance learning and access to ICT facilities to facilitate learning in conflict zones, remote areas.


Review education sector plans, budgets, curricula and textbooks and teacher training to ensure that they are free of gender stereotypes and promote equality and human rights.

Not included. Not included. Gender-responsive budgeting.

Gender Unit to review curricula.

Use of multiple sources of Not included, Not included. Not included. Not included.


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SDG 4.5 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

data and information for monitoring of social exclusion including on children with disabilities.

however there is an entry point in strategy to expand EMIS.


Identify, monitor and improve girls’ and women’s access to and participation.

Not explicitly included.


Promoting girls’ enrolment, attendance, retention, with emphasis on data.

Gender-focused enrolment and completion.

Identify barriers that exclude marginalized children and youth and institute affirmative actions.

Not included. Affirmative actions for girls and children with special needs especially due to violence.

Focus on inclusiveness and financial support where required.

Inclusive education including community acceptance.

Policies, sector plans, strategies and budgets to ensure non-discrimination and equality.


Policies, sector plans and budget planning that include risk assessment, preparedness and response to emergency and conflict situations.

Not included. Prepare DRR policy.


A comprehensive approach to make schools resilient.

Resilient schools rebuilt after 2005. School Safety in curricula and learning materials

Prepare School Safety Plans.

Not included. Development of disaster preparedness mechanisms.

Distance learning and access to ICT facilities to facilitate learning in conflict zones, remote areas.


Review education sector plans, budgets, curricula and textbooks and teacher training to ensure that they are free of gender stereotypes and promote equality and human rights.


Use of multiple sources of data and information for monitoring of social exclusion including on children with disabilities.


SDG 4.6

By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. With low literacy rates in Pakistan, especially amongst women, youth and adult literacy programmes and non-formal education are critical to achieving this target. Adult literacy amongst women is substantially lower than amongst men, and although not specifically


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included in the indicative strategies, applying a strong gender lens to literacy programmes, and innovative means of targeting women in particular, are essential. Generally, numeracy is not explicitly included in literacy programmes. Moreover, traditionally the focus has been on increasing the numerical percentage of the literate population, SDG 4.6 marks a move towards functional literacy and proficiency. This entails a change in approach in evaluating literacy programmes and in data collection. There are a range of institutional structures covering youth and adult literacy, many overlapping with formal education and alternative learning programmes (see SDG 4.1). The latter are often geared towards young people who are overage for primary education. In Punjab, literacy comes under a separate Department for Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education; in Balochistan a Directorate of Literacy and NFE works under the Department of Social Welfare while in Sindh it comes under a joint School Education and Literacy Department. Aside from individual initiatives, AJK, FATA, GB, ICT and KP lack formal institutional structures for NFE and adult literacy altogether. Nationally, BECS supports NFE through home-based multi-grade schools for Grades 1–5, with an enrolment of nearly 0.5 million across Pakistan (over 56 per cent girls). An additional 0.3 million children are enrolled in NFE institutions operated by the NCHD while 1.5 million children are enrolled in Punjab Education Foundation institutions in that province.32 Supported by JICA, UNESCO and other development partners, MoFEPT, along with the NCHD, BECS, National Education Foundation and Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) are strengthening NFE systems by developing a national NFE policy, accreditation systems for NFE programmes, piloting NFE standards, curricula, learning materials and assessments, improved data collection and evidence-based management through a new NFE EMIS, and enhanced inter-provincial coordination. Furthermore, many private and civil society providers offer a constellation of models. Thus a crucial aspect of work at the centre is to support provinces/ areas in bringing together stakeholders and creating oversight and coordination mechanisms, providing south-south linkages to learn from other countries’ experiences, and acting as an information exchange centre for best practices. To achieve this target, all provinces and areas should: Work with MoFEPT to drive forward the NFE agenda, including the development of

uniform, nationally-accepted definitions related to NFE and adult literacy, with a numeracy component, develop national assessment and certification frameworks for literacy programmes, and collect consistent and comparable data on literacy and numeracy.

Develop clear strategies on scaling up successful models by drawing on surveys and robust evaluations, in collaboration with NCHD, BECS, provincial NFE providers, civil society organizations and the private sector.

In the case of ICT, it may be beneficial to share the NFE and adult literacy initiatives of neighbouring provinces (Punjab or KP), perhaps using an outsourcing model, instead of creating new ones for a small region with strong education indicators.

Partner with employers in agriculture, mining, brick kilns and other labour-intensive sectors to provide evening literacy and numeracy courses at the workplace.



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Balochistan proposes to develop a policy framework covering literacy and alternative learning programmes at the provincial level. However, its definitions are not consistent with those in the rest of Pakistan and are not subject to consistent evaluation. In Sindh, literacy and NFE comes under the education department and the ESP accordingly contains detailed strategies related to NFE and adult literacy, including policy development, mapping out successful models and areas of need, competency frameworks, budgeting, standards and monitoring. KP explicitly does not include adult education in its ESP, stating that this will require collaboration with other departments. Instead, it focuses on building institutions to underpin such collaborations in its next ESP, in 2020. In Punjab a separate department is responsible for literacy and non-formal education and is in the process of finalizing a policy for the province. There is a need for closer coordination with the School Education Department to ensure that definitions, strategies and plans align with SDG-4 and data collection mechanisms are in place. No specific structures exist for adult literacy and NFE in AJK and these are not covered in the draft ESP. The area relies instead on national initiatives such as NCHD and BECS. No strategies exist in FATA, however the FATA Education Foundation has established non-formal schools for adults and children. GB’s ESP recommends the establishment of NFE and literacy centres using community-provided spaces where government schools do not exist but there is no coherent NFE policy or institutional structure. The establishment of a Non-Formal Curriculum Unit in the Directorate of Education is underway. ICT does not have any strategies or institutional structures related to NFE and adult literacy. SDG 4.6 Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Establish a sector-wide and multi-sectoral approach for formulating literacy policy and plans and budgets.

National NFE policy and institutional structures are under development.

Proposed in ESP.

None. None. Covered in ESP.

Ensure quality literacy and numeracy programmes based on national evaluation mechanisms and tailored to needs.

Proposed in ESP, but evaluation mechanisms not included.

None. None. Provincial evaluation mechanisms are under development.

Scale up effective adult literacy and skills programmes involving civil society as partners.

ESP provides for scale-up of successful models.

None. Not covered in ESP; a separate strategy is under development.

ESP provides for scale-up of successful models.

Develop a literacy assessment framework and tools to evaluate proficiency levels based on learning outcomes.

None. None. None. Proficiency not included.

Establish a system to collect, analyse and share relevant and timely data on literacy and numeracy levels and needs.

None. None. None. Proposed in ESP.


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All indicative strategies None. None. None. None.

National NFE policy and institutional structures are under development.

