i

MinimumStandards forQuality Education

in Pakistan
 MESSAGE FROM MINISTER OF STATE
Federal Education & Professional Training
Engr. Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman

Education is the most important area which needs to be strengthened to achieve sustainable national
development and national cohesion. Now, especially after 18 th constitutional amendment, education is a fully
devolved subject. However, inter provincial coordination is constitutional responsibility of the federal
government.

Many objectives, especially in the field of education, cannot be achieved unless all federating units
(provinces and areas) talk to each other, synergize and determines a path together which is in sync with each
other. For this purpose, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training revived Inter Provincial
Education Minister's Conference (IPEMC) after many many years. IPEMC has so far met numerous times and
has taken very important decisions including formation of National Curriculum Council and finalizing minimum
national standards for quality education.

The National Education Policy (2009) came as the first national level document in recent education
history which clearly articulated the need for a standards-based education system and recommends that, "the
quality of education provided in government-owned institutions must be raised through setting standards for
educational inputs, processes and outputs and institutionalizing the process of monitoring and evaluation from
the lowest to the highest levels.

Unfortunately, Pakistan was one of those few countries in the world which had no pre-defined minimum
national standards in education. The absence of clearly articulated and agreed upon minimum national
standards for quality education leaves the education system without a basic framework for setting targets and
for evaluating attempts at improvements in education quality.

However, it was decided in IPEMC that we have to come up with minimum national standards for the
country. It was decided that all the federating units will work together with the federal ministry to come up with a
consensus standards document. A national committee was formed which started with GIZ's earlier work on this
subject and after due deliberation, consultation through seminars and workshops came up with this consensus
minimum national education standards.

This document on quality standards was developed through a highly participatory interprovincial
process, delineates standards for learners, teachers, curriculum, textbooks, assessment and the school
environment. The document entails a holistic approach to addressing the vacuum with regard to bare minimum
criteria for all provinces and areas to ensure provision of quality to children in Pakistan. This was unanimously
adopted as minimum national standards in 7thIPEMC held in Islamabad in February, 2016. The provincial
ministers and secretaries pressed on the need for effective dissemination of this throughout the country up to
district & school level.

I hope its adoption in letter and spirit will be a great service to the cause of education in the country. I
propose that all federating units should keep on working together in improving these standards and a revision
must be scheduled after every two years.

This is indeed heartening to see that an incredible work has been done and now we have first ever,
"Minimum National Education Standards". I appreciate all the team members from federal ministry, provinces,
and areas which made this possible.

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 MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY
Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training
Mr. Haseeb Athar

Message:
Education quality forms the basic foundation for improved student performance, enabling them to
realize their full potential. It is also a key determinant of access and retention within the school system.When
parents recognize and are able to see the benefits of qualitatively sound education, they prioritize schooling of
their children in the hope that their children will be able to lead better lives.

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training is proud to have facilitated the finalization
of minimum standards in quality education for Pakistan through organizing sessions of the National Curriculum
Council over the past one year. Representatives from all provinces and areas as members of the NCC worked
diligently to review and finally approve this document. These Minimum Standards are the hallmark of the
country’s recognition of the importance of quality education and a first step in moving towards carefully defined
aspiration and targets for improving all aspects of education delivery to children in schools. These explicitly
describe the minimum targets and elements of the curricula, the textbooks, the teachers, the assessment
practices and the school-learning environment that must exist together to make education delivery a fruitful
exercise.

However, challenges relating to sustainable implementation remain to be addressed at the provincial

and area level. Our next concrete step is to ensure the development of a well coordinated mechanism for
implementing these standards addressing all elements of the quality cycle that enables students to be groomed
into creative, constructive, values driven, change agents contributing to the overall social and economic
development of the society.

I am pleased to note the dedication of the provinces and areas for their concerted efforts amalgamating
all existing initiatives aimed at improving quality education in the province. This document provides the basis for
a national framework of a harmonized approach for reform in the curriculum, textbooks, teaching, assessment
and learning environment. I congratulate all the provinces and areas for jointly developing this set of standards
that form the minimum level of quality that must be achieved throughout the country for a better future for our
children.

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iv
 Foreword
In the aftermath of 18thConstitutional Amendment, a consensus has been developed to have the
Minimum Standards for Quality Education in the country. It aims to ensure access to quality education
indiscriminately. The National Action Plan (NAP) on education was developed in 2013. Focus of the Plan is
provision of missing facilities, enrolment of out of school children in line with spirit of vision 2025 dovetailed with
Sustainable Development Goal-4(SDG-4).

Provision of quality education is a key to National integration and the Inter Provincial Education
Ministers Conference (IPEMC) has approved the Minimum Standards for Quality Education in Pakistan. The
document has been developed after through deliberations with all stakeholders from the Federating Units.

The document comprises seven standards i.e. (i) Standards for Learners (ii) Standards for Curriculum
(iii) Standards for Textbooks & Other Learning Materials (iv) Standards for Teachers (v) Standards for
Assessment (vi) Early Learning and Development Standards and (vii) Standards for School Environment. The
standards aims to ensure uniformity in the standard for provision of access to quality education judiciously to
meet the challenges in post 18thconstitutional amendment environment and emerging trends in modern
education globally.

(MUHAMMAD RAFIQUE TAHIR)

Joint Educational Advisor

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1

The Need for National Standards .................................................................................................. 1
Education Standards in Pakistan ................................................................................................... 2
The Process of Developing Minimum Standards ............................................................................ 3
Chapter 2: Quality ........................................................................................................................ 5
What is Quality Education? .................................................................................................................. 5
Elements of Quality Education ..........................................................................................5
Learners ................................................................................................................5
Learning Environment ............................................................................................6
Content .................................................................................................................6
Processes ...............................................................................................................7
Learning Outcomes ................................................................................................7
Why is Quality Important? ................................................................................................8
Quality and School Enrolment ................................................................................8
Quality and Equity .................................................................................................8
Quality and Literacy-Numeracy ..............................................................................8
Implementing the Quality Cycle for Education ...................................................................9
Policy and Planning Phase ......................................................................................9
Implementation and Operation Phase ....................................................................9
Evaluation and Analysis Phase ...............................................................................9
Corrective Action and Innovation ......................................................................... 10
Chapter 3: Standards.................................................................................................................. 11
What are Standards? ...................................................................................................... 11
What are Standards for Education? ................................................................................. 11
Input Standards ................................................................................................... 11
Process Standards ................................................................................................ 11
 Outcome Standards ............................................................................................. 11
What are Standards for Quality Education? ..................................................................... 12
Why are Standards Important? ....................................................................................... 12
Cohesion ............................................................................................................. 12
Accountability for Increased Equity ...................................................................... 12
Planning .............................................................................................................. 13
Accountability for International Agreements ........................................................ 13
Chapter 4: Standards for Learners .............................................................................................. 14
Know your Learners ........................................................................................................ 14
How to Set Standards for Learners .................................................................................. 15
Standards for Learners .................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 5: Standards for Curriculum........................................................................................... 17
Curriculum Aims ............................................................................................................. 18
Differences between Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbook ................................................. 18
Standards for Curriculum ................................................................................................ 19
Chapter 6: Standards for Textbooks& Other Learning Materials.................................................. 20
Standards for Textbooks& Other Learning Materials ....................................................... 20
Chapter 7: Standards for Teachers .............................................................................................. 23
Standards for Teachers ................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 8: Standards for Assessment ......................................................................................... 33
What is Assessment ........................................................................................................ 33
Importance of Assessment .............................................................................................. 33
Types of Assessment ....................................................................................................... 34
Effective Practices for Assessing Students in Pakistan ...................................................... 34
Large-Scale National Assessment .................................................................................... 34
Standards for Assessment ............................................................................................... 35
Chapter 9: Early Learning and Development Standards ............................................................... 37
Domains of Early Childhood Education and Development ................................................ 37
Standards for ECE............................................................................................................ 38
Chapter 10: Standards for School Learning Environment............................................................. 43
Elements of Effective School Learning Environment (UNICEF Guidelines) ......................... 44
Physical Elements ................................................................................................ 44
Psychosocial Elements ......................................................................................... 44
Service Delivery ................................................................................................... 45
 The School Learning Environment in Pakistan .................................................................. 45
Policy Actions ................................................................................................................. 46
Standards for School Learning Environment .................................................................... 46
Chapter 11: Framework and Guidelines for Implementation ....................................................... 49
Annex-1: Standards for Child Friendly Schools ............................................................................ 55
Annex-2: Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools (WinS) in Pakistan ....................................... 59
Annex-3: Pakistan Reading Project ............................................................................................. 62
Chapter 1

Introduction

The Context: the Need for National Standards

Basic education skills and competencies form the basis of all future learning. Unfortunately a large number of
students across the developing world leave school without acquiring the basicskills of literacy and numeracy.
Research findings indicatethat access to schooling alone is not sufficient and does not ensure learning
outcomes. Rather, effective learning takes place as a result of attending schoolsthat provide quality education.
Therefore,improved enrolment in schools alone does not guarantee that learning is taking place and that
students aregetting equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge. The absence of explicitly
statedstandardsineducation that would measurably ensure provision of quality education makes effective
governance of the education system for quality learning outcomes impossible. This has led to a lack of trust in
the educational system to deliver education that can transform lives and break the cycle of poverty.

Initiatives relating to improving access to education must generally focus on a system that ensures
thatschoolsbecome effective and are geared towards laying the foundations for children’s life long learning. The
intended purpose of schools in such a school system is to enable all children to develop their full potential by
acquiring knowledge, skills and attitudes. Of paramount importance is the development of personal, social and
emotional skills that enable children to become active citizens. Generally, a school system is considered effective
when students are able to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to their daily lives and are thus
prepared to develop more complex social and economic competencies and abilities in their future lives. But
ensuring that schools are effective and that meaningful learning is taking place,therein, requires the presence and
interplay of some key elements that together ensure quality learning. These Include: relevant and updated
curricula, quality textbooks, trained and dedicated teachers, sound assessment practices (internal and external)
and a conducive learning enviornment. The interplay of these critical factors for effective learning outcomes must
then be governed with a keen eye to the aspirations enshrined in the government policies and strategies in a
transparent way supported by effective accountability and management oversight at all levels.

Guided by the objective of effective learning outcomes for all children, the complexity of the critical factors required
for quality education and their productive interplay can not be ensured by simple solutions focusing on either
improved textbooks or training teachers only.All ingrediants that make schools effective must come together to
ensure that children are learning.In order to gauge the performance of the system that enables effective learning, a
set of criteria or standards become important to set the benchmark value for the curriculum, the textbooks,
teachers’ development, assessment and the particular environment in which learning takes place.

Standards constitute the means to measure a system’seffectiveness and efficiency. They provide benchmarks
against which the effectiveness of any educational system or reform process can be evaluated. Standards are also
used to bring uniformity of assessmentto multi-stakeholder or decentralised systems. Likewise, standards help

1
ensure that effective learning is taking place and that students are acquiring the intended skills and knowledge. In
addition, common standards create an opportunity to share experiences and best practice within and across
states/provinces and to improve the performance of the educational system to better serve the needs of students
in a an appropriate manner. Finally, standards not only provide a roadmap for all stakeholders (education
managers, teachers, parents and, most importantly, students), but also provide guidance to policy makers onthe
success of their policy initiatives.

Education Standards in Pakistan

The education sector in Pakistan has historically been characterised by low participation rates and severe
deficiencies in imparting quality education to learners. A large number of children do not attend any kind of
schooling and those who are in schools do not perform well.

According to the latest Global Monitoring Report (GMR)1, Pakistan falls into the category of those 14 countries
where the number of out of school children exceeds one million. However, this may be a conservative
assessment because local studies indicate that approximately 6-7 million children between 5 – 16 years of age
do not attend any kind of schooling in Pakistan. On the quality front, various studies conducted by the National
Education Assessment System (NEAS)2 reveal serious deficiencies in student learning outcomes.

In addition, sector governance also faces serious performance related challenges and is considered to be highly
politicised. Inadequate human resource capacity and the absence of a systemic planning culture are generally
considered the weak links in education governance of Pakistan. Moreover, financing of the education sector is
low despite the recommendations of the National Education Policy;currentlypublic educational spending is less
than 2% ofGDP3. Further compounding the under-financing problem is the fact that the actual amount spent
from the funds allocated for education is worryingly low. In short, the performance of the education sector is far
below the level where it canbe transformative for the lives of learners and for it tocontribute to the human, social
and economic development of the country.

The absence of clearly articulated and agreed upon minimum standards for quality education leaves the
education system without a basic framework for evaluating attempts at improvements in education quality.

In all provinces of the country there is no mechanism for evlauting the performance of the education system. As
a result, the impact of educationalinterventions is to often anecdotal and the true evidence-based picture
seldom emerges. The first dedicated effort towards a standards-based education in Pakistan was made in 1976
with the promulgation of the ‘Federal Supervision of Curricula and Maintenance of Education Standards’ Act.
Under this Act, the Ministry of Education had assumed a supervisory role in the development of a national
curriculum. However, a structured consultative process toformulate minimum quality standards was overlooked
at that point.

The National Education Policy (2009) came as the first national level document in recent education history
which clearly articulated the need for a standards-based education system and recommends that, “the quality of
education provided in government-owned institutions must be raised through setting standards for educational
inputs, processes and outputs and institutionalising the process of monitoring and evaluation from the lowest to
the highest levels”4.

1 Education For All: Global Monitoring Report 2013-14

2 NEAS Study 2007-08
3 PSLM 2011-12

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The NEP further recommends that national standards for educational inputs, processes and outputs should be
determined and a National Authority for Standards of Education should be established. The National Education
Policy describes clear outcomes associated with the adoption ofstandards-based education, as described
below:
 Standards will improve the quality of education;
 Performance of the education sector will be evaluated in a more systematic manner;
 Standardisation will help to develop harmony between the public and private sectors;
 Common standards will bring intra- and inter- provincial compatibility; and
 Common standards will diminish the impacts of parallel systems of education.

Devolution of education to the provincial/area level as a result of the 18 th constitutional amendment

(2010)brought forward the opportunity for better governance of the education sector by developing key
education functions from the federal to the provincial level. At the same time the disbandment (2011) of the
Federal Ministry of Education through the same constitutional amendment, created a coordination vacuum for
the provinces and areasand avoid was felt in the important areas of interprovincial coordination and
maintenance of uniformity in the curricula.

Recognition and awareness of these issues was increasingly felt during the interprovincial dialogue process
(2010-15) on education that ensued right after the promulgation of the 18 th constitutional amendment. The
process included active research into the implication, challenges and opportunities relating to the devolution as
well as focused intraprovincial and interprovincial meetings and workshops with the aim of fact finding, strategy
formulation and experience sharing for the smooth implementation of the develoved education functions.

The Process of Developing Minimum Standards

A key outcome of the interprovincial dialogue process (2010 – 2015) was the emergence of consensus on the
need for tangible aspirations for quality that all provinces and areas must share. Termed as Minimum National
Standards for Quality Education (MNSQE), these common standards were deemed important to mitigate the
implications of provincial autonomy for critical interests like national cohesion, equivalencein examinations,
assessments and certification to allow for interprovincial migration of students and teachers. These very
concernsare addressed by the National Education Policy in its aim to reduce the differences in quality across
regions: “Assessment processes shall be standardised to become uniform across the Boards over time, so that
students appearing in examinations under different Boards are assessed against standardised benchmarks”.4

In the absence of a formal means of coordination, the provincial/area education secretaries and key officials
convened several meetings after the 18th Amendment. In the third meeting of provincial/area education
managers held on February 28, 2013 in Lahore, all the representatives of provincial/area education
departments laid the foundation of the process of developing MNSQE for Pakistan by establishing inter-
provincial technical working groups (IPTWGs) on quality and governance of education. This decision was based
on the agreements of several interprovincial and provincial meetings of the operational level leadership of the
provincial and area education departments. The IPTWG on education quality started convening meetings on a
regular basis to discuss issues of mutual interest. In these meetings, consensus evolved regarding the
development of commonly agreed minimum standards for ensuring quality education in the country.
Subsequently , this forum identified key areas where minimum standards were required.

4 National Education Policy 2009: page. 39

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The draft recommendations developed during these meetings of the IPTWG on education quality were shared
with the participants of the third Inter-Provincial Education Ministers (IPEMC) meeting held on October 14,
2014for feedback. In the next IPEMC meeting held on January 30, 2015, a detailed presentation on quality
standards was shared with the participants. The forum referred the draft document to newly formed National
Curriculum Council (NCC) for further deliberations and feedback to IPEMC. After extensive deliberations during
two meetings of the NCC, the members carried out a thorough review of the document and reconvened on
November 4-5, 2015 to finalize the review jointly. Feedback from the deliberations was collated and the draft
was revised accordingly. The revised version of the draft was then addressed as an agenda item in the meeting
of the IPEMC on February 10-11, 2016 in Islamabad. The IPEMC forum on this occasion approved and The
Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training notified the finalized draft.

