Equations for equity: Maths remediation in public schools in Pakistan

• In Event: Opportunities for social justice and equity in the teaching of mathematics

Proposal

In Pakistan, as in much of the Global South, weak foundational literacy and numeracy remain pressing challenges. These gaps are compounded by deep social divisions across gender, socio-economic status, and geography, that limit education’s ability to serve as a force for transformation. Despite expanded enrollment in early grades, basic numeracy remains weak, particularly in government schools serving marginalized and conflict-affected communities. This persistent learning crisis is not just a technical education issue: it perpetuates cycles of exclusion, fuels frustration, and erodes the very foundations upon which peaceful, cohesive societies are built.
This paper situates a recent foundational maths remediation pilot within the broader discourse of education as a catalyst for peacebuilding in divided contexts. By demonstrating how activity-based, low-cost, and scalable interventions can simultaneously address learning gaps, empower marginalized learners, and foster collaborative classroom cultures, we argue that re-imagined pedagogies in early numeracy can contribute to re-examining the relationship between education and social cohesion. Pakistan’s education system reflects deep inequities. Rural schools, especially those serving girls and primary-level students, face acute shortages of teachers, facilities, and learning resources. These systemic gaps are reflected in outcomes: according to the National Achievement Test 2023, only half of grade 4 students can perform arithmetic operations expected at grade 3 level.
The STEAM Pakistan program, operating across all provinces, designed a Maths Remediation Pilot (April - May 2025) to directly confront this crisis. The intervention spanned four districts, covering Lahore, Rahim Yar Khan, Peshawar, and Khyber, targeting 156 public schools and over 10,000 students enrolled in Grades 1-5.
The six-week pilot introduced hands-on, low-cost activities across four key areas of mathematics. These include number operations, geometry, algebra, and data handling. Teachers used everyday materials such as stones, sticks, and bottle caps, combined with games, guides, and short demonstrations to make learning concrete and enjoyable.
The intervention design emphasized accessibility, engagement, and collaboration. Activities were crafted to work in low-resource settings without costly kits, while also making mathematics playful and meaningful, with the intent of reducing the fear often associated with rote learning. Peer work, group problem-solving, and interactive dialogue between teachers and students further nurtured confidence and cooperation in the classroom.
The academic baseline and endline results showed learning gains of 8–12% across grades, with the strongest improvements in geometry. Girls’ schools and standalone primaries reported higher overall achievement, while boys’ schools showed greater relative improvement, pointing to the model’s inclusivity. Notably, the proportion of students reaching the top performance band (80–90%) increased by 39%, showing that when learning gaps are addressed systematically, children across different starting points are able to progress and excel together, thereby, narrowing disparities in achievement.
The paper also explores shifts in classroom dynamics, with teachers reporting more joyful and interactive learning environments, heightened student engagement, and increased curiosity, alongside strengthened teacher-student relationships and greater confidence among teachers to sustain such practices. It underscores the transformative potential of activity-based pedagogy: not only does it enhance learning outcomes, but it also nurtures trust, joy, and collaboration within the classroom: key ingredients for building inclusive, resilient, and peaceful learning environments in fragile contexts.
This paper highlights how a short-cycle mathematics remediation pilot in Pakistan speaks to the broader challenge of education and peace in divided contexts. Persistent failure in foundational numeracy disproportionately affects the poorest, rural, and female students, reinforcing inequities and social divides. It recommends inclusion of short-cycle remedials into school calendars, aligned with local assessments to ensure that children are not permanently left behind. By reducing exclusion, fostering collaboration, and strengthening the social contract between schools and communities, it provides evidence that remediation programs create inclusive, equitable, and resilient learning environments. It shows that even small, resource-light interventions can generate ripple effects: closing critical learning gaps, re-energizing teachers, and transforming classrooms into spaces of trust and cooperation. In contexts marked by gender inequities, regional disparities, and histories of conflict, ensuring every child can read, write, and count emerges as a vital step toward building more peaceful societies.
In a divided world, peace cannot be built without addressing the everyday injustices of exclusion and failure in schools. Re-examining education through the lens of foundational learning allows us to see how the micro-practices of teaching and learning connect to the macro-agenda of peacebuilding. This paper invites dialogue on how small-scale, evidence-driven interventions can be scaled to system-level reforms that both improve learning and strengthen the role of education as a catalyst for peace.

Author

• Huma Zia, Pak Alliance for Maths and Science