The political economy of implementation in the Pakistan public education ecosystem: A five-step approach to embedding a foundational learning program

• In Event: Effective implementation of teacher support: Cross-context evidence and multidisciplinary synthesis on how to support teaching to improve learning

Proposal

This paper outlines a five-step approach to the political economy of embedding a large-scale targeted instruction program and experimental study in the complex, multi-tiered public education ecosystem of Pakistan. The program, spanning over 1250 public schools across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, is unique in its ability to leverage existing public school teachers with the support of a low-cost technology software, in helping primary students catch up to grade levels in budget constrained settings.

The first section of the paper maps the complexity of the multi-tiered public education ecosystem of Pakistan. Building on the systems thinking approach, we identify key stakeholders who are involved in student learning, may have been affected by the learning shocks induced by COVID-19-related school closures or other factors, and are thus likely to benefit from the targeted instruction program. In the second section of the paper, we describe five steps for navigating the complex education ecosystem. We posit that the ecosystem is marred with multiple frictions that teachers, the key decisive players in this program, as well as other stakeholders encounter at different levels. Each friction branches out into its own set of constraints that cumulatively may cause an initiative inertia in embedding new programs and impact evaluations in the public service delivery.

The identified stakeholders at the school level include teachers and students, as the direct beneficiaries, and head teachers. At the provincial level, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department (KPES&ED) is the primary implementation partner and its attached directorates of curriculum, training and primary schools are the program co-designers and facilitators. The district education authority, attached with the schools’ directorate, is a lynchpin between the program and schools. The Home Department provided security clearances. At the federal level, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT) and its attached directorates are our counterparts. International partners and donors catalyzed negotiations with high-level government stakeholders through bilateral agreements.

As the first step in system navigation, understand the constraints and frictions faced by the identified stakeholders in building foundational mastery of primary students by teaching them at their learning levels. Second, instill a shared purpose across the identified stakeholders at various tiers of the ecosystem. The COVID-19 education disruption and the presumption of subsequent learning losses was a pivot to the opportunity to nudge high-level leadership and grassroot stakeholders to endorse the program. Third, mobilize different stakeholders at various tiers of the education ecosystem. Proactive and persistent relationship-building are key to system alignment. Fourth, while designing and implementing the program, create synergies between the targeted instruction program and existing teacher and school practices. For any innovation to scale and persist sustainably, it must build on existing infrastructure and resources in the system. Last, iterate upon the five-step approach by repeatedly learning, unlearning and adapting. The goal is to be agile and dynamic in policy engagement and program implementation in the public education sphere.

Authors

• Tahir Andrabi, Pomona College

• Maleeha Hameed, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University