Thisdocument on quality standards,developed under a highly participatory interprovincial process,delineates

standards for learners, teachers, curriculum, textbooks, assessment and the school environment. The document
entails a holistic approach to addressing the vacuum with regard to a bare minimum criteria for all provinces and
areas to ensure provision of quality educationto children in Pakistan.

The subsequent sections of this document delve into elaboration of what quality means in educationand
present a description of the standards required for learners, curriculum, textbooks, teachers and teaching,
assessments and the school environment needed for delivering quality education to children in schools.

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Chapter 2

Quality
What is Quality Education?
Quality education can be defined as education that is meaningful, relevant and responsive to the needs of
individuals and the society as a whole. According to the “Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2005
- The Quality Imperative (EFA: GMR)”, two principles characterizehow quality education is defined: the first
identifies learners' cognitive development as the major explicit objective of all education systems; the second
emphasizes education's role in promoting the values and attitudes of responsible citizenship and in nurturing
creative and emotional development.These principles constitute the basis for all societies to articulate their
vision of development as a part of the global community. A translation of such vision into reality then entails that
the education sector related goals maintain a key focus on ensuring the delivery of quality education that is
geared towards providing children and young people the relevant content matter and facilitation in learning
under anenabling environment.

Elements of Quality Education

The definition of quality education, therefore, needs to Dakar EFA Goals 2000
encompass all elements that contribute to making education Improving all aspects of the quality of
meaningful, relevant and empowering. These elements include a education and ensuring excellence of all
healthy and motivated learner; safe, healthy and nurturing school so that recognised and measurable
environment; relevant and student-centered curriculum; learning outcomes are achieved by all,
textbooks and learning materials; processes through which especially in literacy, numeracy and
trained teachers use child-centered teaching approaches; and essential life skills.
learning outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and
attitudes that foster positive participation in society.

This definition of quality allows for an understanding of education

as a complex system embedded in a political, cultural and
economic context. While it is important to keep in mind education’s
systemic nature, the various dimensions of quality are
interdependent.

A combination of these factors together constitute processes that

enable the delivery of quality education. A balanced interplay of the
following elements working together constitutes the landscape of
quality education.

Learners
The quality of learners that an education system requires (input) and that the society requires from the
education system (output) definesthe parameters to be set for quality. Learners need to be motivated, engaged

5
in learning and capable of effectively participating in the development of society and the economy. In addition,
their learning should be supported physically, emotionally and intellectually by their families and they should be
ready and enabled to learn.
Learning Environment
Quality education entails environments that are healthy, safe, protective and gender-sensitive. A
conducivelearning environment should provide adequate resources and facilities for learning and for other
physical and emotional needs of the learners. These include the following:
 Infrastructure and facilities:school buildings, number of rooms, washrooms, boundary wall,
furniture, black board, stationery
 Human Resource:a capable and qualified teaching force in required numbers
 Safe and Peaceful Environment:safe atmosphere with fair and clear rules for a well-managed and
orderly learning and playing space, where students are protected from disturbances and from
mistreatment/violence from teachers and school managers
 Inclusive Environment with tolerance for diversity:a nurturing affective atmosphere where care
and attention is extended to both genders from different ethnic, socio-economic and religious
backgrounds, and with different learning abilities/disabilities and needs
 School Management:goal-oriented leadership, regular monitoring and evaluation ofteaching
practiceswith frequent constructive feedback for improvement,and
 Parents and Community:role of parents in overall school improvement, helping to increase
enrollment, reduce dropouts and ensure an appropriate school environment.

Content
Content is reflected in the relevant curricula and translated into textbooks and other supplementary learning
material for the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge for both literacy and numeracy including crosscutting
areas such as gender, health, nutrition and peace.
Curriculum
The curriculum is a crucial component of any educational process. Curriculum is the central document to which
other education implementation processes and products must be aligned. These includetextbooks and other
learning materials, classroom teaching practices, student assessment systems and pre-service and in-service
teacher training/education programmes. The curriculum addresses questions such as what students should
learn and be able to do (competencies); why, how (methodology); and how well (standards, benchmarks) they
should be able to do.5 The curriculum states expectations regarding the academic competencies and skills to be
acquired by students at different grade levels. In this way, the curriculum also creates appropriate links to the
student’s life situation in order to encourage meaningful participation for the development of higher order
thinking skills including analytical, critical and creative thinking abilities. Significant cross-cutting themes are also
reflected in the curricula of different subjects. Such themes include peace and tolerance, gender equity and
environmental stewardship.

Textbooks and Learning Materials

Textbooks are the primary teaching and learning tool that connects education policy and the curriculum with the
actual teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom and beyond. The textbook is the primary learning

5http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/themes/curricular-themes/curriculum-development.html#sthash.EViJh7yZ.dpuf

6
material to which teachers, students and their parents have
access. In most developing countries where supplementary EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005
learning materials and reference books are not available in most
schools, the textbooks assume even more importance. How well students are taught and how
Consequently, it is imperative that textbooks provide accurate much they learn impacts how long they
and updated knowledge, are student-centred and child-friendly stay in school.
with age-appropriate appealing graphics and thought provoking
content. Parents send their children to school
based on judgments they make about
Processes the quality of teaching and learning.
System inputs, such as infrastructure and curricular content form
one aspect of quality education. Equally important are
educational processes; these define how teachers and school managers use these inputs to frame meaningful
learning experiences for their students.

Teachers’ Professional Development and Learning

Teachers need to have mastery over both their subject matter and its pedagogy. This can be made possible
through an effective pre-service teacher education and a robust continuing professional development (CPD)
system which also includes mentoring and supervision. CPD can help address shortcomings that may have
been a result of an inadequatepre-service education. Even satisfactorily qualified teachers benefit from CPD as
it helps keep teachers abreast of up-to-date knowledge and practices in the field. This ongoing process of
training for teachers can have a direct impact on student achievement.

Classroom Processes
Interactive teaching methods that engage students with their own learning rather than promote rote
memorisation are an important characteristic of quality education today. As discussed earlier, the content for
quality education includes appropriately designed curriculum and textbooks. However, the manner in which this
material is translated into the students’ learning experience depends on classroom processes. For example, for
the child-centredness of a textbook to benefit the learner, the teaching approaches must be child-centric and
interactive.
Similarly, teaching and learning about life skills requires interactive, participatory methods. Since skills are by
definition related to actions and behaviour, the required levels of competency are unlikely to be developed
without the active involvement of learners.
Thus, classroom processes include thesequences of steps through which trained teachers use teaching
approaches in a well-managed classroom by:
 applying child-centric teaching practices
 adopting/adapting new teaching methods
 using prepared lesson plans
 using and creating their own materials
 being kind, respectful and caring to the learners, and
 promotingand supporting students’ personal and integrated development.

Learning Outcomes
As a result of the pre-existing condition of the learner, the school environment, the content and processes, a
range of changes can occur in the learner, some of them intended and some unintended. When speaking of
quality education, it is the intended outcomes that are the focus.

7
The outcomes include what a learner knows and is able to do, and the attitudes and values she/he has.
Knowledge, attitude and skills of a learner will come into play as a learner pursues further education, as
she/heenters the work force,and makes choicesas a member of their group, as a participant of the community
and as a global citizen.

Students’ assessments are the primary tool for measuring and enhancing learning outcomes. Assessments
include different methods of regular and integrated ongoing classroom assessment, collectively known as
formative assessments. Through formative assessments, an opportunity is created to give immediate and
continuous feedback to students for improved outcomes. Summative assessments, on the other hand, include
periodic tests that benchmark various abilities and levels of knowledge and understanding of a student.

Why is Quality Important?

Quality and School Enrolment
According to the Dakar Framework for Action 2000, Quality is ‘at the heart of education’, and is a fundamental
determinant of enrolment, retention and achievement.’According to Article 25A of the 18th Constitutional
Amendment of Pakistan, providing education to all children from age 5 to 16 has been declared mandatory for
the state. In a country where 3.8 million children under the age of 14 were engaged in child labour in 20106,
bringing children to school and ensuring low dropout rates is no means an easy task. Providing relevant and
engaging education is one way to increase enrolment and to decrease drop-out rates. The argument is that if
the impact of schooling on the lives of the students is positive,
then school enrolments will increase and dropout rates and EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005
absenteeism will diminish.
The achievement of universal
Quality and Equity participation in education will depend
upon the quality of education available.
There are multipleparallel education systemsin Pakistan. These
The Convention against discrimination
include public and private schools, including elite and non-elite
in education 1960 recognises
schools and madrassahs. Even within the public sector there is a
discrimination as:
clear distinction between model schools, schools run by the
Limiting any person or group of
armed forces of Pakistan, and regular government schools. Some
persons to education of an inferior
approaches to teaching such as hands-on learning and project
work are already well entrenched in some, especially in the elite standard.
private sector schools. However, this type of learning experience
remains a distant aim for most public-sector schools. Defining quality standards to be implemented across
various school systems will help to address the equity issue in education by initiating the process of bringing all
schools at par with the demands of modern approaches in education.

Quality and Literacy-Numeracy

Aspects of quality education involve imparting higher order skills such as the application and synthesis of
knowledge. Quality also dictates that students can read, write and do simple arithmetic. The statistics for
students completing primary school in Pakistan are not truly representative of the number of children who have
the appropriate levels of literacy and numeracy.The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 20137 shows
that about half of the children in grade 5 in Islamabad Capital Territory alone actually read at the level of a 2nd

6Vazir, N., Meghani, Y. M. (2010). Eradicating child labour in Pakistan.Nurture(9), 22-22

7 Annual Status of Education Report, ACER, 2013

8
grader and are only able to do division problems at the level of grade 3. The subsequent (2014) ASER report
does not state much improvement in these stateof affairs. Keeping this scenario in mind, the need for quality in
education becomes all the more important as in the absence of quality, schools are not imparting what may be
defined as quality education even in the most fundamental sense of the word.

Implementing the Quality Cycle for Education

Implementation of the quality elements for education can be viewed in 4 phases: Policy and Planning,
Innovation and Corrective Action, Implementation and Operation, and Evaluation.

Policy and Planning Phase

At the Policy and Planning Phase budgets and
action plans are developed with a strong focus on
the different elements of quality education.
Budgets and action plans provide a sound basis
and a direction for the process of development
education to be implemented. The policy
documents, budgets, action-plans, strategic
documents and even the parts of the National
Constitution that pertain to education make up the
Policy and Planning phase. Continuing work on
this phase is informed by the following phases:
 Corrective Action and Innovation Phase
 Evaluation and Analysis Phase

Implementation and Operation Phase

In this phase the processes and products for
teaching learners and preparing teachers come
into play. The following activities are carried out
during this phase:
 textbook development
 classroom teaching
 pre-service teacher education programmes
 in-service teacher training measures, and
 application of students’ performance assessment tools and practices

Evaluation and Analysis Phase

As the name suggests, this stage involves generating and analysing data on various aspects of the
Implementation phase. For example, this data may include student assessment results or feedback on
textbooks and curriculum from practitioners in the field of education. Also included here is academic and action
research on any aspect of the Policy and Planning, Implementation and Operation and Corrective Action and
Innovation stages. The research and analysis that takes place during this phase goes on to inform all three of
the other phases.

9
Corrective Action and Innovation
This phase can take two different routes. Developments at this stage can be channeled towards Planning or
towards Implementation and Operation. For example, if policy could not be translated into action satisfactorily
then changes may be required to the Implementation phase. However, if these changes need support from a
higher level, future action plans may be developed in the light of the new outputs from the Innovation phase.

It is only with the proper alignment of all actions to planning, that the quality cycle can be completed. If some
aspects of the quality cycle feature more prominently in the planning than others, thenthe implementation plan
will be lopsided and not optimal. Various factors can contribute to misalignment of planning to the different
actions required for implementations, including the government’s prioritisation of more visible improvements
such as infrastructural developments,inappropriate and unsustainable international innovations promoted by
international donors, orthe adoption of a fragmented approach to planning which does not take into
consideration the need for a holistic and integrated view of the education system with improvedschool
effectiveness as a primary guiding principle.

10
Chapter3

Standards

What are Standards?

Standards are published documents that set out specifications, procedures and guidelines that are designed with
the aim of ensuringappropriate quality and reliability of a product or a service. Standards make it possible to
evaluate and compare the products, processes and/or services for which they have been developed. Standards
provide the basis of and determine the direction and purpose of products and processes to achieve desired
outcomes. Therefore, standards serve an important role in aligninginputs and processes in achievingthe desired
outcomes.

What are Standards for Education?

In the context of education, standards are the specifications or yardsticks for the inputs, processes and
outcomes of an education system. There is a combination of resources (inputs) and processes that support the
acquisition of knowledge (and other higher order) skills to create learning (outcomes). Therefore, there is a need
for input standards, process standards and outcome standards. There are, however, common elements across
the three categories of standards. For example,pupil-teacher ratio can be seen as both a part of an input
standard as well as a component ofa process standard.

Input Standards
These standards define resource inputs for schools, such as
classroom size, pupil-teacher ratio and a standard allocation
of textbooks and other learning resources.

Process Standards
These refer to the nature, approach and quality of
educational processes, such as classroom practices
including pedagogical approaches being used; strategies
for discipline and classroom management; interaction
between school management and parents; in-service training
for teachers;use of ICT in education, and so on.

Outcome Standards
Outcome standards define the knowledge and skills students are expected to have and display at different
points of progression during their educational career. The level of academic knowledge, higher order thinking
skills, ethical behaviour and life skills that learners possess and exhibit at different grade levels are defined by
outcome standards. Outcome standards are traditionally measured using summative assessment systems.

11
The level to which a standardis observed is called the compliance level. Thelevel of compliance defines the
priority given to a certain standard, which may vary over time or may vary with the socio-economic or cultural
context,or with political or disaster-related occurrences. Implementers of standards may decide on a mechanism
to rate standards in terms of priority for resource allocation (time, human resource, financial). One way to
classify priorities is to tag standards as norms, requirements, and measures. Norm refers to a standard or level
that is commonly used or expected but is not applied in all cases. Requirement implies that the standard has to
be met or adhered to as it is mandatory to do so. A measuredoes not imply enforced compliance but may refer
to a graduated series of benchmarks against which performance on standard compliance can be measured.

What are Standards for Quality Education?

There are several ways to organise standards for quality education. The present document categorises them
under the following five main headings:

1. Standards for Learners

2. Standards for Teachers
3. Standards for Curriculum and Textbooks
4. Standards for School Environment
5. Standards for Assessment

There are input, process and outcome standards across all these five categories. The provinces and areas
(ICT, FATA, GB, AJK) will decide on the degree of compliance that they can realistically expect for each
standard. This will require consultation and buy-in from all the relevant stakeholders in order to agree upon
appropriate levels of compliance which may be ambitious but achievable.

Why are Standards Important?

Cohesion
The socio-economic, cultural and political landscape of Pakistan is characterised by sharp contrasts across
different provinces and across the rural/urban divide within each province. After the dissolution of the Federal
Ministry of Education (2011), the need to design a cohesive common core for education across the provinces
was recognized. The Quality Standards for Education, elaborated in this document, were developed by equal
participation of all provinces and areas to provide this cohesive core to the nation. Each province, in turn, will
prioritiseimplementation sub-steps to achieve the Quality Standards based on their respective contexts and
available resources. However, the direction that each area and province takes will be determined by a shared
common vision of education translated into the Quality Standards for education.

In addition, common standardswill also address practical issues such as transfers of students from one
province/area to another. Major discrepancies in standards across the provinces/ areas currently make such
transitions challenging. Common standards agreed upon by all provinces and areas will make such transitions
smoother and more practicable.

Accountability for Increased Equity

A set of standards recognised and endorsed by the provincial/ area governments will make the concerned
departments and implementers such as schools and textbook boards accountable for their performance against
the agreed upon standards. This will lead to standardization of education provisioning and delivery processes
through out the country. The standards do not guarantee an immediate impact. However, they do provide a

12
framework for monitoring that is likely to bring aboutpositive changes over a period of time, depending on how
the planning bodies determine the required degrees of compliance for each standard and how closely the
implementation is actively monitored and steered in the light of analysed information and proactive trouble
shooting.

Planning
As stated earlier, standards define the direction of the various aspects of the education system and ensure their
mutual alignment. The standards should guide planning for all aspects of education, from pre-service teacher
education courses to the process of reviewing new textbooks and to improvement in assessment methods and
the measurable outcomes thereof. Standards also provide a basis upon which to justify resource allocation. The
greater the degree of compliance required for a standard, the higher will be its priority for appointing human
resource and/or for allocation of funds. Quality Education, primarily, and the mode of measuring it (through set
standards) ultimately constitutes the basis for planning and must certainly feature in education sector strategic
planning documents.

Accountability for International Agreements

In the presence of shared standards for quality education, the performance of provinces/areas can be
monitored and measured against standards set by international agreements signed by the Federal government.
Therefore, while provinces remain the supervisors and custodians of their own context specific standards, the
commonality between provinces and areas ensure a minimum level of developmental effort that can be reported
by the federal level for the entire country.