SDG 4.7

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. The Education 2030 indicative strategies under SDG 4.7 are: Develop policies and programmes to promote and bring education for sustainable

development and global citizenship education into the mainstream of formal, non-formal and informal education.

Provide learners with opportunities to acquire, throughout life, the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to build peaceful and sustainable societies.

Ensure that education acknowledges the key role that culture plays in achieving sustainability.

Support the development of more robust assessment systems for education for sustainable development and global citizenship education.

Promote an interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder approach to ensure education for sustainable development and global citizenship education in all forms of education.

SDG 4.7 relates to emerging concepts in learning that are generally not clearly articulated and included in current provincial/ area ESPs. As such, it is a priority area to be further enhanced, explicitly formulated and budgeted in forthcoming ESPs. As programmes and interventions related to this target are presently largely absent, tables describing the alignment of individual ESPs with these indicative strategies have been omitted in favour of the qualitative discussion below. No province or area currently includes strategies that will help achieve this target. Given Pakistan’s vulnerability in recent years to militancy and sectarianism, fulfilling SDG 4.7 in all forms of education – public schooling, religious seminaries, non-formal education and private schooling – is a national priority. In 2017, the launch of a new National Education Policy and National Curriculum Framework laid the foundations for the achievement of this SDG target. The National Curriculum Framework 2017 includes guidelines on values including global citizenship and is an unprecedented opportunity for provinces to work with related sectors including education, social welfare, women, youth, religion, minority affairs, sport, culture, IT and climate change, and in partnership with civil society organizations, religious, cultural and linguistic groups, volunteer organizations, and representatives from marginalized communities, to conceptualize a locally relevant vision that fulfils Pakistan’s international commitments to human rights and sustainable development. A strong emphasis on digital citizenship. Guided by the methodologies developed by UNESCO,33 the MoFEPT should lead the process of defining guidelines on global citizenship education using a local and culturally appropriate lens, and selecting indicators for assessing success against this target.

33 See http://mgiep.unesco.org.


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UNESCO guidelines for policymakers on preventing violent extremism through education,34 UNICEF’s social cohesion and resilience pilot,35 or the Sabaoon Project in Swat, provide guidelines and models related to specific areas of peacebuilding, while initiatives related to child-centred disaster risk reduction and school safety by the National Disaster Management Authority and its provincial counterparts will provide channels to introduce children to climate change and sustainability. Following this methodological and definition work, provincial education departments must collaborate with education providers at all levels – formal and informal, private and public to incorporate these materials into learning throughout the lifetime via, for example, civics and ethics textbooks, volunteering and community participation. Crucially, this content should be incorporated into pre- and in-service teacher training. The following actions are recommended to achieve this target: Guided by the National Education Policy, National Curriculum Framework, and

methodology work by UNESCO, the MoFEPT should take a convening role to encourage cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships within and outside government to define content, forms and measurement tools for locally appropriate global citizenship education.

Provincial and area education departments should articulate the global citizenship target in their ESPs, refining existing strategies where available, relating it to local needs (such as peacebuilding, tolerance, DRR, gender equality and digital citizenship) and incorporate it into lifetime education through revised textbooks, volunteering and community participation.

Particular attention is required to incorporate the values of global citizenship, tolerance and environmentalism into pre- and in-service teacher training.

FATA’s ESP recommends evaluating key educational inputs to improve attitudes towards tolerance and non-violent behaviour, specifically in textbooks for children in areas affected by insecurity. GB’s ESP does not have explicit strategies but includes a long-term goal for learners to become “democratic citizens” with values of respect and tolerance. No other ESP includes provisions that relate to SDG 4.7.

SDG 4.a

Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all. All provinces and areas have implemented measures to ensure schools are safe and free from violence. However, there are no comprehensive strategies to do so. Thus, over-arching Safe Schools strategies that adhere to child protective norms, and are disability and gender sensitive, should be developed in each province/ area.

34 UNESCO (2017). Preventing violent extremism through education: A guide for policy-makers. Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002477/247764e.pdf

35 SAHE Society for the Advancement of Education (2016). Promoting social cohesion and resilience in education: Progress report and end of project recommendations. http://www.sahe.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SCR-phase-2-report-Promoting-Social-Cohesion-and-Resilience-in-Education-20161.pdf


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School infrastructure is an important area of focus across provinces/ areas. Overcrowding is a major deterrent and poses a significant challenge to access to education. Existing built infrastructure is weak – half of schools have no electricity and a third have no drinking water, sanitation or boundary walls. Additionally, there are not enough classrooms in many schools; notably, dedicated ECE classrooms do not exist. GB, Punjab and Sindh specify the need for gender appropriate construction. At present, internet facilities are not included in ESPs, though growing coverage of mobile data may, in the future, create an opportunity for public-private partnerships to introduce connectivity. The division of resources between schools is generally not approached strategically. In many cases, limited funding and a dependence on donor funding and project-based approaches lead to specific schools and locations being targeted not because they have the greatest need or serve the most socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, but due to access, existing projects and infrastructure, donor priorities or even political reasons. Whilst all provinces/ areas correctly prioritize provision of the most basic facilities (such as water and shelter) across all schools, Sindh also proposes the development of district-wise school infrastructure development plans, that offer an opportunity for equitable resourcing in the future. With NFE and adult literacy being broadly de-emphasized in ESPs, provisions to ensure that learning spaces are widely available are absent except in the Sindh ESP. The BECS initiative is a major provider of NFE, relying on home-based classrooms donated by communities. However, the MoFEPT-led initiative in 2017 to develop NFE institutional and policy structures provides an opportunity to strengthen this provision in the future. Protection from violence is an area of concern in Pakistan. In schools, corporal punishment is common and there are few limitations against bullying by staff or other students. Schools and students are also vulnerable to violent attack in many parts of the country. Eradicating violence within schools requires robust policies, buy-in by communities, the establishment of child protective channels (such as designated child protection reporters), and accountability for teachers. At present, while ESPs prohibit corporal punishment and recommend measures against harassment, supportive structures are not in place. The following actions are recommended to achieve this target: All provinces/ areas develop Safe Schools strategies that are child, disability and gender

sensitive, and speak to specific vulnerabilities experienced by children in local contexts. These strategies should be implemented in partnership with school management committees, making communities custodians of their local schools.

Following the development of the national NFE policy, context-specific provision of adequate space for NFE and adult education (whether through second-shift schooling, community spaces such as mosques, or in homes) should be included in future NFE strategies at provincial/ area level.

Develop explicit and unified nationwide strategies to address corporal punishment and violence in schools, with community mobilization efforts to implement codes of conduct, teacher training and links to career progression in all provinces and areas. As child protective systems develop in each province/ area, develop links including mandated reporters in communities.

Develop nationally-agreed minimum, desirable and optimal standards for child-friendly schools.

