Experts advocate for evidence-driven education reform

Islamabad:A symposium by Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium brought together researchers, policymakers and educators here on Wednesday to discuss critical research findings and strategies for improving education system in the country.

Hosted by Oxford Policy Management along with consortium partners Aga Khan University Institute of Education and Sightsavers as part of the DARE-RC project funded by Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the event featured a series of sessions focused on evidence-based policymaking, teacher development, inclusive education, and scalable solutions to enhance learning outcomes across the country.

OPM Pakistan Country Director Abdur Rauf Khan said DARE-RC was committed to promoting data-driven education policy that was rooted in comprehensive research. He said the programme placed a strong emphasis on strengthening the research capacities of local academic institutions and think-tanks, enabling them to actively contribute to the educational transformation of the nation.

DARE-RC Research Director Dr Monazza Aslam presented an overview of the consortium’s vision and progress, emphasising the role of research in shaping policy decisions. She said the programme was shaping evidence-based education policies to create an inclusive, resilient, and equitable system for every child in the country.

“Through actionable research and strategic collaborations, we [DARE-RC] aim to catalyse a transformative, systems-level shift in Pakistan’s education landscape—enabling inclusive, resilient, and scalable solutions to deliver high-quality learning for all children,” she said.

FCDO Development Director Jo Moir said the United Kingdom was committed to supporting robust research initiatives that drive meaningful change. “Through the DARE-RC project, our ambition is to build a strong, innovative evidence base of research in education and make it global and have it inform global practice,” she said.

Chairperson of the Senate's Standing Committee on Education Bushra Anjum Butt highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between research and policy. She appreciated DARE-RC for bridging the gap between policy and evidence.

"We look forward to the impact this programme aims to create through its rigorous evidence-based research," she said. The agenda featured five key sessions, each led by noted researchers and education experts.

In the session on "Teachers and Teaching in the Education System," presentations explored teacher learning as a mediator of teaching quality, digital evolution in teacher development, and the role of language policy in multilingual settings, while the session on "A System Focused on the Marginalised: Discussions" centred on disability-inclusive data systems, the lived experiences of children with disabilities, middle school enrolment for girls, and the educational challenges faced by religious minority groups.

During the session on the ‘Role of Communities and Schools in Resilient Education Service Delivery: Researchers,’ the experts examined strategies for fostering resilience in adolescent education, as well as the impact of climate change on schooling policies and community adaptations.

The session titled ‘Accountable Education Systems’ covered topics such as the impact of Punjab’s teacher e-transfer policy, public-private partnerships in education, and the outsourcing of public schools.