13
Chapter 4

Standards for Learners

The purpose of education is to enable each child to reach their full potential by acquiring the knowledge, skills
and attributes that contribute to their personal, social and economic development. Schools play a role in helping
achieve this, and to make this learning meaningful education has to be well planned and of high quality, keeping
the learning needs, styles and the interests of children as the central focus.
Students learn and retain more if they are:
 asked to do more than just learn information
 actively engaged during an instructional tasks
 observing, speaking, writing, listening, thinking, and implementing, and
 areable to see potential implications, applications, and benefits of their learning to themselves and
others

All children deserve equitable access to books, reading materials, information and technology in an environment
that is safe and is conducive to learning. To become independent learners, students must gain not only skills
but also the disposition to use those skills, with an understanding of their own responsibilities and self-
assessment strategies. Students must become self-guided learners. Combined together these elements build a
learner who can thrive in a complex knowledge environment.

Know your Learners

Each child is unique and all children are potentially capable of positive learning outcomes. Early learning and
development are multidimensional. Many thinkers have presented progressive views about how children learn
and what aspects of their nurturing should be understood and harnessed through education. Vygotsky stresses
the importance of looking at each child as an individual who learns distinctively within a social context.
Consequently, the knowledge and skills that are worth learning vary from one individual to another.8
Piaget,9 who first developed the “cognitive” theory of child learning behaviour following extensive observation
and analytical description of children at different ages, concluded that children construct their own knowledge in
response to their experiences in the following stages of learning:
 Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years) where knowledge develops through sensory and motor abilities
 Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years) where knowledge is represented by language, mental imagery,
and symbolic thought

8Dahms, M., Geonnotti, K., Passalacqua, D., Schilk, N., Wetzel, A., & Zulkowsky, M. (2007). The educational theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis.
Retrieved from http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Vygotsky.html
9Piaget, J. (1973). Main Trends in Psychology. London: George Allen & Unwin.

14
  Concrete operational stage (7 to 12 years) where children can reason logically about concrete objects
and events
 Formal operational stage (12 years and up) where children can think deeply about concrete events
and can reason abstractly and hypothetically.
According to Ellis (1985),10the way a person prefers to receive, store and retrieve material is known as a
person’s preferred learning style. In understanding the typology of learners, Howard Gardner’s work on multiple
intelligences has had a profound impact on thinking and practice in education. The field of Learning Science
has developed in the past twenty years to further scientific understanding of learning processes and to engage
in the design and implementation of learning innovations, and the improvement of instructional methodologies.
Learning Science has developed a sharper focus on education as it happens in real-world situations and how to
better facilitate learning in various environments – in school, online, in the workplace, at home, and in informal
environments11.

The key point emerging from all of these theoretical approaches to understanding learning is the awareness and
understanding that learning needs to be personalised as far as possible based on each child’s ability and
interests, the stage of education they are at, their learning styles, and their social context.

How to Set Standards for Learners

Recently, much of the focus of education has shifted from “teaching” to “learning”. Brookfield (1985) argued
that the role of teachers is to “facilitate” the acquisition or construction of knowledge, not “transmit” it, and the
NRC (2000) recommends that the goal of education should shift from an emphasis on comprehensive coverage
of subject matter to helping students develop their own intellectual tools and learning strategies.12
Standards for learners may comprise of various ingredients which address learning needs at different
levels.Consequently, learning standards may serve multiple purposes such as determining whether a student
passes an exam, is awarded a scholarship, is promoted between grades, or graduates. At the same time, they
are used to determine whether the entire school system is functioning well.
Education standards equip students with the skills and knowledge, as well as the right values and attitudes, to
ensure the livelihood of the individual and society’s success. Young people should learn to be self-reliant and
yet able to work closely with others. They should beindividually competitive and at the same timedisplay a
strong social conscience. They should be open in their thoughts and outlook and shouldadapt constantly to a
rapidly changing world. Finally, young learnersmust have a firm moral corethat provides stability in a dynamic
world characterized by changing lifestyles. Standards help policy makers and teachers set targets and to
monitor achievement of student learning. Moroverstandards are reference points for planning teaching and
learning programmes, and for assessing student progress throughout their compulsory schooling.

10Ellis, Rod. 1985. Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
11Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom
settings. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141-178
Carr-Chellman, A. & Hoadley, C. (Eds.) Learning sciences and instructional systems: Beginning the dialogue [Special issue]. (2004).
Educational Technology, 44(3).
Greeno, J. G. (2006). Learning in activity. In K. Sawyer (ed.) Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 79–96), Cambridge, MA:
Cambridge University Press
12Wirth, K. R., & Perkins, D. (2007) Learning to Learn

15
Standards for Learners
Table 1 – Standards and Skills
Standard Skills / benchmarks

The aim of quality education is to prepare

students to:
1. Be creative, constructive, communicative • Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in
and reflective individuals curricular subjects, and make the realworld connection for
using this process in everyday life.
2. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge • Display initiative and engagement by posing questions
and investigating the answers beyond the collection of
superficial facts.
• Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the
search for new understanding.

3. Draw conclusions, make informed • Use prior and background knowledge as context for new
decisions, apply knowledge to new learning.
situations, and create new knowledge • Maintain a critical stance by questioning the validity and
accuracy of all information.
• Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying
critical-thinking skills (analysis, synthesis,
evaluation,organisation) to information and knowledge in
order to construct new understandings, to draw
conclusions, and to create new knowledge.
• Maintain openness to new ideas by considering divergent
opinions, changing opinions or conclusions when
evidence supports the change, and seeking information
about new ideas encountered through academic or
personal experiences.
4. Be capable of effectively participating in • Read, view, and listen to information presented in any
the highly competitive global knowledge- format (e.g. textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make
based economy well-supported inferences and to create meaning.
• Demonstrate mastery of information technology tools for
accessing information and to pursue self-directed inquiry.
• Display emotional resilience in information and knowledge
acquisition despite challenges.
• Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and
information technology skills to create products that clearly
and succinctly express new understandings.
5. Pursue personal growth • Seek information for personal learning in a variety of
formats and genres.
• Demonstrate confidence and self-direction by making
independent choices in the selection of learning resources
and information.
• Monitor own information-seeking processes for
effectiveness and progress, and adapt as necessary.
6. Share knowledge and participate ethically • Openly collaborate with others to broaden and deepen
and productively as members of a understanding.
democratic society • Contribute to the exchange of ideas within a learning

16
 community.
• Use information and knowledge effectively in the service
of democratic patriotic values.
• Use valid information and reasoned conclusions to make
ethical decisions.
7. Practice healthy living • Adopt clean hygiene habits.
• Participate in sports and physical activities.
• Take part in such activities which are beneficial for the
community and society.

Chapter 5

Standards for Curriculum

17
Curriculum consists of everything that promotes the learners’ intellectual, spiritual/moral, aesthetic, emotional,
social and physical development including co-curricular and extracurricular activities that include approaches to
teaching, learning and assessment, the quality of relationships within the school, and the values embodied in
the way the education system and a school operates.

Subject curriculum refers to a document describing the aims and objectives, the scope and sequence of
contents, learning activities, methods of delivery in the classroom, and evaluation and assessment techniques
in accordance with the curriculum framework of that particular subject.

Curriculum is an important element of the teaching and learning system, which derives its inspiration and vision
from education policiesstated in curriculum framework and sets its structure accordingly to describe concepts,
skills and attitudes that have to be developed in students. A curriculum aims to address key questions such as
the purpose of teaching, the desired level of competencies as measured by standards and benchmarks, and the
scope of the subject matter to be taught. The curriculum also sets parameters for textbook authors to develop
textbooks and supplementary learning materials according to the defined and agreed-upon competencies,
scope and guidelines. A curriculum enables teachers to plan their classroom lessons, examiners to create
assessments according to the prescribed competencies, and textbook reviewers to review the textbooks
according to contents and scope. The curriculum also forms the basis for preparation of teachers (pre and in
service) and evaluation of teachers. Finally, a curriculum also helps inform the general public about the wider
aims of the educational objectives and processes planned for the students.

Curriculum Aims
A well-designed curriculum is built on a clear vision that incorporates:

 clear values that reflect national ideology and culture

 a clear expression of the current and future national aims for education and learners’ needs as
individuals and as citizens
 guidelines for promoting intellectual, spiritual, aesthetic, emotional, social and physical development
of learners
 a sense of high expectations for all, extending horizons and raising aspirations, and
 outcomes relating to knowledge, skills, as well as personal attitudes and attributes

18
Standards for Curriculum
 Promotes national harmony, unity, social cohesion and global citizenship based on religious,
philosophical, cultural and psychological foundations of the nation;
 Emphasises understanding, application and creation of knowledge in order to make education
relevant to the lives of students and to inculcate lifelong learning;
 Brings forth innate faculties/inbuilt potential of learners in order to make them active, productive,
reflective, collaborative and democratic citizens;
 Promotes higher order thinking skills that develop the capacity for self-directed learning, a spirit of
inquiry, critical thinking, reasoning and teamwork;
 Includes emerging trends and concepts that are useful in real life situations for making learning more
relevant, meaningful and stimulating;
 Promotes democratic values for peaceful co-existence, unity in diversity, and development of positive
attitudes towards fellow human beings through respect and tolerance;
 Suggests a variety of assessment and evaluation strategies to measure knowledge, skills and
attitudes as required by all domains of learning;
 Ensures character building and holistic development of students; and
 Promotes inclusive education.

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Chapter 6

Standards for Textbooks & Other

Learning Materials

All around the world there is increased awareness concerning the importance of high quality textbooks and
other learning materials that support teaching and learning process in the classrooms. School systems in most
developed countries consider the textbook as a part of a variety of tools used for teaching and learning. Most
developing countries, on the other hand, consider a textbook to be the sole primary resource for students as
well as for teachers. The first learning resource that students get in their hands, when they enter a school in
Pakistan is a textbook. Most of the students’ future academic life is focused on textbooks with a high probability
of them experiencing a single textbook for each subject. This perceived role of a textbook increases its
significance and necessitates the introduction and institutionalisation of quality-focused processes for the
development of textbooks.

Students rely heavily on textbooks as the essential source of learning and as the basis for appraisal and
examination. In the absence of other learning materials the importance of textbooks significantly increases.
Textbooks provide students with facts and knowledge, and additionally provide examples of several exercises
and assignments for students to practice what they have learnt. Therefore, textbooks must be designed to be
student-centered.

Textbooks serve as the primary teaching resource for teachers as well, guiding their teaching process and
helping them plan lessons and in setting lesson objectives. Teachers find textbooks particularly useful because
they provide order and pacing of instruction and serve as a structured framework for teaching throughout the
academic year.

However, textbooks by themselves cannot provide everything required to achieve curriculum objectives. This is
particularly true where outcomes-based curricula, student-centered learning, problem solving and the
development of thinking skills are specified.

Standards for Textbooks& Other Learning Materials

 Aligned with the curriculum by promoting child centered pedagogy
 Promote harmony and unity for national cohesion and integrity
 Support inquiry-based learning, critical thinking and problem solving
 Free from gender, ethnic, religious, sectarian, geographical, cultural, occupational biases and respect
diversity
 Attractive, interesting and engaging for the learner to pursue further study

20
  Have authentic texts presented systematically in gradual steps
 Provide a variety of assessment opportunities to evaluate the cognitive, psychomotor and affective
abilities
 Facilitates teachers to use a variety of instructional strategies to deliver the content
The standards for textbooks can be organised around six broad categories and commonly agreed-upon
indicators for all subjects, as indicated below:

Category 1: Compliance with National Curriculum, Goals and Objectives

1 All the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), themes and sub-themes are properly addressed through:
i) appropriate text and/or illustrations for the age/level
ii) end of chapter exercises consistent with assessment practices outlined in the curriculum
Note: Some SLOs may not be part of the text and may be addressed through classroom activities, questions etc. mentioned in
the textbook
Category 2: Quality of Content, Language and Logical Organisation
2 Text is student-centred and meets the needs of the society and interests of the students

3 Content is accurate and up-to-date (in both text and illustrations)

4 Content is free of grammatical and punctuation errors (text and illustrations)

5 Language and content of the text is according to the age and grade level of learners

6 Content is supported with examples and applications from real life that are interesting and relevant to students’ lives
7 Chapter/section previews and summaries to allow learners absorb main ideas/concepts presented
8 Relevant learning from previous grade and/or from previous chapters from the same grade is referred to for better understanding

Category 3: Quality and Support for Instruction

9 Interactive questions/discussion points are given in the chapter text and end-of chapter exercises to facilitate teachers in
engaging students
10 A variety of tasks and activities (based on observation and hands-on learning) are given which support inquiry-based learning,
critical thinking and problem solving through strategies such as discussion, role play and critical thinking, problem solving and
inquiry skills
11 Extension activities are included to provide further practice and reinforcement of concepts and skills

Category 4: Physical Presentation

12 Present appropriate number of child-friendly and appealing visual elements (title cover, inside pages)

13 Include a variety of visual elements such as pictures, tables, figures, maps, information boxes, mind maps and so on (according
to the different learning needs of learners, age and grade level)
14 Visual and graphical elements have pedagogical relevance and significance
15 Glossaries are included at the end of chapters / textbook

Category 5: Assessment: opportunities for Checking Learning (formal and informal)

16 A variety of assessment strategies are included at the end of each chapter/unit
17 Assessment strategies assess knowledge, skills and attitudes according to curriculum SLOs to promote better understanding,
application of knowledge for problem solving, and higher order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation synthesis and
creativity

Category 6: Compliance with Culture and Values

18 The content (text and illustrations) is inclusive and is free from religious, sectarian, ethnic, regional, cultural, sexual,
occupational, and socio-economic biases

21
19 The content (text and illustrations) is free from gender bias and promotes positive images of girls and women

20 Texts promote harmony and peaceful co-existence through respect for diversity and tolerance

21 Content reflects democratic values, ethics and values of all segments of society and other societies.

Linked to Child-Friendly School Standards (Annex 1)

2.4 Ensuring that curricula materials both 2.4.1 Curricula, textbooks and other teaching materials should be relevant
for teacher education and in classrooms and adaptable to local needs and circumstances; should be developed in
are of good quality and supportive of child- an inclusive manner; and should promote inclusive, child-friendly education.
friendly inclusive education

22
Chapter 7

Standards for Teachers

Teachers are the source through which the learners experiences all aspects of education, including the
developments in education policy, curriculum and textbooks reform, assessments, and the processes that
define the school environment. Due to this reason the degree of success of all progress in education is largely
dependent on the teacher. Therefore, it is important to hold teachers to high standards in all aspects, and not
just for academics. The standards for teachers define how a teacher must understand learner psychology and
not just have subject matter knowledge, how s/he must be an effective communicator as well as a role model for
ethicsand overall conduct, how s/he must be an excellent planner and implementer of instructional strategies as
well as of student assessment tests; the teachers’ knowledge of the language that is the medium of instruction,
of IT skills as well as her/his presence and participation in professional networks, all are significant in the overall
learning experience that students go through.
Teachers’ standards must incorporate those for teacher pre-service education and in-service training courses
as well as teacher recruitment criteria and promotion requirements; only then can it be claimed that the
standards have been truly implemented.

Standards for Teachers

Measuring teacher quality is a difficult task because a teacher requires a wide range of competencies, attitudes
and skills, not all of which can be tangibly observed. The following section lists the national professional
standards for teachers.
Standard 1: Subject Matter Knowledge
Teachers understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, structures of the discipline, especially as they relate
to the National Curriculum. The teacher can design and implement appropriate lesson plans to create learning
experiences making the subject matter accessible and meaningful to all students at the various developmental
stages.
Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:
Understanding  The national curriculum framework
 In-depth knowledge of the domain, basic concepts, theories, history, structure and process of
acquiring knowledge of the subject they are going to teach
 The need to keep abreast of new ideas, new emerging concepts, theories, results of research
and latest trends at national and international levels
 The relationship of the subject to other disciplines and its usability in practical life
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 Applying multiple ways to impart knowledge to learners
 Making knowledge applicable to real world situations
 Developing the diverse talents of all students and helping them develop self-confidence and

23
 subject matter competence
Encouraging students to develop a positive attitude towards,and an interest in, the subject

area
 The belief that all students can learn and achieve success
Performance and Teachers demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through:
Skills  Effectively explaining the content in multiple perspectives and relating all required structural
components of the discipline
 Use of appropriate tools of inquiry according to the nature of the subject and content,
considering students’ prior knowledge and learning preferences
 Giving examples of application of the content from practical life

Standard 2: Human Growth and Development

Teachers understand how students (both children and adults) develop and learn in a variety of school, family
and community contexts and provide opportunities that support their intellectual, social, emotional and physical
development.