As part of its emphasis on missing facilities and schools, Balochistan proposes a review of current facilities based on its EMIS. A large number of “ghost schools” which exist only on paper have already been revealed. The province emphasizes community mobilization to shift


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attitudes to corporal punishment. It also proposes “child friendly school designs”, however no standards have been created. KP focuses on providing missing facilities in schools and reopening non-functioning schools. Punjab is reviewing infrastructure standards. Outside the ESP, the province is enhancing security measures against violent attack and planning inclusive infrastructure. It also proposes awareness campaigns against corporal punishment and child-friendly approaches. Sindh offers a detailed plan related to school infrastructure at all levels, and aside from policies related to gender and violence, is broadly in line with Education 2030. AJK is in urgent need of school improvement plans to address shelter-less schools, ensure earthquake-safe construction, provide missing facilities and involve school management committees. Despite the heavy burden of disability after the 2005 earthquake, there is no strategy for inclusive infrastructure, and protection from violence is also absent. FATA, which has suffered greatly from school attacks, includes as a strategy the minimizing of effects of violence on education. In this context, school safety planning and disaster risk reduction should be included as major areas of focus. GB emphasizes gender and disability sensitive construction, with the development of minimum standards applicable to all schools. It also seeks to ban corporal punishment. ICT’s population growth has outstripped school supply, and there is an urgent need to build new schools. SDG 4.a Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Institute comprehensive, multifaceted and cohesive gender- and disability-sensitive policies, that ensure schools are safe and free from violence.

No comprehensive strategy.




Ensure that every institution has water, electricity, working, accessible and gender-segregated toilets, adequate and safe classrooms, appropriate learning materials and technology.

Built infrastructure included, but accessibility and learning technologies excluded.

Built infrastructure included, but accessibility and learning technologies excluded.

Built infrastructure included, with provision for accessibility and learning technologies.

Built infrastructure included, with provision for accessibility and learning technologies.

Ensure resources are allocated equitably between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged schools and learning centres.

No such strategy.

No such strategy.

No such strategy. No such strategy.

Make learning spaces and environments for non-formal and adult learning and education widely available.

Not in ESP, but limited availability.




Establish policies and strategies to protect learners, teachers and staff from violence.

Awareness campaigns and teacher training on corporal punishment.

None. Awareness campaign against corporal punishment.

None.


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SDG 4.a AJK FATA GB ICT

Institute comprehensive, multifaceted and cohesive gender- and disability-sensitive policies, that ensure schools are safe and free from violence.





Ensure that every institution has water, electricity, working, accessible and gender-segregated toilets, adequate and safe classrooms, appropriate learning materials and technology.

Plan to ensure schools have toilets and adequate classrooms, but some shelter-less schools exist.

Phased introduction of missing facilities.

Built infrastructure with specific mention of accessibility and gender needs.

Built infrastructure included, but the number of schools is inadequate against need.

Ensure resources are allocated equitably between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged schools and learning centres.

No such strategy.

No such strategy.

No such strategy. No such strategy.

Make learning spaces and environments for non-formal and adult learning and education widely available.





Establish policies and strategies to protect learners, teachers and staff from violence.

Develop policy against corporal punishment including awareness, prevention and punitive measures.

Ban corporal punishment and bullying.

Review education code regarding corporal punishment. Develop school policy on prevention of violence based on risk assessment and mitigation.

SDG 4.b

By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, Small Island Developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries. The Education 2030 indicative strategies under SDG 4.b are: Mechanisms, programmes and policies for international scholarship programme

reflecting national development contexts, priorities and plans.

Scholarship opportunities targeting young women and men from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Joint programmes between universities in the home country and the recipient country to prevent ‘brain drain’.

Increase numbers/beneficiaries for in-country scholarships.

Since higher education is generally not included in provincial/ area ESPs, tables describing the alignment of individual ESPs with these indicative strategies have been omitted in favour of the qualitative discussion below.


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SDG 4.b, which relates to international and domestic scholarship opportunities, falls largely under the purview of the federal HEC; none of the provincial or area ESPs includes strategies that are directly aligned with this target. As such, progress monitoring and achievement are both contingent on collaborations between the MoFEPT and HEC and a shared vision for extending opportunities to marginalized students in the context of limited resources. HEC’s Vision 2025 has identified national priorities to guide international scholarships, including joint programmes that may prevent brain drain. The Vision also includes increased in-country scholarships, loan programmes, tuition waiver and laptop programmes, and fundraising for disadvantaged students. However, the plan identifies disadvantaged students only in terms of male/ female gender balance and those from “under-served areas”. Provincial and area higher education departments can play a role in identifying marginalized students, appropriate affirmative action policies and providing support (such as language learning) to accommodate special needs. There is also an opportunity to draw on private sector organizations, overseas Pakistani groups, foundations, auqaf and corporate social responsibility programmes to establish scholarships targeted at specific marginalized groups within provinces and areas. To achieve this target, the following actions are recommended: Provinces and areas collaborate with HEC to develop clear, contextualized definitions of

“disadvantaged students” eligible for support, and constitute expert selection panels to eliminate political influence in awards.

Align existing bursaries and funding streams for marginalized students (eg the Punjab Education Endowment Fund) with broader plans to include disadvantaged students in higher education.

Work with private sector partners and other funding streams to sponsor bursaries and places in higher education for marginalized students from specific provinces and areas.

SDG 4.c

By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and Small Island Developing States. Recruitment policies for new teachers are not a major area of focus in current ESPs, except in Sindh, FATA and ICT. AJK has introduced third-party evaluation for teachers; Punjab notes a need for improved testing for teacher recruitment but does not have specific gender-focused policies for teacher recruitment. In practice, however, the shortage of qualified female teachers is a concern across Pakistan, and especially in FATA and Balochistan, and a gender review of teacher recruitment across the board would be beneficial. A stronger focus is required on ensuring gender-focused and equitable teacher recruitment and management, not just in support of girls’ education, but to create a more gender-balanced and positive workforce. The HEC’s Vision 2025 includes as one of its components pre-service teacher training programmes for 150,000 teachers annually. Pre-service teacher training is shifting towards four-year programmes in all provinces/ areas, and this partnership with HEC offers an opportunity to ensure that pre-service skills-based training is universal, and to explore in-service courses at international universities. Minimum qualifications for teachers have been


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outlined, covering all provinces and areas, in the Minimum Standards for Quality Education (2016), and are also outlined in the National Education Policy 2017. ESPs emphasize the need for consolidated CPD. In Punjab, this is delivered by the Directorate for Staff Development which is mandated also to develop and implement training standards; KP intends to create a similar body. Sindh proposes that its Professional Development Centre develop a mentoring and support system. Nationally, there is also a strong move towards CPD frameworks, certification systems and links with career progression. Multi-grade teaching, whilst undesirable, is a reality in all provinces/ areas, and a focused CPD plan will improve teacher skills in this specific area. This is also an opportunity to provide mandatory IT training that can support blended or distance learning in remote or under-served areas, filling a gap in ESPs except Sindh and Punjab. ESPs have robust strategies to improve teacher education and training, and there is a positive move towards systematizing both pre-service training through institutions accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education/ HEC and CPD through provincial delivery systems. At the national level, coordination on CPD frameworks might benefit all provinces and areas to avoid reduplication of efforts and to create shared certification processes for private CPD providers. To achieve this target provinces and areas are recommended to: Develop and conduct gender review of policies, including related to recruitment and

remuneration, to attract and retain qualified female teachers.

