The Reality of Equity in Pakistan: Case study of Schools2030

• In Event: Advancing equity through Schools2030: How might a focus on the whole child advance equitable learning for all?

Proposal

The COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by global lockdowns and the deepening of an existing learning crisis, is predicted to have detrimental and long-lasting effects on access and learning globally. The pandemic has only further reinforced the compelling logic of the holistic nature of human development and the necessity to adapt teaching and learning processes accordingly. Along with lags in academic learning, COVID-19 has also had larger ramifications, both emotional and social, for children of all ages. There is an exigency for non-academic skills, including life skills, to be incorporated in education so children and adolescents can navigate through future crises that the world may face.
The Schools2030 research was launched at the time of the great disruption by COVID-19 pandemic when 1.6 billion children were affected by school closures globally. Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi in Pakistan and Zizi Afrique in Kenya are conducting research on the Schools2030 programme across 25 schools and 2 youth centres. The research project titled ‘Catalysing locally-rooted education solutions to improve holistic learning outcomes in Pakistan and Kenya’ interrogates the interplay between the academic and the non-academic facets of learning that co-exist in open systems and layered contexts. The two-fold central objectives of our research are to 1) examine the relationship between academic learning outcomes, as offered currently in targeted schools, and non-academic skills; 2) generate robust evidence on school (leader) and teacher-led intervention that effectively develops and incorporates non-academic skills into the existing schooling system to provide an overall holistic learning experience.

This paper explores evidence from Pakistan, generated through a mixed-methods approach, from 18 schools and 334 children on teacher-led interventions that effectively develop and incorporate non-academic skills into the existing schooling system to provide an overall equitable learning experience - drawing upon local contexts and socio-economic factors, technology, language, storytelling, heritage and positive customary practices. The paper will not only provide evidence on inclusive and exclusionary practices across schools and homes for children but also advance practical strategies for school systems and educators to improve learning and teaching in formal or informal settings, thus linking directly to conference Sub-Themes I and III.

We will discuss interim findings from the study in Pakistan, which has found some exclusionary practices masked in unexamined cultural norms, further reinforcing the relevance of culture and context in determining the skills that stakeholders deem important and are committed to supporting the development of even within the same country. Ethnographic discussions with parents revealed a gendered disparity in the acquisition of non-academic skills, with parents believing that girls are in general more likely to acquire non-academic skills compared to boys. Discussion with teachers revealed that an inclusive approach for children with disabilities is lacking, with adaptations such as specialised pedagogy and assessment for non-academic skills for children with disabilities not in place. Our study will offer insights and recommendations on how teachers could engage with stakeholders in co-creating solutions to address issues of equity and inclusion at all levels of education.

Author

• Saba Saeed, Idara-E-Taleem-O-Aagahi (Ita)