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  How students construct knowledge, acquire skills and develop habits of mind as mediated by
their developmental stage
 How student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talent and prior learning, as well
as language, culture, family,community, and national values
 The needs of all students based on their learning styles, disabilities and special needs,
cultural and socio-emotional differences, special medical, physical or emotional challenges,
and are able to use distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.
 The nature and significance of emotional intelligence for making students productive
individuals
 Individual differences among students
 Motivational strategies to support students achieve and excel
 The processes and skills that help students to develop knowledge, skills and dispositions of
reflective thinking and students to solve problems in and out of the classroom
 How to enable
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 The belief that all students (both children and adolescents) bring talents and strengths to
learning
 Appreciating the diverse talents/ multiple learning styles of all students and helping them to
develop self-confidence and subject matter learning
 Treating all students equitably
 The belief that all children and adolescents can learn and achieve success
Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:
Skills  Promote critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills by engaging students in
formulating and testing hypotheses according to the methods of inquiry and standards of
evidence within the discipline
 Apply learning theories to accommodate differences in student intelligence, perception,
learning styles and achievement levels
 Foster cooperation and collaboration for collective problem solving
 Foster emotional intelligence skills among students including self-efficacy, empathy,
cooperation, resilience, self-awareness
Standard 3: Knowledge of Islamic Ethical Values and Life Skills
Teachers understand theIslamic ethical values and practices in the light of Quran and Sunnah and other
religious contexts, and the implications of these values for bringing national and global peace, unity and social
adjustment.

24
Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:
Understanding  The Islamic code of conduct (beliefs, prayers and ethics) in light of Quran and Sunnah (i.e.
Maaroof-Goodand Munkir-Evil, equality, justice, brotherhood, balance, tolerance and peace)
 The universal ethical values that are globally accepted and are consistent with the Islamic
code of conduct
 The present need of national/ global peace, and the factors affecting peace and resulting in
decline of the values and ethics
 The negative effect of prejudice and discrimination on the basis of social class, gender,race
and language on the moral development of students and society
 How Islamic and universal ethical values are incorporated in learners’ beliefs and practices to
bring peace
 Essential principles of Islamic values in the textbooks

Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:

 Bringing awareness amonglearners that the Quran and Sunnah are the core sources for
knowledge about Islamic values
 Inculcating respect and appreciation for individual and cultural/religious/personal differences
amongst learners
 Encouraging tolerance and celebration of diversity amongst students
 Emphasising dialogue as a primary means to conflict resolution

Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:

Skills  Create a vibrant learning community in which individuals and their opinions are respected
 Practice Islamic code of conduct through their own behaviours and to guide learners to value
and practice the ethical values
 Provide guidelines about ethical values to clarify their use in internal and external discourses
 Practice Islamic teachings in schools to prevent misunderstandings that can lead to
inaccurate characterisation of Islam and other faiths
 Facilitate a better understanding of issues regarding human rights, social class, gender, race,
ethnicity, language, age and special needs using the knowledge of Islam
 Create a safe and secure learning environment promoting free inquiry.

Linked to WASH standards (Annex 2)

In accordance with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah, teachers help students practice staying clean, washing their
hands, drinking clean water.

Standard 4: Instructional Planning and Strategies

Teachers understand instructional planning, design and implement well-structured long-term and short-term
plans based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, community, curriculum goals, and employ a variety of
developmentally appropriate strategies in order to promote critical thinking, problem solving and performance
skills of all learners.

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  The aims, goals and objectives of education as well as of curriculum for specific subject
and their importance in instructional planning
 Principles of acquisition of relevant subject knowledge and skills at different stages of
development.
 Use of appropriate resources and materials for instructional planning including the use of

25
 indigenous, low cost learning material and instructional technology to promote students’
attention and thinking
 Techniques to plan, develop, implement and modify instructional strategies based on
students’ individual needs, development progress, learning styles, social contexts, and
prior knowledge to help all students learn
 A variety of instructional approaches and the use of various technologies, to promote
thinking and understanding
 The effect of out of school activities including homework and involvement of parents on
earning
 General methods of teaching and classroom management
 Special methods of teaching different disciplines

Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:

 Attaining goals, objectives/student learning outcomes of the curriculum
 The development of students’ critical thinking, independent problem-solving and
performance capabilities
 Practising pedagogy which encourages collaboration, team work and cooperation
 Promoting the love of learning and students’ intellectual curiosity

Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:

Skills  Plan, design and implement instructionappropriate to students’ stage of development,
variety of learning styles, strengths/needs and the school and community culture
 Plan and assignhomework and out of the class activities to extend and consolidate
students learning
 Plan, design and implement strategies to create learning experiences that make subject
matter meaningful for students, encourage students to pursue their interests and inquiries
 Plan and develop well-structured effective lessons by organising instructional activities and
materials, incorporating a wide range of community and technology resources, to promote
achievement of lesson objectives
 Use formal and informal methods of assessment, information about students, pedagogical
knowledge and research as sources for active reflection, evaluation and review of
practices.
 Create interdisciplinary learning experiences that allow students to integrate knowledge,
skills and methods of inquiry from across several subject areas
 Reflect systematically on the effectiveness of lessons and approaches to teaching

Standard 5: Assessment
Teachers have knowledge, understanding, and skills to assess students learning using multiple assessment
strategies and interpret results to promote and foster the continuous progress of students (diagnostic and
formative) and to evaluate students achievement (summative).

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  Different types of assessment strategies for formative and summative assessment (for
example, traditional standardised and performance-based tests, observation systems and
assessment of student work) for evaluating how students learn, what they know and are able
to do, and what kinds of experiences will support their further growth and development
 The use of assessment results to evaluate and improve teaching and learning
 Assessment-related issues, such as validity, reliability, bias and scoring concerns

26
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 The belief that students learning outcomes are the basis for growth and that the deficiencies
are opportunities for learning
 Fair and objective assessment and reporting to students and families
 Facilitating to ensure that students see assessment as a challenge and not as a frightening
experience

Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:

Skills  Develop and use teacher made tests for continuous internal evaluation of student
performance and skills at different stages of the academic programme
 Analyse student performance using multiple sources of data, and to modify future plans and
instructional techniques that promote desired student learning outcomes
 Provide students constructive feedback on their learning and encourage them to respond to
the feedback, use data and self-assessment strategies to monitor their progress towards
achieving personal goals
 Accurately document and report assessment data and on-going student achievement to
parents and professional staff
 Enhance their knowledge of learners and evaluate students’ progress and performance using
a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques to modify teaching and learning
strategies
 Develop and use objective assessment tools to measure student progress
 Promote opportunities for students to engage in self-assessment activities

Standard 6: Learning Environment

Teachers create a supportive, safe and respectful learning environment that encourages positive social
interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation in learners.

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  How learning takes place in classrooms
 The principles and strategies of effective classroom management that promote positive
relationships, cooperation and purposeful learning activities in the classroom
 How the classroom environment influences learning and promotes positive behaviour for all
students
 How participation supports student commitment to learning
 That corporal punishment is detrimental to the development of a child and that it is a crime

Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:

 The role of students in promoting each other’s learning (peer learning) and recognising the
importance of peer relationships
 Taking responsibility for establishing a positive and engaging environment in the classroom
and in the school
 Use democratic values in the classroom such as allowing students to express different
opinions and raise questions, providing equal opportunity for participation to all students
 Implementing discipline strategies that do not negatively affect the personality of the students

Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:

Skills  Develop and share classroom discipline plan/norms with the students
 Maintain a learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves and
each other, participate in decision-making and work both collaboratively and independently
 Create a cooperative classroom environment for all students, by practising effective listening
and group facilitation skills
 Create a positive classroom culture which is socially, emotionally and physically safe
 Establish and maintain appropriate standards of competitive behaviour to create a supportive

27
 environment for students at different levels of learning
 Use instructional time effectively
 Facilitate and monitor independent and group work that allows for full and varied participation
of all individual students.
 Implementing discipline strategies that do not negatively affect the personality of the students

28
Standard 7: Effective Communication and Proficient Use of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) for Teaching and Learning Process
Teachers use knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication techniques and tools of
information processing to foster the use of inquiry, collaboration and supportive interactions with students and
parents. Teachers are able to use instructional and information and communication technologies for curriculum
enrichment, instruction, assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes.

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  The importance of verbal, nonverbal and written communication in the teaching and learning
process
 Functional English related to their subject content
 Operating and integrating technologies in classroom and laboratory activities
 Use of suitable software for word processing, filing, research, data storage and presentation
of information
 Use of computers and mobile devices as instructional, research, planning and evaluation
tools
 How to use available diverse technical tools (art work, videos, cameras, phones, computers,
etc.) in their classrooms
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 Appreciating the cultural dimension of communication, responding appropriately and seeking
to foster culturally sensitive communication by and among all students in the class
 Being an active and responsive listener
 Fostering diversity of opinions among students and celebrating it in the classroom
 Using all educational and informational technologies to enhance different aspect of teaching
and learning
Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:
Skills  Communicate clearly in the local language/ Urdu/English using appropriate oral and written
expressions
 Develop reflective reading skills of learners in the local language/ Urdu/ English
 Model effective communication strategies and questioning techniques in conveying ideas and
stimulating critical thinking
 Communicate in a variety of ways that demonstrate a sensitivity to cultural, linguistic, gender
and social differences
 Foster accurate reporting and sharing of facts, opinions and beliefs
 Incorporate up-to-date information from diverse sources (print and electronic media) in lesson
plans to supplement textbooks
 Use ICT including computers and mobile devices where available for planning, instruction,
and assessment practices
 Develop students’ portfolios, test items, assignments and assessment through computers

Standard-8: Collaboration and Partnerships

Teachers build relationships with parents, guardians, families and professional organisations in the community
to support student learning.

Knowledge and Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  The importance of effective school-home relations that contribute to high-quality teaching and
learning
 The role of the school within the community and importance of community partnerships for
student learning and development

29
  Different approaches to collaborate effectively with parents, professionals and community

Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:

 Recognising the role of parents, guardians and other family members, notables and elders of
the community in the teaching and learning processes.
 Addressing concerns related to all aspects of the student’s well-being and working with
parents/ families to provide opportunities for students’ success
 To work with parents/ families and other professionals to improve the overall learning
environment for students
 Facilitating the intellectual, physical and moral/social development of students through
cooperative learning and interaction with community institutions

Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:

Skills  Identify and utilise family and community resources to foster student learning and provide
opportunities for parents to share skills and talents that enrich learning experiences
 Establish respectful and productive relationships and develop cooperative partnerships with
diverse families, educators and others in the community in support of student learning and
wellbeing
 Institutionalise parent/ family involvement practices through Parent Teacher Councils, School
Management Committees, School Councils, Parent Teacher School Management
Committees that support meaningful communication to strengthen the teaching and learning
environment of the school
 Cultivate knowledge of the surrounding community to enrich lessons and projects of study
 Link schools with business, industry and community agencies and civil society
representatives working in areas of health, environment, education etc.

30
Standard-9: Continuous Professional Development and Code of Conduct
Teachers participate as active, responsible members of the professional community, engage in reflective
practices, pursuing opportunities to grow professionally and to establish collegial relationships to enhance the
teaching and learning process. Teachers subscribe to the professional code of conduct.

Knowledge Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  The demands of the professional code of conduct
 How educational research and other methods of inquiry can be used as a means for
continuous learning, self-assessment and development
 How to be inventive and innovative about teaching practice
 How to develop and maintain their own professional portfolio
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 Improving their subject content knowledge and pedagogical skills through continuous
professional development
 Refining practices that address the needs of all students and the school/ community
 Professional reflection, assessment and learning as an on-going process
 Collaborating with colleagues on professional aspects
 Sharing successful professional experiences with colleagues
 Demonstrating sound professional ethics
Performance and Teachers engage in activities to:
Skills  Use reflective practice and professional development standards to set goals for their
professional development plans
 Apply learning from Continuous Professional Development activities to improve their teaching
practice
 Learn through professional education organisations and through print and electronic media
 Make the entire school a productive learning climate through participation in collegial
activities
 Seek advice of others and draw on action research to improve teaching practice
 Uphold ethical behaviours in teaching, learning and assessment.

Standard-10: Teaching of English as Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL)

Teachers understand the pedagogy of English as Second/Foreign language and effectively communicate in
English.

Knowledge & Teachers know and understand:

Understanding  Status of English Language as a medium of instruction in Pakistan
 Aims of teaching English as a subject at the national level
 Aims and methods of using English as medium of instruction in Pakistan
 Strategies to enhance “learning in English,” and “learning of English as a language”
 Apply appropriate learning theories, pedagogy and teaching methods to facilitate the learning
and use of English
 Specific difficulties in teaching and learning English in the Pakistani context
Dispositions Teachers value and are committed to:
 Lessening biases and anxiety in students for learning in English
 Addressing students’ specific needs related to ESL/EFL

Performance Teachers engage in activities to:

&Skills  Use of comprehensible English language along with supportive use of Urdu (national
language) and local languages for effective teaching and learning purposes
 Identify, analyse and address learning difficulties in English language

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  Gradually enable students to communicate in English utilising all four skills: speaking,
listening, reading and writing
 Provide classroom opportunities for choral and individual reading, descriptive and discursive
writing and spoken English

Linked to Child-Friendly School Standards (Annex 1)

2.1 Developing motivated and professionally 2.1.1 Teachers understand subject matter and how it relates to
competent teachers curriculum, content standards and National Professional Standards for
Teachers, and teach it using inclusive, child-friendly methodologies.
2.1.2 Teachers demonstrate professional ethics, respect towards
students,and dedication to their work.
2.1.3 Teachers can design effective, joyful and relevant instructional
strategies and lesson plans adapted to the learning and development
needs, learning styles, abilities and circumstances of their students.
2.1.4 Teachers can understand and use a range of educational
assessment tools, adapt them to the individual learning styles and
capacities of their students and give them timely feedback.
2.2 Facilitating the holistic development of all 2.2.1 Teachers understand how children develop and learn and
children with equal focus on cognitive, social, provide opportunities that support them in reaching their full
emotional, physical and spiritual development intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual and physical potential in and
outside the classroom (including life and livelihood skills).
4.1 Establishing systems to ensure student, 4.1.2 Teachers participate effectively in school management.
teacher, parent and community participation in
school management

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Chapter 8

Standards for Assessment

This chapter introduces the relevant body of knowledge relating to educational practices, comprising of several
national and international assessment studies, essential information such as contextual frameworks, curriculum
models and content domains that can be used to compare how the National Education Assessment System
(NEAS) in Pakistan assesses its students as well as its success level compared to other countries.
This chapter is divided into different sections. The first section presents the importance of assessment, the
second one is about types of assessment followed by a section discussing about effective practices of
assessment in Pakistan. The next section presents an overview of large scale assessments and the last and the
most important onepresents standards for assessment to be implemented in Pakistan.

What is Assessment?
Assessment is the process of defining, selecting, designing, collecting, analysing, interpreting, and using
information to increase students’ learning and development. It is the systematic collection, review and use of
information about educational programmes to improve student learning. Assessment focuses on what students
know, what they are able to do, and what values they have when they receive their education. Assessment is
concerned with the collective impact of a series of lessons on student learning.13

Importance of Assessment
Assessment is “an integral component of the teaching process”14. It is the third stage in an instructional cycle,
undertaken after planning instruction and delivering instruction15.The importance of assessment lies in
providing:

 Mechanisms to judge whether students are achieving the learning outcomes at an appropriate level of
competence that teachers have determined for their courses and programmes through, for example:
o Diagnostic assessments at the outset of a learning process
o Formative assessments at certain points during the learning process to judge progress
o Summative assessments at the end of a learning process or scheme to work to judge
achievement
o Certification (local, national and international), which recognises in a formal way the
achievement of standards in a chosen field.
 Opportunities for educationists to engage in self-reflection of its learning goals, to determine the
degree to which these goals correspond to student and societal needs, and to evaluate if students’
activities, products, or performances coincide with educationists’ expectations;

13(Assessing Student Learning and Development: A Guide to the Principles, Goals, and Methods of Determining College Outcomes by Erwin 1991)
14Reynolds, C. R., Livingston, R. B., & Willson, V. L. (2006). Measurement and assessment in education: Boston : Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon.
15Airasian, P. W., & Russell, M. K. (2005). Classroom assessment : concepts and applications: Boston, Mass. : McGraw-Hill Higher

Education.6th ed

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  Feedback to students about the knowledge, skills, and other attributes they can expect to possess
after successfully completing coursework and academic programmes; and
 Ways for academic units to encompass the dimensions of student learning in order to improve student
achievement and the educational process.
 Evidence based data to policy makers, curriculum experts, textbook writers and other stakeholders for
effective interventions to achieve the goal of quality education.

Types of Assessment
Formative Assessment

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide on-going feedback that can be used
by teachers to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative
assessments:
 help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
 help teachers recognise where students are struggling and to address these problems.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment is used to assess the benchmarked performance of students. This assessment is often
carried out at the end of a learning and teaching cycle. The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate
student learning by comparing it against some standards or benchmarks.