Evaluate and pilot strategies to enhance teacher recruitment in under-served areas, such as transferable qualifications, incentives for working in such areas such as provision of accommodation, transportation and security, and creative collaborations with civil society to recruit, train and deploy teachers.

Enhance gender-focused and equitable recruitment and management to create a more gender-balanced, representative and empowered workforce in education.

Enhance coordination to develop nation-wide qualification, certification and CPD frameworks.

Ensure crucial skills related to IT, multi-grade teaching, blended learning and inclusive practices are included in pre-service training and CPD.

Develop mechanisms for institutionalized social dialogue with teachers.

Balochistan’s ESP includes a plan to create a system of continuous CPD for in-service training, with enhanced provincial capacity to review training quality. To account for the shortage in teachers, it recommends relaxing qualification standards in some cases. KP aims to create a consolidated CPD system governed by a single institution, and bringing together the many approaches and projects currently in existence. Punjab has a highly developed CPD programme and intends consolidate it further through an approved Punjab Strategy for Teacher Education, increased alignment with curricula, and standards for pre- and in-service training. The Sindh ESP covers most aspects of teacher recruitment, training and management, including provision for gender-focused policies, pre-service training and CPD. It has a particularly strong focus on management policies, including gender audits and policies to prevent discrimination.


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Without an approved ESP, AJK has few defined strategies related to teacher development and is in urgent need of a systematic approach designed according to its needs. In FATA, the shortage of qualified female teachers is a major issue; indeed, many current teachers commute from KP, and there is a concentration of teachers in more accessible urban areas. Accordingly, the ESP emphasizes recruitment of female teachers. FATA is in the process of development strong CPD systems and converting to a four-year qualification programme. Since FATA has a severe teacher shortage, emphasizing IT in CPD may help create a foundation for blended distance programmes. GB seeks to achieve parity in the number of male and female teachers and to focus on developing training colleges and programmes. It links appraisals to CPD. ICT includes detailed plans related to recruitment in its ESP, including assessment of future needs and the development of a transparent recruitment framework. A set of recruitment rules has been introduced in schools under the PMERP. Although ICT has low gender disparities in education, the assessment is an opportunity to enhance the gender focus. An ongoing CPD programme is targeting all ICT teachers and will be made mandatory for promotion, however there is no permanent institutional arrangement and lack of sustainability is a concern. SDG 4.c Balochistan KP Punjab Sindh

Gender-sensitive strategies to attract the best and most motivated candidates to teaching.

Recommends merit-based recruitment.


No provision for gender-focused recruitment strategies.

Increase female teachers, gender quotas, review recruitment rules.

Review, analyse and improve the quality of teacher training (pre-service and in-service).

Pre-service education programme. Development of consolidated CPD system.

Redevelop primary teacher training. Managing institution for CPD.

Punjab Strategy for Teacher Education to be approved.

Quality assurance for pre-service training. CPD framework and support. Accreditation and certification. Enhanced CPD opportunities.

Develop a qualifications framework for teachers, teacher trainers, teacher supervisors and inspectors.

The Minimum Standards for Quality Education (2016) have outlined nation-wide standards for teachers. Standards are also outlined in the National Education Policy (2017).

Develop and implement inclusive, equitable and gender-sensitive teacher management policies that cover recruitment, training, deployment, remuneration, career development and working conditions.


Aims to redevelop teaching employment rules which offer opportunity for equitable policies.

Gender balanced managerial approach.

Substantial measures, including gender audits, anti-discrimination policies, gender-related management capacity.

Provide teachers with adequate technological skills to manage the information and communication technology.



Included, with special mention of use in multi-grade teaching.

Included.

Mechanisms for institutionalized social dialogue with teachers and their representative organizations.


Not explicitly included, however employment rule changes with union buy-in.



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SDG 4.c AJK FATA GB ICT

Gender-sensitive strategies to attract the best and most motivated candidates to teaching.

Draft ESP does not include gender-sensitive strategies.

Strategies on female recruitment.

Target to achieve gender parity in recruitment.

Assessments of recruitment process proposed.

Review, analyse and improve the quality of teacher training (pre-service and in-service).

Pre-service training by universities.

Faculty development plan, move to four-year pre-service training. Evidence-based CPD and managing institution.

Up-to-date training programmes, with new teacher colleges and professional support.

Implement teacher education standards. Comprehensive CPD programme, aligned with curricula. Monitoring. However, CPD is not provided under ESP umbrella.

Develop a qualifications framework for teachers, teacher trainers, teacher supervisors and inspectors.

The Minimum Standards for Quality Education (2016) have outlined nation-wide standards for teachers. Standards are also outlined in the National Education Policy (2017).

Develop and implement inclusive, equitable and gender-sensitive teacher management policies that cover recruitment, training, deployment, remuneration, career development and working conditions.

Not included in ESP.

Includes gender awareness for management and proactively aims to reduce gender imbalances in management.

Aims for gender parity amongst teachers.


Provide teachers with adequate technological skills to manage the information and communication technology.


Not included. Not included, but provides for IT-equipped teacher support centres.

Not included.

Mechanisms for institutionalized social dialogue with teachers and their representative organizations.

Not included in ESP.

Included. Not included. Not included.


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Chapter 5: SDG-4 monitoring and evaluation

The Incheon Declaration calls on countries to: develop comprehensive national monitoring and evaluation systems in order to generate sound evidence for policy formulation and the management of education systems as well as to ensure accountability. The multiple levels of monitoring proposed by the SDG framework highlight the importance of national and regional measurement. Indicators for SDG monitoring should be an integral part of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks for national and provincial/ area ESPs, taking into account the context and existing conceptual frameworks. These frameworks should be aligned with, and serve regional, thematic and global monitoring for SDGs as part of an integrated M&E architecture.

5.1 Monitoring SDG-4 indicators – summary analysis

SDG 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. Learning: Data on learning at primary and lower secondary level is available from NEAS sample-based assessments. From 2016–2017, NEAS assessments are conducted across all provinces and areas, in both winter and summer zones, providing a more representative sample. While there is no national learning assessment during primary school, NEAS assessments in Grade 4 and Grade 8 provide representative learning data at the end of primary and lower secondary levels. Provincial assessments in Punjab, Sindh and KP, whilst not comparable, also provide province-specific data. The proposed NFE EMIS will provide summative assessment results in reading and mathematics for learners completing primary education. Completion: Gross intake ratio to the last grade is not currently reported though it is calculated for all provinces and areas using EMIS data for the first grade of primary school. It may, however, be derived from EMIS and census data. GB expects to derive this data from its MICS exercise, however it, along with AJK, was included in the 2017 census though their data is tabulated separately. If this data is made available, accurate information on gross intake may be derived. All provinces and areas have completion rates for primary, and can calculate for higher levels. The proposed NFE EMIS will also collect data on enrolment and completion. Participation: While Punjab and ICT collect data by student age to yield overage data, the capacity of other areas and provinces to do so vary. Most are able to include it in EMIS through changes in the Annual School Census; Sindh also has the capacity to collect it through data collected in enrolment drives for public but not private schools. All provinces and areas have data on out of school children. Further data on over-age children may be obtained from the proposed NFE EMIS.


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Provision: All provinces and areas except AJK have legislation guaranteeing at least 10 years of free and compulsory education, based on Article 25-A of the Constitution. SDG 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. Readiness: While readiness data is not generally available, all provinces and areas may eventually be able to calculate it using MICS. Sindh, Punjab, KP and GB have recently conducted MICS, and a nationally-coordinated exercise covering all provinces and areas with the current exception of FATA. Participation: Gross pre-primary enrolment is available through nationally compiled EMIS data, but data on participation rates in ECE is not available. ICT has begun collecting this data in selected schools. Provision: No province or area mandates the government to provide pre-primary education. In Sindh legislation does not guarantee the right, but does state that government “may make necessary arrangements for providing pre-school education” to children above three years of age. SDG 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. Participation: Tertiary enrolment data is not held with the education departments but may be obtained from HEC. TVET participation may also be obtained from NAVTTC and/ or provincial authorities in all provinces and areas and may be easily incorporated into NEMIS. There is an urgent need to harmonize TVET data collection and reporting at the national level, and to ensure that students travelling to other parts of the country for training (such as those from GB who do not have access to TVET facilities) are captured in the data for the appropriate region. Data is not available on the percentage of youths and adults who have participated in education and training by type of programme and age group. This data, which has implications for social welfare and employment as well as training, may eventually be calculated using HEC, EMIS and TVET data. This indicator points to the urgent need for MoFEPT to take a leading role in coordinating with diverse organizations to compile SDG-4 data. Since ICT does not have an HEC allocation for places in higher education, accurate data may be limited. Links with vocational training, and the collection of age-specific data, will enable additional data to be obtained from new NFE institutional structures. SDG 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. Skills: With a dominant focus on access to training rather than quality and relevance of training, data on skills is almost entirely unavailable across all provinces and areas. Two of the three indicators under this target specifically to digital and ICT skills (broken down by type of skill). Once a coordinated TVET qualification framework is in place across Pakistan, it should be possible to collect and report on this indicator. Limited data on youth educational attainment is available, but this is not disaggregated by economic activity or programme orientation as required in this indicator. Collecting this data may require methodology development in partnership with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to include relevant questions in its annual Labour Force Surveys. SDG 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations.


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Equity: Disaggregated parity indices are collected or available via EMIS in all provinces and areas and will be calculated in the proposed NFE EMIS. There is a need to consider additional disaggregations, for example those related to disability, insecurity-affected areas, transgender status, language, refugee status, etc. Policy: Data on key indicators related to mother-language instruction and education allocations to specific disadvantaged populations is unavailable across provinces and areas. This is a major gap in reporting against this target, however it is proposed to be included in the NFE EMIS. There is potential for reporting education allocations to disadvantaged groups by assessing budget lines for individual activities in annual development plans for provinces and areas, but education departments should coordinate with planning departments to consider the feasibility of a more systematic approach to equity-focused education budgeting. Education expenditure per student by level of education may be derived in all provinces and areas (including for NFE), but sources of funding are not collected. SDG 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. Skills: Literacy data for the four provinces may be obtained from national data sources such as the annual Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) surveys. However this data is not collected in the areas. FATA has information on reported but not functional literacy from the FATA Development Indicators Household Survey 2015. Baseline data may be obtained from the 2017 census, however for ongoing monitoring of progress against this target, MoFEPT must advocate with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to include all four areas into PSLM surveys or to support area bureaus to collect identical data. Data on numeracy is not collected in the PSLM, and there is an opportunity to add a question to collect this information. The newly strengthened NFE institutional structures may contribute to data on these indicators through skills assessment and literacy rate calculations at adult literacy centres. Provision: While FATA has proposed collecting data on participation in literacy programmes from enrolment figures in adult literacy centres, this data may be usefully calculated once literacy programmes are included in EMIS and reported in annual education surveys. Figures on enrolment in adult literacy centres will be available through strengthened NFE institutional structures. SDG 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. Provision: Desk research and methodological work is required under MoFEPT leadership to include global citizenship education into curricula, education policies, teacher education and student assessment. Some aspects of citizenship and life skills education are included in NFE. Knowledge: Proficiency in global citizenship can only be monitored once it has been systematically included in curricula, teacher education and student assessment. As such, monitoring this indicator is not currently possible but should be considered in future ESP cycles. Data is not collected on student knowledge of environmental science. The MoFEPT may guide consultations on introducing this subject in curricula and assessing through NEAS


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testing, or if, in Pakistan’s context, it is appropriate to measure this indicator through student involvement in climate change resilience. Provision: While national government has integrated life-skills based education on HIV and AIDS prevention into Grade 9 and 10 curricula, there is no consistent or systematic approach provision. Measurement of this indicator is, therefore, contingent on the MoFEPT working with health departments to develop guidelines on content, provincial and area education departments adding the topic to the curriculum and providing teacher education, and the MoFEPT leading the development of uniform tools to measure this data. Similarly, methodological work led by MoFEPT is required before national reporting on human rights education is possible. SDG 4.a: By 2030, build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all. Resources: Some data on school infrastructure is collected by all provinces and areas in EMIS and the proposed NFE EMIS. This includes: access to drinking water and sanitation, as well as electricity. The Annual School Census questionnaires used to collect data for EMIS should be used to expand to additional indicators on handwashing facilities, internet access, computer usage and accessible infrastructure. In Balochistan, which has pioneered a real-time data collection system for EMIS, some of this information (e.g. on pedagogical computer usage and internet access) may be usefully collected using this method. ICT already collects data on computer use and internet access. Environment: Data on students experiencing bullying, corporal punishment etc. is not generally collected, except, to a limited and unsystematic extent where complaints mechanisms have been established (e.g. in ICT). Until child protective mechanisms are established in all provinces and areas, the MoFEPT may collect data by adding questions to the Annual School Census. Furthermore, this data may be collected on the user side through household surveys such as PSLM. Data on attacks on students, schools and school staff is not collected by education departments, however there are several other mechanisms operational, including private organizations and civil society organizations. The KP EMIS is introducing school attack monitoring, which may be used as a model for other EMISes. Given the gendered nature of school violence in Pakistan, it would be useful to disaggregate this by gender. SDG 4.b: By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries. Data on scholarships may be obtained from the HEC. In future, work may be done to disaggregate this data or develop anonymized questionnaires to develop profiles of recipients by gender, age group, province/ area, rural/ urban origin, disability, religion, caste, socioeconomic background, mother tongue, and other factors of exclusion. SDG 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States. There is an urgent need for MoFEPT to lead the development of teacher qualification and training frameworks that apply to public, private and madrassah teachers alike, that are flexible enough to accommodate both changing education landscapes and the differing requirements of different school systems, whilst maintaining comparability. This should be