Effective Practices for Assessing Students in Pakistan

Assessment is a vital part of successful teaching because instruction needs to be calibrated according to
students' knowledge, skills, and interests and to establish conformity to agreed benchmarks for learning as
specified in the curriculum. Tests, quizzes, and performance evaluations also help teachers identify
developmentally appropriate instruction.
In Pakistan public examinations are held by examination bodies at grade 5 and 8 in some areas while the
examinations for grades 9 -12 are conducted by Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs).
Most of the current public examination systems, including all BISEs across the country, are based on assessing
information rather than students’ critical thinking and analytical abilities. Thus teachers typically teach for
testing, rather than for learning.
The examination system reinforces stereotypical approaches to teaching that reward memorisation. The present
examination system needs radical reforms especially in improving the quality of examination papers and linking
the purpose of the exams to learning rather than simply memorisation of information. Such certification
examinations also need to be clearly aligned to the national curriculum of Pakistan.

Large-Scale National Assessment

Large-scale national assessments are conducted by National Educational Assessment System (NEAS), a
subordinate office of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, in collaboration with Provincial

34
and Areas Assessment bodies. The objective of these assessments is to evaluate the overall capability and
quality of the education system, and to focus on providing evidence based findings to policy makers for effective
interventions in education system. NEAS conducted its sample-based large scale assessments in 2005, 2006,
2007, 2008, and in 2014. NAT-2014 assessed 11200 students of Grade 4 and 8 from 448 schools located
across Pakistan.

Currently, these national assessments are not linked to the major periodic international assessments of
progress and achievement such as TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), PISA
(Progress for International Student Assessment) and PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study).
TIMSS assesses student achievement in mathematics and science every 4 years on the performance of 4th,
8th and 12th grade students. Its purpose is to (a) provide international benchmarks that assist policy-makers in
identifying the comparative strengths and weaknesses of their educational systems; and (b) to provide high
quality data that will increase policy-makers’ understanding of key factors that affect teaching and learning, and
for preparing and evaluating educational reforms. Encouragingly, Pakistan is scheduled to participate in next
TIMSS to be conducted in 2019.

PISA is an international study that assesses how well participating countries are preparing their 15-year-old
pupils’ to meet real-life opportunities and challenges. PISA assesses three key areas: reading, mathematical
and scientific literacy. Although each area of knowledge and skills is assessed, there is a focus on one of these
areas in each cycle. PISA assessments are administered every 3 years.

PIRLS focuses on the reading achievement of 4th grade students. It is conducted by the International
Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.

It could be argued that there is a value for Pakistan to participate in such international assessments so that the
country can assess where it stands globally and take measures to improve standards accordingly.

Standards for Assessment

To systematically address deficiencies in the current assessment practices in Paksitan and to enable
assessment of students’ performance the following list of actions and standards are required to establish
effective assessment processes for learning:
 Establish a standardised assessment process including public exams to ensure uniformity across the
examination so that all the students are assessed against similar benchmarks;
 Standardize procedures in order to curb and penalize academic misconduct such as cheating and use
of other unfair means for public examinations;
 A valid and reliable16 system of summative assessments that would reflect the true learning
achievement of students;
 Students’ performance assessment should be based on the attainment of Student Learning Outcomes
(SLOs) prescribed in the national curriculum;
 Assessment methods and procedures should be periodically and systematically reviewed and revised
as necessary to adapt to evolving requirements;

16Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure in terms of its content and construction.
Reliability is the degree to which a test consistently measures whatever it measures, every time it is conducted.

35
  Monitoring of exam system should ensure regulations for transparency and effectiveness of the
assessment process in terms of paper setting, preparation of marking scheme, exam supervision,
collection of exam material, coding, decoding and marking;
 Appropriate use of ICT for ensuring efficiency and transparency in assessment processes;
 Accountability of assessment process through a system of checks and balances;
 Examination boards must ensure alignment of assessment to the prevalent curriculum;
 Effective policy mechanisms to ensure appropriate use of assessment data
 Uniform continuous professional development and training of assessors (paper setters, examiners,
paper markers, coders and invigilators and other relevant staff) is regularly conducted to enhance
their expertise with clarity about their roles, responsibilities and standards;
 Standardized multiple assessment tools in addition to traditional examinations should be developed
and used to achieve a balance between formative assessment approaches, summative examinations;
and high stake examinations. Such results can then feed back into instructional, curriculum and
educational planning processes;
 All assessments will aim to measure knowledge, understanding, as well as critical, analytical and
creative thinking skills based on the requirements of different cognitive levels of the curriculum;
 Assessment should serve to provide constructive information for the teachers, parents, students and
other stakeholders to improve student learning outcomes; and
 Assessment should focus on outcomes encompassing attitudes, behaviours and skills (both hard and
soft skills) that link to positive participation in the society and motivate the learners.

Linked to Child-Friendly School Standards(Annex 1)

2.1 Developing motivated and professionally 2.1.4 Teachers can understand and use a range of educational
competent teachers assessment tools, adapt them to the individual learning styles and
capacities of their students and give them timely feedback.

36
Chapter 9

Early Learning and Development

Standards

The formulation of early learning and development standards helps to build consensus on objectives for child
development and to build a measurable base for these objectives. The process of developing and implementing
standards can help to advance child-related agendas and to lobby for the well being of children.

Different types of standards need to be distinguished: Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) are
standards about what we expect children should know and be able to do; Family Standards refer to what adult
family members must do to support the development of the children. Teacher Standards are usually the basis
for teacher preparation programmes as they enunciate what teachers should know and what they should be
able to do.

Children from disadvantaged and economically deprived segments have little access to pre-primary or Early
Childhood Education (ECE) services. The goal of ECE is to create age appropriate interactive learning
opportunities for 4-5 years age child in order for her/his preparation for primary school irrespective of the child’s
physical and mental state and social status in the primary educational institutions throughout the country. The
development of uniform ELDS would facilitate the achievement of this goal.

ELDS are of critical importance among the different categories of standards elaborated in this document, as
they provide the starting point for decisions on the other forms of standards. Therefore, they become the
foundation for all other standards which articulate the wishes, aspirations and expectations for the development
of children. ELDS can thus be used in a variety of ways to improve instruction, parenting skills, amend behavior,
teacher preparation, curriculum development and the public’s knowledge of child development and to evaluate
programmes and monitor national progress.

Domains of Early Childhood Education and Development

Following are the main Domains/Areas of Early Childhood and Education development.

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development:refers to those processes where the child develops self
confidence, learns to express his/her likes and dislikes and can share whatever he/she feels. The social
setting and value system form the core of person’s identity and children at a very young age try to figure out
what is good, what is appreciated or beneficial, based on what they observe in their surroundings. A quality
ECE environment nurtures the developmental stages of an individual by providing opportunities for children
to form positive relationships with other children and with elders, and to engage in learning about social
norms, ethics, productive citizenship and democratic values.

37
2. Language Development:refers to the process by which children make sense of the words, symbols and
information around them. Children are born with the ability to learn language but a quality learning
environment is essential to help them develop optimally. Learning to read and write the alphabets and make
small sentences is just one component of language development. Over emphasis on this component
especially through rote memorization, without giving children a chance to process the information and relate
it to their lives, cripples not only their language development, but also their cognitive capacities.

3. Cognitive Development:refers to the development of mental processes and capabilities; it encompasses

how children learn and process information and the development of the thinking and organizing systems of
the mind. It involves language, imagining, thinking, exploring, reasoning, problem solving, developing and
rejecting ideas on concepts, expression though multiple media and experimenting and applying what they
learn. When they come to school, children are already equipped with all the basic thinking and processing
skills that they have learnt as part of growing up. Sound cognitive development enhances the capabilities of
critical thinking and creativity in human beings. A quality ECE environment provides learning opportunities
where children are given the freedom to explore, think, imagine, question, and experiment as they develop
the ability to create novel ideas and solutions.

4. Moral and Spiritual Development:refers to the development of a child’s capacity to experience, manage
and express a full range of positive and negative emotions. The development of self esteem is critical
throughout the early years and having positive experiences in a quality environment is essential at this
stage. Feeling important, assuming responsibility, being listened to and cared for, are the essentials for
creating positive self-conception in children.

5. Physical Development:involves the way children use their muscles, both large and small. The large
muscles are used for activities such as walking, jumping and lifting large objects. The small muscles are
used for fine motor activities such as threading beads, wiring, drawing, cleaning rice and working with small
objects. Exposures to activities that help in muscle development help children in doing small tasks on a
daily basis. They start feeling capable of helping elders and gain confidence in them.

6. Health, Hygiene and Safety:It focuses on children’s developing physical control, mobility, awareness of
space and manipulative skills in indoor and outdoor environments. They also include establishing positive
attitudes, awareness of safetymeasures and understanding of a healthy and active way of life.

7. Creative Arts:It focuses on the development of children’s imagination and their ability to communicate and
to express ideas, feelings, observations and experiences in creative ways. Theseentail encouraging
children to think of new and innovative ideas which can be expressed through varied media

Standards for ECE

The following section lists the national standards for ECE including the personal, social, emotional, language,
cognitive, moral, spiritual and physical development.

Standard 1: Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Sub Domain Standards
Personal Development  A child will be able to gain self-confidence
 A child will be able to make his/her own decision
 A child will be able to take care of his/her belongings
 A child will be able to perceive himself/herself in a positive way
 A child will be able to ask for help from others when needed

38
Social Development  A child will form friendly and interactive relations with peers and adults
around him/her
 A child will learn to respect other’s opinion
 A child will learn to care for others belongings and things in the
surroundings
 A child will learn to take turns and make a queue
 A child will learn to share and cooperate with each other
 A child will learn to play local games
 A child will learn to handle an emergency situation
 A child will be able to recognize, appreciate and respect similarities and
differences among people
 A child will be able to associate and mingle with children having diverse
abilities
 A child will be aware of Pakistani culture (national flag, game, folk
dances, dresses, food etc) and national days
Emotional Development  A child will be able to express different emotions/moods
 A child will be able to show/ express his/her likes and dislikes
 A child will learn to care for others feelings
 A child will be able to manage his/her emotions during conflict and
various problematic situations

Standard 2: Language Development (for any language like Urdu, English)

Sub Domain Standards
Listening  A child will be able to listen attentively
 A child will be able to respond to stories
 A child responds to rhymes jingles and songs
 A child will be able to understand and communicate in simple language
 A child will be able to recognize and differentiate between sounds in the environment
Speaking  A child will be able to share experiences verbally with peers, teachers and elders
 A child will be able to use correct pronunciation
 A child’s vocabulary will increase gradually
 A child will make eye contact with audience while speaking
Writing  A child will be able to trace different strokes and patterns for developing pre-writing
skills
 A child will be able to write letters of Urdu alphabets
 A child will be able to write letters of English alphabets
 A child will be able to write his/her own name in Urdu
 A child will be able to write his/her own name in English
Reading  A child will be able to know that Urdu is read from right to left
 A child will be able to know that English is read from left to right
 A child will be able to recognize different letters of Urdu alphabets
 A child will be able to recognize different letters of English alphabets
 A child will be able to make sounds of different alphabets of Urdu
 A child will be able to make sounds of different alphabets of English
 A child will be able to recognize his/her name in Urdu
 A child will be able to recognize his/her name in English

Standard 3: Cognitive Development

Sub Domain Student Standards

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Conceptual Thinking  A child will be able to name, recognize and differentiate between colours
 A child will be able to group objects together according to their colour
 A child will be able to recognize and differentiate basic shapes
 A child will be able to learn the concept of height and differentiate between
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to learn the concept of length and differentiate between its
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to learn the concept of width and differentiate between its
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to learn the concept of depth and differentiate between its
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to learn the concept of volume and differentiate between its
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to understand the concept of weight and differentiate between its
comparative degrees
 A child will be able to understand the concept of texture, differentiate between rough
and smooth and its comparative degrees
 A child will be able to understandthe concept of temperature and differentiate
between hot and cold and its comparative degrees
 A child will be able to understand and differentiate between the concept of few and
more objects and its comparative degrees
 A child will learn the concept of floating and sinking of objects
 A child will be able to observe, recognize and create patterns
 A child will learn the concept of four directions north, south, east and west
 A child will learn the concept of shadow
 A child will be able to tell what time of the day it is
Logical Thinking  A child will be able to count
 A child will be able to recognize numbers 0-9
 A child will be able to correlate numbers and objects
 A child will be able to understand the concept of zero (0)
 A child will be able to trace different strokes and patterns to develop pre-writing
skills for mathematics
 A child will be able to understand the concept of addition and will be able to do the
addition operation
 A child will be able to understand the concept of subtraction and will be able to do
subtraction operation
 A child will be able to tell time from a clock
World around Us  A child will be able to know the role and importance of his/her family members
 A child will be aware of places in his/her surroundings
 A child will have awareness of different places of Pakistan
 A child will be able to know about people living around him/her
 A child will learn about different types of animals
 A child will learn about different features of animals
 A child will be able to learn different uses of animals
 A child will be able to know about different types of plants
 A child will be able to learn about different parts of a plant
 A child will be able to learn about different uses of plants
 A child will learn to observe and develop an understanding of different weathers.
 A child will be able to learn about different seasons

Standard 4: Moral and Spiritual Development

Sub Domain Standards

40
Moral Development  A child will learn to show respect and love for family members
 A child will learn to show kindness and positive attitude/behavior towards others
 A child will become aware of the importance of being truthful
 A child will be able to understand and practice tolerance
 A child will learn to show positive attitude/behavior towards people and other living
things
Spiritual Development  A child will learn how to greet others
 A child will learn to say prayer – Bismillah before starting anything
 A child will learn to say prayer – Alhamdolillah when finishes anything
 A child will learn about different religions

Standard 5: Physical Development

Sub Domain Standards
Gross Motor Skills  A child will be able to walk on a straight line
 A child will be able to hop and jump on a straight line
 A child will be able to walk on the straight line with a book on his/her head
 A child will learn to walk on a straight line with a spoon having a potato (small one)
 A child will learn to balance on one foot
 A child will learn to throw a ball a certain distance
 A child will be able to climb on a ladder/stairs, tree etc.
 A child will be able to walk backwards
 A child can jump over small objects with balance and control
 The child will be able to walk with a glass of water in hands without dripping it
Fine Motor Skills  A child will be able to pour water from jug to glass
 A child will be able to make things with clay/dough, plasticine
 A child will be able to draw simple shapes/pictures
 A child will be able to handle scissors well
 A child will be able to tear paper into small pieces
 A child will be able to manipulate small objects with ease (e.g., strings beads, fits
small objects into holes)
 A child will be able to pick up small objects with fingers
 A child will be able to fasten buttons
Sensory Motor Skills  A child will be able to differentiate between different smells
 A child will be able to differentiate between different tastes; sweet, bitter, salty, sour,
spicy, etc.
 A child will be able to differentiate between textures
 A child’s observation skills will be enhanced
 A child will be able to differentiate different sounds; loud, soft shrilly etc
 A child will be able to differentiate between hot, cold, warm, etc.
Standard 6: Health, Hygiene and Safety
Sub Domain Standards
Health  A child will have awareness of healthy food and its benefits
 A child will have awareness about junk food and its harmful effects
 A child will be able to understand the importance of milk
 A child will be aware of the importance of water
 A child will be able to learn good eating habits
Hygiene  A child will be able to learn the concept of cleanliness
 A child will realize significance of cleaning and cutting nails

41
  A child will be able to keep his/her hair clean and tidy
 A child will be able to keep his/her teeth clean
 A child will learn the importance of taking bath
 A child will learn proper use of toilet
 A child will learn to keep his/her belongings clean
 A child will be able to learn to keep his/her surroundings clean and tidy
Safety  A child will be able to use sharp objects properly
 A child will be able to learn to cross a road carefully
 A child will be aware of harmful effects of taking a medicine without elder’s
supervision
 A child will be able to seek adults help whenever required

Standard 7: Creative Art

Sub Domain Standards
Visual Art  A child will be able to recognize and differentiate colours in the environment
 A child will be able to express through colors /drawing
 A child will be able to create different crafts with indigenous materials
 A child will be able express through plasticine/clay
 A child will be able to paint
 A child will be able to know tearing and cutting of paper
 A child will be able to make things by folding paper
 A child will be able to do weaving
 A child will be able to appreciate different rhymes and songs etc
 A child will be able to sing rhymes, songs with actions
 A child will be able to identify sounds of different mediums
Performing Art  A child will be able to perform and act
 A child will be able to understand and to imitate role of different professionals
 A child will be able to participate in dramas and tableaus

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Chapter 10

Standards for School

LearningEnvironment

The learning environment refers to the whole range of components and activities within which learning takes
place. Learning environments are usually made up of physical, psycho-social and service delivery elements.
However, learning can take place anywhere, but positive outcomes sought by educational systems tend to
happen in quality learning environments. In this context, the core business of schools is to provide students with
a rich learning environment that is open, respectful, caring and safe. This ideal learning environment optimises
the wellbeing of learners and eventually contributes towards improved learning outcomes. A good learning
environment also reflects a positive school culture that makes the school an exciting and stimulating place
where learning can take place.
Traditionally, the concept of learning environment was limited to physical structures of schools including spaces,
equipment and tools within the school. This concept has evolved into a more complex domain that includes
teaching equipment, sources of information and events outside of schools, where students can take part in the
learning process both directly and virtually.17 The term evolved as a result of the recent changes taking place in
pedagogy, whereby actual learning is increasingly being transposed outside of schools with the help of
communication and information technologies. In this context, the learning process is becoming more
personalised, co-operative, interactive and diversified.
The most comprehensive definition of the school physical environment is adopted by the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)which describes it as,

“a physical space that supports multiple and diverse teaching and learning programmes and pedagogies,
including current technologies; one that demonstrates optimal, cost-effective building performance and
operation over time; one that respects and is in harmony with the environment; and one that encourages social
participation, providing a healthy, comfortable, safe, secure and stimulating setting for its occupants”. 18
In its narrowest sense, a physical learning environment is seen as a conventional classroom and, in its widest
sense, as a combination of formal and informal education systems where learning takes place both inside and
outside of schools.
The concept of “learning environment” is, therefore, becoming increasingly significant as schools in developed
countries are successfully transforming their role to become centres for lifelong learning. This notion is posing
new challenges and exerting pressure on schools in developing countries to bring about changes in their
physical learning environments.