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accompanied by the development of core lists of indicators related to SDG-4, that provinces and areas can incorporate into existing or new information management systems related to teacher qualification and training. In the case of public school teachers, this may be further aligned with human resource databases to provide higher quality data for performance monitoring and education decision-making. Qualified: There is a need to develop national standards on teacher qualifications – ICT has taken the lead on this by establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) for teachers. Once qualification standards are agreed, it will be possible to use EMIS and human resource data to ascertain the pupil/ qualified teacher ratio. The proposed NFE EMIS will record this data. Trained: Data on teachers with pre-service and in-service training is not yet available, but may be collected through modifications to existing human resource management information systems. This exists in FATA and is under establishment in Sindh. GB raises the concern that it may not be possible to disaggregate by teaching level in multi-grade situations; MoFEPT must therefore develop guidelines on how to consistently present data in such cases. The proposed NFE EMIS will record this data. Motivated: Only FATA currently collects data related to motivation indicators (teacher salaries and attrition rates) through its human resource management information system. MoFEPT should lead work with the Ministry of Finance to annually benchmark and publish teacher salaries against comparable professions, and collect motivation data through human resource management information systems. The proposed NFE EMIS will record this data. Supported: Data on training in the past 12 months is collected in FATA through a Personal Training Tracking Management Information System, and in Punjab through the Directorate for Staff Development. The proposed NFE EMIS will record this data.

5.2 Data availability by province/ area

Data availability is broadly similar across provinces and areas. As the table below shows, provinces and areas which have conducted or are soon to conduct MICS exercises have an advantage in some areas, such as those related to SDG 4.2 (ECE). Similarly, the four provinces are covered by PSLM surveys which provide literacy data (SDG 4.6) that areas are generally unable to report. In many cases (such as missing data for SDG 4.a) data may be collected through minor modifications to Annual School Censuses, while in others (SDG 4.7; to some extent SDG 4.3–4, 4.5 and 4.c) require methodology development in the former case and, in the latter, collaboration with partners on defining standards and collecting data on TVET, NFE and teacher qualification/ training. Across Pakistan, data on private schools and madrassahs is inconsistent, or simply inadequate. In 2016, Punjab conducted a private school census, and Sindh is expected to conduct one in 2018. However, given the large number of students enrolled in these systems, there is a need for systematic data collection across the country.

Data currently available Data available from other

sources Data not currently

available

Balochistan 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), completion (4) and participation (5); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Gross enrolment to

4.3–4: Enrolment and participation in tertiary and TVET (13, 14) from HEC and NAVTTC respectively. 4.6: Literacy data (22, 23) from PSLM. 4.a: Data on school attacks (34) may be obtainable from

4.1: Overage children (6). 4.2: Data on readiness (8, 9); ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3).


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available

calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40).

external organizations. 4.b: Data on scholarships (35, 36) from HEC.

4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33). 4.c: All motivation and support indicators (41, 42, 43).

KP Information not available

Punjab 4.1: All data available or can be calculated (1–7). 4.2: Readiness data from MICS (8, 9), gross enrolment to calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40).

4.3–4: Enrolment and participation in tertiary and TVET (13, 14) from HEC and NAVTTC respectively. 4.6: Literacy data (22, 23) from PSLM. 4.a: Data on school attacks (34) may be obtainable from external organizations. 4.b: Data on scholarships (35, 36) from HEC.

4.2: ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33). 4.c: All motivation and support indicators (41, 42, 43).

Sindh 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), completion (4) and participation (5); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Readiness (8, 9) from MICS; Gross pre-primary enrolment (11); Number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training

4.3–4: Enrolment and participation in tertiary and TVET (13, 14) from HEC and NAVTTC respectively. 4.6: Literacy data (22, 23) from PSLM. 4.a: Data on school attacks (34) may be obtainable from external organizations. 4.b: Data on scholarships (35, 36) from HEC.

4.1: Overage children (6). 4.2: ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33). 4.c: All motivation and support indicators (41, 42,


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available

standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40).

43).

AJK 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), will be available from NEAS 2017; completion (4) and participation (5); years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Gross enrolment to calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40).

4.3–4: Enrolment and participation in tertiary and TVET (13, 14) from HEC and NAVTTC respectively. 4.a: Data on school attacks (34) may be obtainable from external organizations. 4.b: Data on scholarships (35, 36) from HEC.

4.1: Over age children (6). 4.2: Data on readiness (8, 9); ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Literacy data (22, 23) is not available as AJK is not included in PSLM; participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33). 4.c: All motivation and support indicators (41, 42, 43).

FATA 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), will be available from NEAS 2017; completion (4) and participation (5); years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Gross enrolment to calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40). Motivation and support data (41, 42, 43) collected through Human Resource Information System and Personal Training Tracking


4.1: Over age children (6). 4.2: Data on readiness (8, 9); ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Functional literacy data (22, 23) is broadly not available; participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33).


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available

Management Information System.

GB 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), will be available from NEAS 2017; completion (4) and participation (5); years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Readiness (8, 9) from MICS; gross enrolment to calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water, sanitation and electricity (30, 31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40).


4.1: Over age children (6). 4.2: ECE participation (10). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Functional literacy data (22, 23) is broadly not available; participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); internet / computer use (31); accessibility (32); safe environment (33).

ICT 4.1: Data on learning (1, 2), will be available from NEAS 2017; completion (4) and participation (5, 6); years of free and compulsory guaranteed education (7). Data on gross intake ratio to last grade (3) may be calculated. 4.2: Participation rate (10) is partially available; gross enrolment to calculate pre-primary enrolment ratio is available (11); number of years of free and compulsory guaranteed pre-primary education (12). 4.5: Equity cross-targets (unnumbered). 4.a: Partial data on water and sanitation (3) and all data on electricity/ computer/ internet use (31) available. 4.c: Qualification and training standards to be nationally defined but limited data is available (37, 38, 39, 40). ICT is developing KPIs that may stand in for qualification standards.

4.3–4: Enrolment and participation in tertiary and TVET (13, 14) from HEC and NAVTTC respectively. However ICT is not included in HEC allocations. 4.a: Data on school attacks (34) may be obtainable from external organizations. 4.b: Data on scholarships (35, 36) from HEC.

4.2: Readiness indicators (8, 9). 4.3–4: Previous year’s participation in education/ training (15); all skills data (16.1, 16.2, 16.3). 4.5: All policy indicators (18, 19, 20). 4.6: Functional literacy data (22, 23) is broadly not available though may be obtained from census data; participation rates (24). 4.7: All indicators require methodology development. 4.a: Data on handwashing (30); accessibility (32); safe environment (33).


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5.3 Global and national monitoring mechanisms

To provide technical guidelines for SDG-4 and create a monitoring mechanism, a Technical Advisory Group was established chaired by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and including experts from the EFA Global Monitoring Report, OECD, UNESCO and UNICEF, Member States and civil society. This group proposed a set of thematic indicators to be used by countries as a starting point for developing national monitoring systems and expanded or supplemented with national or regional data. The indicator framework discussed in this chapter is thus important for consistent and reliable tracking of global progress towards education targets. The SDG-4 thematic indicators meet standards of technical strength, feasibility, frequency of reporting, cross-national comparability and availability of data over time. They were selected on the basis of four criteria: Relevance: Indicators should reflect the most critical policy themes and emphasize measuring learning and equity. Alignment: Indicators should have the same meaning and significance in all settings. Some elements are best measured globally and others at national or regional levels with flexibility in local settings. Potential availability: Global tracking is most effective when data is regularly collected and in a similar manner. Communicability: Indicators must be easily understood and lend themselves to transparent reporting and a clear narrative regarding progress towards the goals and targets. A small set of globally comparable indicators for all SDGs proposed by the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators were adopted by ECOSOC and the UN General Assembly. A broader set of thematic indicators based on countries’ contexts and priorities were endorsed by the Education 2030 Steering Committee in 2016. The EFA Global Monitoring Report, which monitoring progress against EFA targets, is now being continued as the Global Education Monitoring Report hosted by UNESCO, to provide independent monitoring and reporting for SDG-4 until 2030. The first report appeared in 2016. In order to streamline an inclusive and sustainable SDG-4 M&E mechanism for Pakistan, a coordination committee has been formed in MoFEPT to work with provinces/ areas and stakeholder organizations for implementation and monitoring of SDG-4 related policy/plans. Additionally, national and provincial Technical Working Groups shall be formed. The Academy of Educational Planning & Management (AEPAM), an autonomous organization within MoFEPT, is the apex committee for the M&E framework. Its key roles are to: Build NEMIS capacity on technical guidelines.

Build capacity of SDG-4 data providers and users (EMIS personnel and education managers).

Develop and implement M&E at national and sub-national levels.


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Lead standardization of data collection, consolidation, reporting and dissemination mechanisms.

Coordinate all national statistical units for standardized data reporting.

Harmonize indicators, methodology and coordination of M&E systems.

Develop an annual monitoring plan and standard operating procedures, and monitor, review and report on progress against achieving SDG-4.

Act in an advisory role regarding improvements to and introduction of new systems to collate, consolidate and disseminate SDG-4 indicators.

Establish a standardized SDG-4 information system for use in at province/ area and district levels.

Collaborate with UN agencies to develop technical guidelines and standardized tools.

Develop procedures to improve data quality, coverage, accuracy, verification and validation.

Sit on all national and provincial Technical Working Groups.

Disseminate Education 2030 at national/ provincial/ district levels.

5.4 Provincial and area monitoring mechanisms

The four provinces have well-established M&E mechanisms to monitor progress on implementing their ESPs. These are typically governed by specified units that oversee education delivery under the ESP and provide policy inputs. All have well-established M&E networks that extend to the district level, using slightly different models. In Punjab, field monitors collect monthly data on student attendance and enrolment, teacher presence, and school facilities, which is reported to district monitoring officers and compiled into monthly reports and quarterly rankings. These are communicated to education managers and periodically to the province’s chief minister. In Balochistan, education management and M&E is highly devolved. A Policy Planning and Implementation Unit hosts a high-level oversight committee chaired by the chief secretary. A local education group monitors and facilitates ESP implementation, monitoring and joint sector reviews at provincial level, while district bodies are responsible for the same at their respective level. Sindh follows a similar model, with a central Reform Support Unit and independent monitoring at district level reporting to the Directorate-General of M&E. In KP, the education secretary leads monthly and quarterly stock-takes, with joint annual reviews based on field visits, and using a framework that summarizes expected progress annually. In the areas, M&E systems are at an earlier stage of development. The FATA ESP proposes a multi-tiered oversight and monitoring mechanism with a high-level oversight committee that reviews performance periodically on the basis of a Performance Assessment Framework. While AJK does not yet have a dedicated unit to lead education delivery and implement the ESP, a Policy Planning and Implementation Unit has been proposed at secretariat level and will broadly follow the same model as Balochistan, with responsibility also for EMIS. In GB, a Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Unit will be established in the Department of Education to strengthen existing M&E systems. This will carry out whole-school monitoring and inspections. It is intended that the existing monitoring system by District Education Officers will be extended to provide professional support and mentoring for teachers.


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Since devolution, ICT lacks a centralized steering mechanism for education. The mandate for education is divided between the Federal Directorate of Education and the MoFEPT, and there is a lack of coordinating mechanisms between the two. The directorate has a multipronged monitoring system including real-time online updates from field teams, a toll-free hotline and an online complaints system. All provincial and area M&E systems face similar challenges, as in all cases, the scope of SDG-4 is broader than the ESPs. Expert teams will be required to support the development of a broader M&E framework and to develop data collection methodologies for new concepts such as those related to global citizenship. Additionally, protocols for data flows from other sectors and data collection mechanisms, such as for TVET and tertiary education, will need to be developed. Whilst considerable work has already been done on EMIS, more will be required to modify Annual School Census forms and explore real-time monitoring where appropriate, in order to collect some data. In past years, a major concern has been that federal and provincial authorities use different data sources due to the unavailability of recent population data, which has affected uniformity in policymaking. As the findings of the 2017 census are published, the MoFEPT will be required to ensure that all provinces and areas use comparable data sources in all measuring all indicators, and to integrate data from other sources, such as key household surveys.