17 OECD The future of the physical learning environment: school facilities that support the user: 2011
18 Evaluating Quality in Educational Spaces: OECD/CELE Pilot Project: 2009

43
Elements of Effective School Learning Environment (UNICEF Guidelines)
UNICEF has carried out a comprehensive study on the quality of education 19 which also delineates different
contours of effective school learning. It categorises elements of effective school learning into three groups i.e.
physical elements, psychosocial elements and service delivery. The UNICEF study reports a strong correlation
between the availability of elements of effective school learning and improved student learning outcomes. The
following details are taken from the UNICEF guidelines regarding elements of effective school learning (see
www.unicef.org/education/files/QualityEducation.pdf):

Physical Elements

School facilities Physical learning environments or the places in which formal learning occurs, ranging from
relatively modern and well-equipped buildings to open-air gathering places. The quality of school
facilities seems to have an indirect effect on learning, an effect that is hard to measure. But some
recent studies suggest that children whose schools lacked classroom materials and had an
inadequate library were significantly more likely to show lower test scores and higher grade
repetition than those whose schools were well equipped.

School The quality of school buildings including availability of lavatories and a clean water supply,
infrastructure classroom maintenance, space and furniture availability all have a positive impact on learning,
especially for girls. Monotonous classrooms, unavailability of clean water and sanitation facilities
and absence of co-curricular activities have direct bearings for access and quality of education.

Classroom size Many developing countries have significantly expanded access to primary education during the
last two decades, but the building of new schools has often not kept pace with the increase in the
student population. In these cases, schools have often had to expand class sizes, as well as the
ratio of students to teachers, to accommodate large numbers of new students. Learning may
suffer in overcrowded classrooms.

Psychosocial Elements

Peaceful and Safe A welcoming and non-discriminatory climate is critical within the schools and classrooms for
Environments creating a quality learning environment. In many countries, social taboos and indifferent attitudes
towards girls’ participation in education have been significant barriers to providing quality
education to all students.

Teachers’ Irrational In some cases, class teachers intentionally or unintentionally create an unsafe environment for
Behaviours students. Incidents of physical and emotional harassment often take place along with prevalence
of corporal punishment in many schools around the world. These kinds of behaviours from the
teaching community affect the quality of the learning environment since learning cannot take
place when the basic needs of survival and self-protection are threatened.

School Policies Well-managed schools and classrooms contribute to educational quality. Order, constructive
discipline and reinforcement of positive behaviour communicate a seriousness of purpose to
students. School managers should consult with teachers and students while formulating policies
related to school discipline. Such practices give a sense of ownership to students and teachers
as well.

19 UNICEF: “Defining Quality in Education”, 2000.

44
Inclusive Reducing various forms of discrimination is critical to quality improvement in learning
Environments environments. Most countries struggle with effective inclusion of students with special needs and
disabilities. Although most educational policies around the world include some philosophy of
inclusion, significant gaps between policies and actual practices in schools and classrooms exist.
Children of ethnic and language minorities and groups at low socio-economic levels may also
suffer from discriminatory policies and practices that hinder the advancement of quality education
for all children. In general, continued restructuring of most learning environments needs to occur
to improve learning opportunities for children of all abilities and backgrounds.

Service Delivery

Provision of Basic The school service environment can also contribute to improved learning outcomes. Provision of
Health Services nutritional meals and basic health services can contribute to better learning and in reducing
absenteeism and inattention. Guidance and counselling services by school authorities can also
play an important role in this regard.

The School Learning Environment in Pakistan

The National Education Policy (NEP) 200920 describes the school learning environment in the following words,

“in an average rural area of Pakistan, a five or six year old child walks to the school dreading what he or she
would face…They know that they may have to sit on cold floor in winters and a hot one in summers provided
they are lucky enough to have a school building otherwise the tree is the only shade available to the children.
Toilets are a luxury and where in some schools they exist, the ratio is extremely poor. Library facilities are very
rudimentary and teaching aid material is generally in short supply. Games, sports and other co-curricular
activities such as debating contests, drawing competitions, skills/arts and crafts training, and cultural activities
that positively contribute to the overall development of school children are missing from most schools. School
infrastructure facilities are highly inadequate…”

An effective school learning environment is a missing element in most public sector educational institutions. The
situation is the worst in rural areas. The conditions in the private sector are also not encouraging enough but
somehow the concept of learning environment exists. The latest data from the National Education Management
Information System (NEMIS)21 reveals that only 64% primary schools have access to drinking water. Only 66%
of girls’ primary schools have adequate sanitation facilities but in the case of boys, the sanitation facilities are
available in only 53% of public sector institutions. The state of the school learning environment gets worse when
it comes to classroom learning. Child friendly learning atmosphere is mostly absent, as no mechanism is in
place to deal with the psychosocial problems of a child. Corporal punishment does exist though generally it is
perceived that its intensity has been reduced as a result of various government interventions such as ‘Maar
Nahi Pyar’ movement by the Punjab School Education Department and growing awareness among the different
stakeholders. Some standards related to school buildings are available but these standards are not child
friendly. In short, existing building structures are neither child friendly nor do they provide adequate protection
from the weather. School norms and values have suffered badly as a result. It is hard to imagine that children in

20 National Education Policy 2009: Page. 19

21 National Education Management Information System (NEMIS): 2012-13

45
a Pakistani school find much that is attractive or engaging. Consequently, the high drop-out rate is not
surprising.

Coupled with other issues, the absence of clearly marked educational standards for the school learning
environment is believed to be an important contributing cause of low learning outcomes. While recognising this
missing link, the NEP fully endorses the need for minimum standards for the school learning environment.

Policy Actions
“A framework setting out the basic standards for school facilities and teaching aid materials including
playground shall be established by 2012 and shall form the basis for allocation of funds.”22

Standards for School Learning Environment

Basic Facilities  Every child must have safe and easy access to schools close to their home according to
its/their age and level of education. The provinces/ areas will further standardise it
according to their own situation and implement policies to ensure that schools are
constructed in response to need.
 Each primary school must have at least 2 classrooms, one staff/ HT room, one store
room, playing area according to the strength of students/ staff; co-curricular activities
 Each school must have drinking water, 2-3 toilets for students, lighting, boundary wall
and adequate seating facilities
 Each school must have adequate teaching learning support material in the schools for
the relevant classes, at least one set of all textbooks for all grades
 Life skills development will be practised through co- and extra- curricular activities
 Construction of all new schools must be in line with disaster risk free standards.
 Each school must have an appropriate play area as play contributes to learning
outcomes
 Each school must have a library with a variety of materials in place
School Culture  The school should have a vision and mission statement drawn up in consultation with all
relevant stakeholders
 Each school must have a visible code of conduct for all stakeholders
 Values of respect to each other, cooperation, sympathy must be observed in all schools
by all stakeholders
 Each school must be child friendly23 and free from corporal punishment
 Each school must promote positive nourishment/ personality development of the
learners
 School environment must be such that the child feels safe/secure, enjoys freedom,
acknowledgement, and a sense of belonging and appreciation
 Each school must allocate appropriate time for co-curricular activities to all students
according to their aptitude and capabilities
 Each school must ensure a healthy and hygienic environment in the school.
 Each school must be transparent in its spending and display spending in a public place
inside the school
Community  Each school must have a functional School Management Committee (SMC/ PTA/ PTC
Involvement etc.) to look after school affairs effectively
 Each school should have a School Development/ Improvement Plan (SIP)
 Each school must facilitate the parents and communities whenever they visit the school;
and
 Head Teachers/school heads must motivate the communities for their positive
involvement in school development and resource mobilisation

22 National Education Policy 2009: page 40.

23A child-friendly school ensures every child an environment that is physically safe, emotionally secure and psychologically enabling.
(UNICEF)

46
Learning  Each primary school should have at least 2 teachers
Environments  Appropriate student teacher ratios24 should be ensured
 Each school should have its own annual academic calendar, and possibly adopt a multi-
level calendar which allows teachers the flexibility to personalise, within limits
 No student will remain unattended in school at any time
 Each school should practise child-centred and activity-based learning strategies
 Each school should offer individual attention to all students
 Each school should have an in-built assessment system, open to all stakeholders
 Records of progress/ development of each child must be prepared and shared with the
students and parents at appropriate intervals
School Leadership  Head teacher should ensure the implementation of the annual school calendar
 Each school must have qualified(defined in footnote), motivated and visionary
leadership;
 Leadership must have adequate management training
 Teamwork and cooperation in school activities must be observed
 Leadership should have capabilities in planning and school development
 Leadership must ensure the best utilisation of all available resources (HR, money,
material) to create an effective and safe learning environment
 Leadership must act as mentor and facilitate the continuous professional development of
all staff members.
 Leadership must develop motivational strategies for all staff members

Linked to Child-Friendly School Standards (Annex 1)

1.2 providing good quality early childhood care, 1.2.1 Early childhood care, development and education
development, and education programmes, especially for programmes are expanded as an essential first stage of an
the most excluded populations inclusive, child-friendly school system.
1.3 ensuring all children enrol and attend school without
1.3.1 Inclusive education becomes the core objective of
discrimination based on background and circumstance schools of communities to ensure quality education for all.
1.3.3 Schools take practical and effective measures to
satisfy the individual educational needs of children.
1.3.4 Schools create a harmonious, learner-friendly
environment which embraces diversity and sees it not as a
problem but as an opportunity for education.
1.5 creating gender-responsive environments in schools 1.5.1 Gender-appropriate school structures and facilities are
and communities provided (this can be implemented in boys’ schools and girls’
schools as well as in coeducational settings)
1.5.2 All school staff and members of Parent-Teacher
Associations, School Management Committees and School
Councils are sensitized to gender-related issues and needs.
Schools promote equal opportunities for boys and girls to
receive quality education.
2.3 developing effective teaching and learning support 2.3.1 Teachers and students have adequate materials and
systems facilities needed for effective teaching and learning
processes.
2.3.2 School staff (teaching and non-teaching) and
supervisors should understand their roles and
responsibilities and should are provided quality in-service
professional development including training, supervision
and mentoring (for example school and teacher clusters).
3.1 implementing a comprehensive school health system 3.1.1 A comprehensive school health programme which
ensures that all schools are healthy, hygenic, safe and
protective.

24As per international best practice, pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) shouldn’t exceed to 40:1 average, although most countries strive to
maintain much lower ratios.

47
3.2 Creating a healthy, hygenic school 3.2.1 Schools have comprehensive health policiies and
healthy, hygenic, protective environments (for example
clean drinking water and sanitation facilities).
3.2.2 Health, hygiene, nutrition and drug preventation
education is an integral part of school curricular and co-
curricular activities.
3.2.3 Schools provide basic health servies (for example
fist aid kits and health screening) for students and/or
access to needed services outside of school.
3.2.4 Parents receive regular orientation towards good
health, nutrition and drug preventation jointly by the school
and community.
3.3 Creating a safe physical environment 3.3.1 The school, its surroundings and routes to and
from school are safe and secure.
3.3.2 Schools implement effective disaister risk
reduction (DRR)/emergency preparedness and response
programmes.
3.4 Creative protective learning environments 3.4.1 Schools have a protective learning environment
which supports the psycho-social and emotional health of
students.
3.4.2 Schools establish/enforce strong policies and
practices against bullying, corporal punishment, riducle and
other forms of physical, verbal and sexual abuse.

UNICEF Pakistan in collaboration with the government of Pakistan has developed an incremental approach to
introducing the principles of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) across schools in Pakistan. Through the 3
Star Approach, three levels of criteria have been set for schools to strive for. According to this set of criteria,
many schools would currently fall in the No Star category, where no attention is being paid to cleanliness and
hygiene among children. Further details can be seen in Annex 2.

48
Chapter 11

Framework and Guidelines for

Implementation

The development of minimum national standards documented here followed a participatory approach engaging
all relevant stakeholders from across the country related to education service delivery. This process of jointly
developing and agreeing on minimum national standards in education, as discussed in Chapter 1, is the
culmination of the joint efforts of provinces and areas at initiating an interprovincial coordination process after
the 18thAmendment when no formal mechanism for this purpose existed. During this process the provinces and
areas deliberated over the challenges and opportunities, and through experience sharing and brainstorming
formulated strategies to implement and reap the maximum benefits of the devolved education functions.

The process of interprovincial coordination led not only to sharing of experiences and thereby plugging capacity
gaps vis-à-vis preparedness for implementing the 18th constitutional amendment but also brought forward the
recognition of the need for a structured mechanism for interprovincial coordination around the critical areas of
quality and governance in education delivery. As a result, Inter-Provincial TWGs on quality and governance
were constituted by the provincial/area education departments in 2013. Over four meetings of the IP TWG on
Quality minimum national standards on the key elements of quality education were developed. The
development and implementation of these minimum national standards in education is expected to address the
imperatives of national cohesion and the facilitation of focused efforts to develop the education sector in
Pakistan.

In a joint meeting of the IPTWGs in Peshawar, hosted by the KPK(November 2015) Elementary and Secondary
School Education Department, the draft standards were reviewed and finalised. In addition the joint session also
agreed upon a general framework for operationalisation of the minimum national standards,outlined in this
chapter provinces and are as may now adapt the provincial level mechanism suggested below, to their specific
contexts. The success of any national level reform largely depends on its successful implementation in the
provinces and areas. Like any other measure, the introduction of the standards as a joint policy measurewill
require streamlining and placement of processes functions and coordination within the relevant education sector
organisations and institutions. This activity will, therefore, require the development of strategic roadmaps and
detailed action plans at the provincial/area level.

After the approval of the MNSQE, from the IPMEC in February 2016 these jointly-owned standards areexpected
to become a permanent feature of its deliberations as a key agenda item. The IPEMC shall be the highest level
overall steering forum for implementation of the standards. For the IPEMC to serve as the oversight/steering
level body a mechanism of information flow agreed upon by the IP TWG session in its last meeting is described

49
in detail below. This proposed generic structure is based on the logical sequencing of coordination and
monitoring tiers to ensure the flow of information and analysis of progress and issues vis-a-vis implementation.

The model agreed to by the Interprovincial TWG on Quality in Education includes a provincial level mechanism
for monitoring the implementation of these standards. The forum, reflecting upon the need for a structured
system of coordination for all elements of education delivery decided that the provincial Curriculum Authority,
the Textbook Board, the teacher training organisations, and the assessment bodies should come together to
develop and periodically monitor the implementation of standards in quality education. Such bodies already
exist in some provinces/areas in the form of Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on Education Quality or
steering committees/groups for the Curriculum Implementation Framework. For these to be sustainable they
must be notified and institutionalised within the respective provincial education departments where they exist
and established in those where such mechanisms are absent.

After development, the provincial/area plans will be shared with the IPEMC for joint ownership and necessary
support, and will subsequently constitute the reference point for meetings for the purpose of experience sharing
and to track the collective performance and progress of the education sector with respect to improvements in
quality of education. The plans will help to identify tasks, responsibilities, strategies and a timeframe to ensure
implementation of the jointly agreed minimum quality standards.