5.5 Education management information systems

All provinces and most areas have EMIS units to collect, compile, analyse and disseminate education statistics. These units collect data through district EMIS cells via an Annual School Census questionnaire and transmit provincial data is transmitted to the National EMIS (NEMIS). EMIS capabilities vary greatly in terms of human, financial, logistical and other resources. The NEMIS consolidates and collates education statistics, maintains a comprehensive national education database, set standards for quality improvement of education data, and provides technical support to provincial/ area and district EMISs. It publishes the Pakistan Education Statistics, Pakistan Education Atlas and District Education Profiles, and provides data to national and international agencies. The NEMIS plays a coordinating role in addressing crucial issues in the compatibility of questionnaires, statistical terminology, data requirements for core education indicators, data discrepancies and inconsistencies, private school data, and timely availability. It has two regulatory bodies: a technical committee that consolidates and finalizes the EMIS database annually, finalizes EFA indicators and discusses difficulties faced in carrying out EMIS activities; and a coordination committee that caters to national and sub-national needs for educational planning and management information. As part of efforts to revitalize NFE across Pakistan, AEPAM is leading the development and institutionalization of an NFE EMIS designed to collect data relevant to SDG-4 indicators. This system is designed to integrate with EMISes for formal education, and (as described in section 5.1 above) will enrich both existing education data, and provide nationally comparable data related to SDG 4.6. While EMIS data is at the heart of monitoring mechanisms for SDG-4 targets, the holistic and integrated nature of Education 2030 indicates a need to utilize and integrate data from household surveys such from PSLM, MICS, etc.


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Chapter 6: Implementation and way forward

6.1 Implementation

Implementation of the SDG-4 roadmap for Pakistan, covering all provinces and areas, will take place in three phases: Phase I: Consolidation. Led by the MoFEPT, this phase includes a review of all provincial and area ESPs to create an understanding of gaps and opportunities for alignment with SDG-4 implementing strategies. These will be consolidated into a national document used to bring together all stakeholders to achieve agreement on responsibilities and next steps to lay the foundation for SDG-4 achievement in each province or area. This will be followed by a presentation of progress on SDG-4 at the IPEMC meeting to develop and approve an implementation plan and coordination setup, and to propose an outline for the SDG-4 roadmap in Pakistan. Phase II: Implementation. The MoFEPT will coordinate with provincial and area counterparts, related sectors and development partners to develop a five year Action Plan for SDG-4, on mainstreaming SDG-4 in provincial education sector plans and track budgetary allocations for related areas such as ECE, Non-Formal Basic Education, TVET and Higher Education. AEPAM will take the lead in M&E (see chapter 5). An SDG-4 website will be created and maintained, compiling information such as key documents, action plans, SDG-4 provincial documents and contacts of focal persons. Phase III: Coordination and Monitoring. Coordination at the national level will be led by MoFEPT, which will liaise with provincial and area education departments. SDG-4 review meetings will be held every four months, with one held after the budget cycle, to monitor budgetary allocations.

6.2 Coordination

Coordination for SDG-4 will take place along various dimensions. The MoFEPT will play a central role in coordinating stakeholders, facilitating communication, and acting as a clearinghouse for information and resource sharing. At provincial/ area levels, departments of education will take the lead in coordinating with stakeholders within and beyond government, drawing on MoFEPT support as required. Inter-provincial coordination. The National Coordinator for SDG-4 at MoFEPT will be responsible for strengthening coordination with provincial and area education departments. S/he will work with provincial/ area coordinators nominated by the respective governments.


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Inter-sectoral coordination. The MoFEPT will lead coordination with line ministries and institutions, as well as the media, at national level, and individual departments of education at provincial/ area levels. Coordination with local, national and international stakeholders. Coordination with development partners will take place on the basis of existing relationships with MoFEPT and provincial/ area partners. Key United Nations partners include UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and WFP. These organizations will facilitate and establish links with their global technical institutes, regional offices providing coordination, advocacy and technical support, and headquarters providing financial and advocacy support. These bodies will also facilitate south-south knowledge exchange where appropriate.

6.3 Next steps

As the lessons of EFA have shown, developing strong institutional and coordination structures is essential if Pakistan is to achieve SDG-4. The MoFEPT plays a central role in this process to coordinate amongst provinces/ areas and sectors, donors and development partners at the federal level. Additionally, by serving as a resource and information clearinghouse, it can provide a means for provinces/ areas to learn from each other, align progress and share human, financial and knowledge resources. As the ministry responsible for TVET and NFE, MoFEPT has a crucial role to play in SDG-4 alignment and ensuring that provincial/ area approaches work towards the shared objecting of achieving national goals, and to ensure mutual accountability. The IPEMC’s oversight role is also crucial to success. As the highest education forum in the land, with ministerial representation from all provinces/ areas, it is an opportunity to secure political leadership at the very highest levels and set the direction for the achievement of SDG-4. Based on this consolidated document, that identifies gaps and opportunities in national and provincial/ area education sector planning and M&E, the next step for the MoFEPT is now to lead reformulation of existing policy priorities and strategies where possible, and integrating localized Education 2030 strategies into future planning. As the experience from EFA implementation has shown, it is essential that planning and budgeting be strategic, without a reliance on short-term projects that yield political dividends but may be abandoned or left under-resourced with changing political priorities, and rarely contribute to a unified approach to achieving long-term education outcomes. MoFEPT must now coordinate with provincial and area education departments to:36 Realign policy goals and targets with SDG-4 / Education 2030 commitments, including

an ambitious but realistic approach to prioritization that clearly outlines policy options and trade-offs.

Identify and address implications for individual and joint planning processes (this may be a particular concern in FATA whose future status is still debated).

Address implications for education coordination and management, including the establishment of mechanisms to coordinate across sectors, achieve coherence, engage in M&E and develop strong course correction. A particular concern may be to ensure that

36 Adapted from UNESCO (2016). Mainstreaming SDG4-Education 2030 into sector-wide policy and planning: Technical guidelines for UNESCO field offices. Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002464/246475e.pdf


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all provinces and areas are included in key data collection mechanisms, and that data collection is aligned.

Address capacity gaps and develop mechanisms to share knowledge and human resource.

Meaningfully address implications related to finances and human resources, working with planning departments, donors and private partners to develop realistic plans and aspirations. This is an opportunity to advocate for increased budgetary allocations to education (including tertiary education), and to revisit National Finance Commission awards for areas.

At provincial/ area level, meaningfully integrating SDG-4 into ESPs must be accompanied by planning and budgeting for capacity gap analyses, enhanced coordination and management at both provincial/ area and district levels, assessing the financial and human resource implications, and exploring opportunities for cross-sectoral and public-private collaborations. It is incumbent upon provinces/ areas to take an equity-focused approach, seeking to reach those children and adults who are marginalized from education gains along a range of axes. Whilst gender is rightfully a major area of focus in Pakistan, provinces and areas must also seek to target deprivations experienced due to geography, district, rural/urban origin, disability, child labour status, socioeconomic background, religion, security and vulnerability to climate change, caste and linguistic background, etc. In many cases this will require empowering local administrations whilst ensuring strong oversight.