Implementation is conceived as a continuous process of input, review, monitoring, feedback and adjustments as
necessary over the lifetime of the process. The diagram given below outlines the implementation process as
agreed in the fourth meeting of Inter-Provincial Technical Working Group on Quality Education held in
Peshawar on November 24-25, 2015:

IPEM • Approval
• Steering/oversight
Secretariat /
M/o FE&PT
• Experience sharing
NCC • Policy recommendation
• Coordination
• Curr. review guidelines
• Nat. curr. framework
based on NMS
• Joint supervision of overall
Common STANDARDS • implementation of standards

PROVINCIALTWG Q/
CIF steering committee • Coordination for quality aspects
• Policy recommendation
Prov. Dept.
Core • Monitoring implementation
Curr. Authority
of standards
Committee Textbook Board
Teacher Training Dept.
Assessment Bodies

Subsequent to the approval of the national minimum quality standards by the IPEMC, the provincial/area
education departments are to establish (or strengthen) the provincial/area level technical working groups to
prepare and implement their action plans. These technical working groups will serve as custodian bodies for
quality standards at provincial/area levels. The members of these technical working groups will be headed by
the provincial/area representatives in the National Curriculum Council (NCC).
The national minimum standards recorded in this document are the collective result of an interprovincial effort,

50
delineating the aspirations of all provinces and areas. However, the translation of this collective vision into
action plans in varying provincial/area contexts is likely to entail context specific approaches. Implementation of
the current set of standards in the provinces and areas is likely to follow a process of adaptation which in the
medium term may lead to review and possible revision. Moreover, research findings and international good
practices may also suggest improvements in certain areas related to the standards delineated here.
Encouragingly, NCC at the outset has been allocated significant financial resources, a substantial portion of
which is to be channeled into research and to facilitate evidence based implementation of the minimum national
standards in the provinces and areas.

Devolution of the education function to the provincial/area level has placed the imperative of ensuring the
quality of education on the provincial and area governments. However, the overriding need to ensure national
cohesion and imperatives of reporting progress on international commitments and covenants necessitate
consensus on and compliance with minimum standards developed jointly by the provinces and areas. The
success of the jointly agreed reform process of quality in the education sector of the country now depends upon
the jointly devised mechanism for implementation agreed upon by the IP TWG on Quality. With full provincial
autonomy the mechanism proposed in this chapter foresees the provinces and areas coordinating through the
IPEMC in a steering rolefor implementation of the national minimum standards. Although, it will be up to each
province and area to develop implementation priorities, plans, procedures and monitoring mechanisms.

51
52
Annexures

53
54
Annex 1: Standards for Child Friendly Schools

Introduction to
Islamabad Commitment
1. Status of Education in the Country and the National Education Policy 2009:

In Pakistan, despite recent progress, primary education participation and attainment levels are
disappointingly low. While the Gross Enrolment Rate at primary level is 90% (including katchi), the Net
Enrolment Rate at primary still remains 57% as per PSLM 2008-2009. In addition, almost one-third of
primary school age children remain out of school, a proportion that rises to about three-quarters for
secondary school children. The National Education Assessment System (NEAS) 2007 points to significant
quality deficits and confirms the widespread perception of the low quality of Pakistan’s education. Clearly,
Pakistan is some distance away from achieving universal education, even at the primary level.

The National Education Policy 2009 states that “ there is an impending need to debate and agree on what
constitutes quality at each stage of education and the system overall. Based on this , some standards will
need to be defined and pursued through development of policies, strategies and plans which target them.
(p.33)

The National Education Policy includes, among others, the following aims and objectives.

1. To revitalize the existing educations system with a view to cater to social, political and spiritual needs
of individuals and society;
2. To promote national cohesion by respecting all faiths and religions and recognize cultural and ethnic
diversity.
3. To provide and ensure equal educational opportunities to all citizens of Pakistan and to provide
minorities with adequate facilities for cultural and religious development, enabling them to participate
effectively in the overall national effort;
4. To widen access to education for all and to improve the quality of education, particularly in its
dimension of being relevant to the needs of the economy;
5. To equalize access to education through provision of basic facilities for girls and boys alike, under-
privileged/ marginalized groups and special children and adults.

2. Why Child-Friendly Schools

The Child- Friendly Schools concept was developed to address limitations of single factor interventions in
education. Many factors are associated and interrelated to ensure quality education for all children. Providing
quality education therefore requires a multi-faceted approach which encompasses students, teachers, parents
and the wider community instead of focusing only on teaching and learning processes within classrooms.

The four dimensions of CFS framework (inclusiveness, effectiveness, health and hygiene, safety and
protection, democratic participation) include concern for broader elements of quality in education, such as
health, nutrition, gender sensitivity, inclusiveness and human rights, which contribute to whole –child
development.

55
1.1 Guaranteeing the right of all children 1.1.1 Inclusive education is the core foundation of policies and programmes of
to quality education the Federal Ministries and provincial line departments, areas and districts,
strongly supported by political commitment from all levels of government. Their
structures, mechanisms, capacities and resources to support Inclusive Child-
Friendly education are established. Child-Friendly Schools are the principle
means of achieving inclusive education

1.1.2 The Federal Ministries and provincial line departments, areas and districts
identify and map population groups/ areas excluded from education and
analyses the causes of this exclusion
1.2 Providing good quality early 1.2.1 Early childhood care, development and education programmes are
childhood care, development, and expanded as an essential first stage of an inclusive, child-friendly school
education programmes, especially for system.
the most excluded populations
1.3 Ensuring all children enrol and 1.3.1 Inclusive education becomes the core objective of schools and of
attend school without discrimination communities to ensure quality education for all.
based on background and circumstance
1.3.2 Schools (under the guidance of line departments) actively identify and
seek out children not in school, enrol them, and help them succeed in, complete
and continue their education.

1.3.3 Schools take practical and effective measures to satisfy the individual
educational needs of children.
1.3.4 Schools create a harmonious, learner-friendly environment which
embraces diversity and sees it not as a problem but as an opportunity for
education.
1.4 Reducing financial barriers to 1.4.1 Financial barriers to enrolment in, and completion of, a full course of basic
education education are minimized. Education is free and compulsory, affordable and
accessible, especially for children of the extreme poor and members of other
excluded groups.
1.5 Creating gender-responsive 1.5.1 Gender-appropriate school structures and facilities are provided (this can
environments in schools and be implemented in boys’ schools and girls’ schools as well as in co-educational
communities settings)

1.5.2 All school staff and Members of Parent-Teacher Associations, School

Management Committees, and School Councils are sensitized to gender-related
issues and needs. Schools promote equal opportunities for boys and girls to
receive quality education.
1.6 Ensuring quality of opportunity for 1.6.1 Schools and teachers, of equal quality to those in urban areas, are
children living in rural, remote and allocated to rural, remote and isolated areas of the country.
isolated areas
1.6.2 Effective multi-grade teaching approaches are introduced.
1.7 Ensuring that the right to education 1.7.1 Children with disabilities should ideally be included in regular schools, and
for children with disabilities is fully their needs should be responded to in a comprehensive manner.
realised
1.7.2 New schools are established based on universal design principles to
ensure accessibility for children with disabilities and existing schools are
upgraded to meet these standards in a phased manner.

1.7.3 Community and facility based support mechanisms are in place to assess
and meet the needs of children with disabilities in inclusive education.
1.8 Ensuring the full participation in 1.8.1 Multi-lingual education programmes, starting with literacy in mother tongue
education of children from diverse (including sign languages and literacy in Braille) where possible should be
ethnic/ linguistic groups systematically explored and if successful, more widely expanded.
2.1 Developing motivated and 2.1.1 Teachers understand subject matter and how it relates to curriculum,
professionally competent teachers content standards, and National Professional Standards for Teachers, and teach
it using inclusive, child-friendly methodologies.

56
 2.1.2 Teachers demonstrate professional ethics, respect towards students , and
dedication to their work
2.1.3 Teachers can design effective, joyful and relevant instructional strategies
and lesson plans adapted to the learning and developmental needs, learning
styles, abilities and circumstances of their students
2.1.4 Teachers can understand and use a range of educational assessment
tools, adapt them to the individual learning styles and capacities of their
students and give timely feedback.
2.2 Facilitating the holistic development 2.2.1 Teachers understand how children develop and learn and provide
of all children with equal focus on opportunities that support them in reaching their full intellectual, social,
cognitive, social, emotional, physical emotional, spiritual and physical potential in and outside the classroom
and spiritual development (including life and livelihood skills).
2.3 Developing effective teaching and 2.3.1 Teachers and students have adequate materials and facilities needed for
learning support systems effective teaching and learning processes.
2.3.2 School staff (Teaching and non-teaching) and supervisors should
understand their roles and responsibilities and should be provided good quality
in-service professional development including training, supervision and
mentoring (e.g. school and teacher clusters).
2.3.3 Transparent administrative procedures and policies for teachers and
education administrators (e.g. recruitment, essential pre-service training/
certification, deployment and promotion) are implemented
2.4 Ensuring that curricula and materials 2.4.1 Curricula, textbooks and other teaching material should be relevant and
both for teacher education and in adaptable to local needs and circumstances; should be developed in an
classrooms are of good quality and inclusive manner; and should promote inclusive, child-friendly education.
supportive of child friendly inclusive
education
3.1 Implementing a comprehensive 3.1.1 A comprehensive school health programme which ensures that all schools
school health programme are healthy, hygienic, safe and protective
3.2 Creating a healthy, hygienic school 3.2.1 Schools have comprehensive health policies and healthy, hygienic and
environment protective environments (e.g. clean drinking water and sanitation facilities).
3.2.2 Health, hygiene, nutrition and drug prevention education is an integral part
of school curricular and co-curricular activities.
3.2.3 Schools provide basic health services (e.g. first aid kits and health
screening) for students and/ or access to needed services outside of school.
3.2.4 Parents receive regular orientation toward good health, nutrition and drug
prevention jointly by the school and community.
3.3 Creating a safe physical 3.3.1 The school, its surroundings and routes to and from schools are safe and
environment secure.
3.3.2 Schools implement effective disaster risk reduction (DRR)/ emergency
preparedness and response programmes.
3.4 Creating protective learning 3.4.1 Schools have a protective learning environment which supports the
environments psycho-social-emotional health of students.

3.4.2 Schools establish/ enforce strong policies and practices against bullying,
corporal punishment, ridicule and other forms of physical, verbal and sexual
abuse.
3.5 Organizing quality physical and play 3.5.1 There are physical and play activities suitable to local contexts and
activities cultures.
4.1 Establishing systems to ensure 4.1.1 School staff, teachers, parents, community members and students actively
student, teacher, parent and community participate in the management of the school
participation in school management
4.1.2 Teachers participate effectively in school management
4.1.3 Parents (especially mothers and parents of children from vulnerable
57
 groups) and other community members participate effectively in school
management
4.1.4 Beginning from primary schools, students participate effectively in school
management such as through Students Councils.
4.2 Developing harmonious partnerships 4.2.1 Schools and communities share resources and support each other; to
between schools, students, parents and increase such support, children should be encouraged to attend the
communities neighbourhood school

58
Annex 2: Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools (WinS) in Pakistan

The Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools is designed to improve the effectiveness of hygiene behaviour
change programmes (Fig 1). The approach ensures that healthy habits are taught, practiced and integrated into
daily school routines. The Three Star Approach helps schools meet the essential criteria for a healthy and
protective learning environment for children as part of the broader child-friendly schools initiative. It aims to
address the bottlenecks that block the effectiveness and expansion of current WASH in Schools programmes.
Once minimum standards are achieved, schools can move from one to three stars by expanding hygiene
promotion activities and improving infrastructure, especially for girls, and will ultimately achieve national
standards for WASH in Schools25.

During the WASH in Schools consultative strategy development workshop lead by the Federal and Provincial
Departments of Education in September 2015, the Three Star Approach was localized in Pakistan and
recommended for adoption – see Annex 1 for more details of the approach.

25 Field Guide: The Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools, GIZ and Unicef, 2013
59
Fig 1: Three Star Approach

60
 One Star Schools Facilities to Facilities to
be included Two Star Schools be included Three Star Schools Facilities to be
Daily routines to in new in new included
Incremental improvements Meeting national standards
promote healthy habits school school

 Hand
washing
with soap • Children
becomes learn to
a habit, wash their
hands with  Group
especially
soap at Hand and
before Hygiene
both critical washing
meals education
times: facility with
expanded to
 Children before provision of
stress on hand
enjoy the meals soap (with
washing with
daily (during proper
soap at critical
Daily activity daily group drainage)
times; hand-
supervised and learn Group washing hand-  Gender
group hand proper washing
Handwashing stations segregated
washing hand- facility with sessions)
installed as toilet with
with soap washing and after
provision of needed; water
technique soap toilet use.
menstrual availability
s. (minimum 10 • Social norms
hygiene • Girls gain inside toilet
 Group students per education on good
knowledge  MHM hygiene
hand- facility) with delivered in and support facilities behaviour are
washing proper schools on provided in institutionalized.
sessions drainage menstrual each of
provide a arrangement) hygiene • The school is
female
set time to manageme able to offer
latrine
deliver nt. full
Gender (waste bin
hygiene accessibility
segregated with lid,
messages to WASH for
toilet with sufficient
privacy, all students,
 Toilets are water
School including
clean and availability • Additional mirror
inside facilities children with  Meeting
usable. inside toilet toilets are
latrine, and disabilities. WASH in
available at
 Water and lighting systems • National School
school for upgraded
soap are All children arrangeme inequities are Standards
boys and to meet
available having nt). eliminated by (National/Pro
Additional girls Provincial
in toilets. access to ensuring all vincial)
improved • Girls are  All children standards
 Open sustainable having schools in the
Daily gender further
defecation safe drinking access to country have
supervised segregated encouraged
in and water, the same
cleaning toilets, plus to attend sustainable
near the preferably, safe standards for
and use of facilities for classes
school is safe water drinking WASH in
toilets (with menstrual because
eliminated. source inside water Schools (note,
soap and hygiene there are
school. If the standard
water)  Children management, additional source
source cannot ratio of
learn the constructed private inside
be provided students to
importanc where needed sanitation school. Be
inside school, it a source toilets is
e of then each and/or currently
sanitation menstrual inside
child need to under review)
through hygiene school or
carry water
active manageme arrangeme
bottle with
participati nt facilities. nt of in the
facility of vicinity but
on. refilling at
will safe
school
• Children storage
 All have inside
children access to school
have safe safe enabling
Daily
drinking Low-cost drinking children to
supervised
water point-of-use water at refill their
use of
whether or water school. drinking
drinking-
not a safe treatment water
water • Low-cost
water introduced in bottles
bottles by water
source schools
all children treatment is
available
inside demonstrat
school. ed to the
community.

59
Annex 3: Pakistan Reading Project

Correct Words Per Minute (CWPM) Fluency Rate

Urdu as language of instruction Sindhi as language of instruction
Grade level Does not Meets Exceeds Does not Meets Exceeds
expectation: meet meet
Grade 1 <30 CWPM 30-60 CWPM >60 CWMP <30 CWPM 30-50 CWPM >50 CWPM
Grade 2 <60 CWPM 60-90 CWPM >90 CWPM <50 CWPM 50-80 CWPM >80 CWPM
Grade 3 <70 CWMP 70-100 CWPM >100 CWPM <60 CWPM 60-90 CWPM >90 CWPM
Grade 4 <80 CWPM 80-120 CWPM >120 CWMP <70 CWPM 70-110 CWPM >110 CWPM
Grade 5 <100 CWMP 100-140 CWPM >140 CWPM <100 CWPM 100-130 CWPM >130 CWPM

Members of Inter-Provincial Technical Working Group on Quality in Education

Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K)

1. Mr. Zahid Hussain Choudhry, Additional Secretary, Department of Education (schools)
2. Raja Najeeb-ur-Rahman, Director General, Directorate of Curriculum Research & Development
3. Khawaja Muhammad Javed, Coordinator, Kashimir Education Assessment System
4. Ms. Tavir Latif, Chairperson, AJK Textbook Board

Balochistan

1. Mr. Tayyab Lehri, Additional Secretary, Secondary Education Department

2. Mr. Abdul Qayyum Babai, Chairman, Balochistan Textbook Board
3. Mr. Zulfiqar Jatoi, Deputy Focal Person, Policy & Planning Implementation Unit
4. Mr. Akhber Zehri, Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher Education

Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA)

1. Mr. Manzar Jan Sajid, Additional Director, Directorate of Education
2. Mr. Hashim Khan, Additional Director, Directorate of Education

Gilgit-Baltistan
1. Mr. Majeed Khan, Director, Directorate of Education
2. Mr. Muhammad Abideen, Director, Directorate of Education

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

1. Mr. Qaiser Alam, Additional Secretary, Elementary & Secondary Education Department
2. Mr. Abid Ullah, Project Director, Provision of Free Textbooks Project
3. Mr. Bashir Hussain Shah, Director, Directorate of Curriculum & Teacher Education
4. Dr. Muhammad Shafi Afridi, Chairman, Peshawar Examination Board

Punjab
1. Mr. Ahmad Ali Kambo, Additional Secretary, School Education Department
2. Mr. Nawazish Ali, Chairman, Punjab Curriculum & Textbook Board
3. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah, Punjab Examination Commission
4. Dr. Muhammad Shakeel, Course Coordinator, Directorate of Staff Development

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Sindh
1. Mr. Rehan Iqbal Baloch, Additional Secretary, Department of Education & Literacy
2. Ms. Saba Mahmood, Chief Program Manager, Reform Support Unit
3. Mr. Abdul Majeed Bhurt, Director, Bureau of Curriculum
4. Mr. Ghulam Asghar Shah, Additional Director, Bureau of Curriculum
5. Mr. Qadir Bukhsh Rind, Secretary, Textbook Board

Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT)

1. Dr. Tajammal Hussain Shah, Deputy Educational Adviser, Capital Administration & Development
Division
2. Dr. Shafqat Ali Janjua, Deputy Educational Adviser, Capital Administration & Development Division
3. Mr. Imtiaz Qureshi, Member, Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority

Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training

1. Dr. Allah Buksh Malik, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training
2. Mr. Muhammad Rafique Tahir, Joint Educational Adviser, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional
Training
3. Mr. Nasir Amin, Incharge, National Education Management Information System
4. Mr. Jaffar Mansoor Abbasi, National Coordinator, National Education Assessment System

List of participants of Inter-Provincial Technical Working Group meetings

1st meeting hosted by Capital Administration & Development Division in Islamabad

Balochistan
Mr. Abdul Qayyum Babai Chairman, Balochistan Textbook Board
1.
2. Mr. Ehsan Ahmad Director, Bureau of Curriculum (BoC)
3. Mr. Rashid Razaq Additional Secretary/Focal Person, PPIU
4. Mr. Zulfiqar Jatoi Dy. Focal Person, PPIU serve
5. Mr. Akhber Zehri Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE)
Gilgit-Baltistan
a.
6. Mr. Majeed Khan Director Education (Academics)
7. Mr. Muhammad Abideen Director Education (Baltistan Region)
AJ&K
a.
8. Ms. Tanvir Latif Chairperson, AJK Textbook Board
9. Ms. Nighat Mubashir Director General, DCRD
10. Ms. Sanjeeda Begum Coordinator, Kashmir Education Assessment
System (KEAS)
KPK
a.
11. Dr.HimayatUllah Khan Chairman, KPK Textbook Board
12. Mr. Bashir Hussain Shah Director, DCTE(also serve as director PEAS)
13. Mr. Fazl-i-Manan Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE)
14. Mr. Riaz Bahar Director, ESRU

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 ICT
a.
15. Mr. Muhammad Rafique TahirJEA
16. Mr. Shams Uddin Mangerio Joint Educational Adviser, CD&TPW
17. Dr. Tariq Mahmood Dy. Educational Adviser, CD&TPW
18. Dr. Tajammal Hussain Shah Dy. Educational Adviser, CD&TPW
19. Dr. Shafqat Ali Janjua Assistant Educational Adviser, CD&TPW
20. Mr. Riaz Hussain Malik Assistant Educational Adviser, CD&TPW
21. Mr. Muhammad Idrees Education Officer, CD&TPW
22. Dr. Muhammad Shafi Afridi Chairman, Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen
(IBCC)
23. Mr. Muhammad Ramzan Secretary, Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen
Achakzai (IBCC)
24. Mr. Jaffar Mansoor Abbasi Coordinator, NEAS
25. Ms. Rashida Fatima Director, FCE
26. Mr. Shahid Muqeem Khan Director Training, NISTE
27. Mr. Mumtaz Ali Khan Director Academics, FBISE
28. Mr. Aftab Ahmad Soomro Secretary, NBF
29. Mr. Dawood Shah Director Training, AEPAM
30. Mr. Imtiaz Ali Qureshi Member, PEIRA
31. Mr. Abdul Waheed Director, Training
32. Mr. Anwar Ali Khan Dy. Director (Academics), FDE
FATA
a.
33. Mr. Roz Wali Khattak Director Education, FATA
Punjab
a.
34. Mr. Shahid Ahmad Bhutta Chairman, Punjab Textbook Board (PTBB)
35. Mr. Nadeem Irshad Kiani Director, Directorate of Staff Development (DSD)
36. Mr. Saleem Kiani Chairman, Punjab Curriculum Authority
37. Mr. Imran Sikander Director, PMIU 0300-5132627
38. Mr. Abdullah Faisal Director, PEAS 03214037207
39. Mr. Nasim Nawaz Chief Executive Officer, Punjab Examination
Commission (PEC)
Sindh
a.
40. Mr. Qadir Baksh Rind Chairman, Sindh Textbook Board
41. Mr. Abdul Majeed Bhurt Director, Bureau of Curriculum & Extension Wing
42. Mr. Abdul Malik Lakhmir Director General, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education
43. Mr. Parvez Ahmed Seehar Chief, Reform Support Unit
44. Prof. Dr. Zubair Ahmed Shaikh Executive Director, Sindh Teacher Education
Development Authority (STEDA)
2nd meeting hosted by Sindh Education & Literacy Department in Karachi

45. Balochistan Mr. Abdul Rauf Baloch Additional Secretary, Secondary Education
Department
46. Mr. Muhammad Zulfiqar Jatoi Deputy Focal Person PPIU, Secondary
Education Department
47. Mr. Rashid Razzaq Additional Secretary, Secondary Education
Department

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48. Mr. Nizam ud Din Mengal DirectorEducation (Schools), Directorate of
Education(School)

49. Mr. Abdul Qayyum Babai Chairman, Balochistan Textbook Board

50. Mr. Ehsan Ahmad Director, Bureau of Curriculum & Extension
Centre
51. Mr. Akhber Zehri Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE)
Sindh
52. Mr. Nazir Jamali Secretary (In-charge), Sindh Education &
Literacy Department
53. Mr. Parvez Ahmed Seehar Special Secretary, Sindh Education & Literacy
Department
54. Mr. Rehan Iqbal Baloch Additional Secretary, Sindh Education &
Literacy Department
55. Ms. Saba Mustaq Chief Programme Manager, Reform Support
Unit, Sindh Education & Literacy Deptt
56. Mr. Ghulam Nabi Dy. Programme Manager (EMIS), Reform
Support Unit, Sindh Education & Literacy Deptt.
57. Mr. Abdul Majeed Bhurt Director, Bureau of Curriculum
58. Mr. Qadir Buksh Rind Chairman, Textbook Book Board
59. Mr. Noor Ahmed Khoso Director General, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE)
Punjab
60. Mr. Ahsan Bhutta Additional Secretary Establishment, School
Education Department
61. Mr. Shahid Ahmad Bhutta Chairman, Punjab Textbook Board
62. Mr. Bilal Haider Additional Program, Director Directorate of Staff
Development
63. Mr. Saleem Kiani Chairman, Punjab Curriculum Authority
64. Mr. Imran Sikander Program Manager, Program Monitoring and
Implementation Unit (PMIU)
65. Mr. Abdullah Faisal Director, Punjab Education Assessment System
66. Mr. Nasim Nawaz Executive Director, Punjab Examination
Commission
67. Rana Abdul Qayyum Dy. Director, M&E Punjab School Education
Department
Khyber
68. Pakhtunkhwa Mr. Bashir Hussain Shah Director, DCTE
69. Dr. HimayatUllah Khan Chairman, KPK Textbook Board
70. Mr. Riaz Hussain Bahar Director, ESRU
71. Mr. Fazl-i-Manan Director, PITE
FATA, AJ&K,
72. G-B & ICT Ms. Tanvir Latif Chairperson, AJK Textbook Board
73. Ms. Naheed Baran Director General, DCRD
74. Ch. Zahid Hussain Additional Secretary, Education Department,
Muzafarabad
75. Raja Muhammad Qadir Director, Education Extension, Education
Department, Muzafarabad

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 76. Khawaja Zahoor Ahmad Director EMIS, Education Department,
Muzafarabad
77. Mr. Rafique Tahir Joint Educational Adviser, M/o CA&D
78. Dr. Tajammal Hussain Shah Dy. Educational Adviser, M/o Capital
Administration & Development (CA&D)
79. Dr. Shafqat Ali Janjua Deputy Educational Adviser, Curriculum Wing,
M/o CA&D
80. Dr. Shaheen Anjum Riaz Director General, Federal Directorate of
Education
81. Mr. Nasir Amin Senior Programmer NEMIS, AEPAM
82. Mr. Ramzan Achkzai Secretary, Inter Board Committee of Chairmen
(IBCC)
83. Mr. Jaffar Mansoor Abbasi National Coordinator, NEAS
84. Mr. Muhammad Shafi Chairman, Inter Board Committee of Chairmen
(IBCC)
85. Mr. Aftab Somoro Secretary, National Book Foundation
86. Mr. Imtiaz Ali Qureshi Member, Private Educational Institutions
Regulatory Authority (PEIRA)
87. Mr. Muhammad Abideen Director Education (Planning), Directorate of
Education,
88. Mr. Majeed Khan Director Education (Academics), Directorate of
Education,
89. Mr. Manzar Jan Sajid Additional Director (Establishment), Directorate
of Education
90. Mr. Hashim Khan Additional Director (P&M), Directorate of
Education
GIZ-
91. ICT/FATA/KPK/ Nighat Lone GIZ
92. Punjab Asfundyar Khan GIZ
93. Ali Ibrahim GIZ
94. Muhammad Kamran GIZ
95. Sabeel Kiani GIZ
96. Ayesha Fazl GIZ
97. Qaiser Munir GIZ
3 meeting hosted by AJ&K Education Department (Schools) in Muzaffarabad
rd

Balochistan
98. Dr. Syed Kamal-ud-Din Deputy Focal Person PPIU, Secondary
Education Department

99. Munir Ahmed Nodazai Addl. Director Education (Schools), Directorate

of Education(School)

Sindh
100. Ghulam Asghar Memon Addl. Director, Bureau of Curriculum, Sindh
101. Qadir Buksh Rind Secretary, Sindh Textbook Book Board
102. Noor Ahmed Khoso Director General, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE), Sindh
Punjab

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 103. Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Course Coordinator, Directorate of Staff
Development
Khyber
104. Pakhtnkhwa Mr. Zulfiqar Khan Deputy Director,
Directorate of Curriculum & Teachers Education
(DCTE)
105. Mr. Mutahir Alam Member, KPK Textbook Board
106. Mr. Abid Ullah Director, ESRU
E&S Education Department
FATA, AJK,
107. G-B & ICT Ms. Tanvir Latif Chairperson, AJK Textbook Board
108. Ms. Najeeb-ur-Rehman Director General, DCRD
109. Ch. Zahid Hussain Additional Secretary, Education Department
110. Raja Muhammad Qadir Director, Education Extension, Education
Department
111. Khawaja Zahoor Ahmad Director, EMIS, Education Department
112. Khawaja Muhammad Javed KEAS, Education Department
113. Dr. Tajammal Hussain Shah Dy. Educational Adviser, M/o Capital
Administration & Development (CA&D)
114. Dr. Shafqat Ali Janjua Deputy Educational Adviser, Curriculum Wing,
M/o CA&D
115. Mr.Yasir Irfan Senior Programmer, NEMIS, AEPAM
116. Mr. Jaffar Mansoor Abbasi National Coordinator, National Education
Assessment System (NEAS)
117. Mr. Muhammad Abideen Director Education (Planning), Directorate of
Education,
118. Ali Shah Addl. Director Education, FATA Directorate of
Education
119. Hashim Khan Addl. Director Education, FATA Directorate of
Education
120. Faizan Hassan Section Officer, Ministry of Edu. Training &
Standards in Higher Education

4th meeting hosted by the KPK Elementary & Secondary Education Department in Peshawar
121. Balochistan Mr. Muhammad Zulfiqar Jatoi Deputy Focal Person, PPIU, Secondary
Education Department
122. Dr. Syed Kamal-ud-din Deputy Focal Person, PPIU, Secondary
Education Department
123. Mr. Ghulab Khan Director Education (Schools), Directorate of
Education (School)
124. Mr. Muhammad Tariq Secretary, Balochistan Textbook Board
125. Mr. Ashfaq Ahmad Sr. Subject Specialist, Bureau of Curriculum &
Extension Centre
126. Mr. Akhber Zehri Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE)
127. Mr. Abdul Majeed Shah Dy. Director, Provincial Institute for Teacher
Education (PITE

Sindh
128. Dr. Zohrani Deputy Secretary, Sindh Education & Literacy

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 Department
Punjab
129. Mr. Nawazish Ali Chairman, Punjab Textbook Board
130. Ms. Aneela Hassan Course Coordinator, Directorate of Staff
Development
FATA, AJ&K, G-B
131. and ICT Mr. Muhammad Rafique Tahir JAE
132. Raja Najeeb-ur-Rehman Director General, DCRD
133. Khawaja Muhammad Javed Coordinator, KEAS Education Department,
Muzafarabad
134. Dr. Tajammal Hussain Shah Dy. Educational Adviser, M/o Capital
Administration & Development (CA&D)
135. Mr. Asif Iqbal Khan Director Training, Federal Directorate of
Education
136. Mr. Yasir Irfan Senior Programmer, NEMIS, AEPAM
137. Mr. Jaffar Mansoor Abbasi National Coordinator, National Education
Assessment System (NEAS)
138. Mr. Muhammad Abideen Observer from Gilgit-Baltistan
139. Mr. Shahzad Hussain Dy. Director (Academics), Directorate of
Education,
140. Mr. Majeed Khan Director Education, Directorate of Education,
141. Ms. Bilqis Baig Academics Deptt, Directorate of Education.
142. Mr. Noshad Khalique Education Officer, Curriculum Wing. M/o CA&D

GIZ
143. Nighat Lone Principal Technical Adviser, GIZ
144. Asfundyar Khan Team Leader, GIZ
145. Qaiser Munir Sr. Technical Adviser, GIZ
146. Muhammad Kamran Finance Officer, GIZ
147. Sabeel Kiani Component Coordinator, GIZ
148. Ayesha Fazl-ur-Rehman Technical Adviser, GIZ
149. Afia Gul Jr. Technical Adviser, GIZ
150. Nadeem Shaukat Technical Adviser, GIZ
151. Mr. Aamad Khan Component Coordinator, GIZ
152. Ms. Maria Gulraiz Component Coordinator, GIZ
153. Mr. Muhammad Naeem Technical Adviser, GIZ

Two days consultative workshop 5-6 November, 2015, Islamabad, organized by Ministry of Federal Education
and Professional Training

1. Mr. Muhammad Rafique Tahir, Joint Educational Advisor

2. Ms. Talat Anjum, Director General
3. Mr. Fazal Hakeem, Deputy Secretary (E)
4. Sayed Saif Ali Shah, Section Officer (E-I)
5. Mr. Ghazanfar Irshad, PA to SO (E-I)
6. Dr. Tajamul Hussain, Ex-DEA Member Advisory Committee
7. Mr. Nasir Khan, Head of Curriculum Wing, Islamabad

66
 8. Mr. Muhammad Nadeem Ashgar, MemberSubject Specialist, Directorate of Staff Development, Lahore.
9. Syed Bashir Hussain Shah, Director, Directorate of Curriculum and Teachers Education, Peshawar.
10. Mr. Muhammad Jamshed Tanoli, Ex-Special Secretary, Elementary & Secondary Education Peshawar
11. Mr. Zakir Shah, Chairman Sindh Textbook Board
12. Prof. Dr. Fouzia Khan, (Observer) Head of Curriculum Wing, Education and Literacy Department, Karachi.
13. Mr. Majeed Shah,Programme Manager, Policy Planning Implementation Unit Education
14. Mr. Gulab Khan, Director Bureau of Curriculum, Quetta
15. Mr. Abdul Qayyum Babai, Chairman, Balochistan Textbook Board, Quetta
16. Mr. Daro Khan Dy. Director, Bureau of Curriculum, Quetta
17. Prof. Dr. Attash Durrani, Advisor, Textbook Development National Book Foundation, CADD, Islamabad
18. Mr. Najeeb-ur-Rehman, Director General, DC RD, Muzaffarabad
19. Mr. Haris Meer, Secretary AJK Textbook Board, Muzaffarabad.
20. Mr. Iftikhar DC RD, Expert on standards in education
21. Mr. Khadim Hussain Acting Secretary Education Department, Gilgit-Baltistan.
22. Mir Ahmad Jan, Director (Colleges), Education Department, Gilgit
23. Mr. Faizullah Khan, Director Curriculum, Education Department, Gilgit
24. Mr. Wajid Deputy Director, Curriculum Expert on standards in education, Gilgit Baltistan
25. Mr. Fida Hussain, DDE College Education Department, Gilgit Baltistan
26. Mr. Hashim Khan, Principal, Govt College of Education,(Male), Jamrud Khyber Agency, Peshawar
27. Mrs. Nilam Azam, Principal, Govt College of Education,(Female), Jamrud Khyber Agency, Peshawar
28. Mr. Saleh Khan, Assistant Director (Trg),Directorate of Education FATA Secretariat, Peshawar
29. Mr. Sher Daraz Wazir DD (P&D0, FATA, Peshawar
30. Ch. Munir Ahmed, Convener Advisory Committee, Mo FE&PT
31. Dr. Muhammad Saleem, Member Advisory, Committee, Mo FE&PT
32. Dr. Hanif, Member, Advisory Committee, Mo FE&PT
33. Ms. Haroona Jatoi, Member, Advisory Committee, Mo FE&PT
34. Mr. Nasir Amin, Incharge, NEMIS, AEPAM
35. Dr. Kamal-u-Din
36. Dr. Ikram Ali Malik, Chairman, Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Islamabad

PCPPI—11034(2016)M/o FE&PT—23-11-2016—3,800 Copies.

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