Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) The Institute for Professional Learning (IPL) (affiliated & HEC recognized) South Asia

1. Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) The Institute for Professional Learning (IPL) (affiliated & HEC recognized) South Asia Forum For Education Development Rethinking our Work Sharing with ITA CEC UK December 9, 2010 Lahore

3. Vision & Mission of ITA Pakistan Vision • “To promote education as a comprehensive process for human and social transformation” Mission Statement • To actively pursue universal access and standard setting in education as a comprehensive learning experience for human development • By creating contemporary education systems for all children without discrimination due to gender, class, age, religion, color and ethnicity • And, endeavoring to address educational bottlenecks through timely resource mobilization and influencing of public policy

4. Program Portfolio 2000-2010 • ECE • WSIP – Formal • Non-Formal - Catch up; prep; child labor reduction; skills and livelihood • Secondary Support through ACCESS • Health & Hygiene in Schools • Citizen Youth • Matriculation/Health – MNCH • Post Matric Scholarships/Youth Program • Tertiary – College – Teacher Leaders • PELI – PSU 2004- 2012 • Research and Assessment – ASER Pakistan 2008- 2015 • Advocacy – Campaigns • Policy Inputs • Emergencies • Services

6. Institutional Diversification 2000-2010 • ITA 2000 - 2010 - Multiple programs tested portfolio expanded, toolkits built; forged alliances • Institute for Professional Learning (IPL) affiliated and recognized by HEC 2009 - • 6 core program areas - Pre-Service; In-service; Certificate & Diploma; Research/Assessment; Professional Networks and Learning Materials • In 2010 December IPL will begin a 3 year journey towards degree awarding status

7. The Institutional Set Up • 2000 - ITA Established – Service Delivery/Innovations • 2008 - South Asia Forum for Education Development (SAFED) Registered • 2009 - Institute for Professional Learning(IPL)- Affiliated & HEC registered - IPL Pre-Service; In-Service; Certifcate & Diplomas; Research/Learning; Networking for Professionals & Learning Materials Addressing Education Comprehensively ITA 2000 All Training/Cap Build IPL 2009 SAFED 2006/8 a regional learning/alliance belt www.itacec.org www.safedafed.org www.ipl.edu.org.pk

8. Strategic Decision… Next 10 Years ITA’s Focus • Shifting from small initiatives to scaled up district wide programs • Program shift from simply education to education, skills and livelihoods ( Education; VOTECH & Extension Services) • Strategically engaging with public sector and affordable private schools/incl. faith based • Early Childhood Education (ECE) • Whole School Improvement – (Hard/Soft components) • Basic education catch up for drop outs and vulnerable, displaced.. mainstreaming/ livelihoods – integrated support • Vocational Technical Programs • Citizen Led Initiatives – district wide/ preferably national • Campaigns for learning ; Health & citizenship/governance

9. Mobilizing Outcomes Based Action & Governance through Citizens Led Initiatives in Pakistan A Three Pronged Demand Led Action Programme Addressing: • what children know • how they can ALL improve learning • sustaining improvements through citizen informed enhanced government spending Programs: 1. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Pakistan 2010-2015 (2008) 2. ChaloParhoBarho (CPB) 2011-2015 Let’s Read and Move Ahead 3. School kiKahaniShehriKiZubani – School budget tracking 2010 -2015

10. Summary of Proposed Programs 2010-2015 Scaled up District Wide – Alliance Based Initiatives

11. Border Crossings for Improved Learning Outcomes A South-South MovementIndia – Pakistan-East Africa

12. South Asia Forum for Education Development(SAFED) • SAFED - a declaration at aregional conference “Local Governance, Texts and Contexts: Perspectives from South Asia” Feb. 2006 • SAFED registered in April, 2008 • An information sharing, research and good practice gateway across South Asia • Member Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

13. SAFED’s Areas of Focus • Policy and Curriculum Reforms- Research • Quality: Teaching and Support Systems; Assessing Learning Levels- ASER Pakistan • Up scaling Girls’ Education- PPPs /CSR – Privatization/tuition studies • Education for Sustainable Development • Human Rights, Peace and Citizenship Education • Education in Emergencies- Embedded in linkages with : higher education, gender and partnerships

14. ASER Pakistan • SAFED ‘s teams in contact with Pratham/ ASER, India since 2006 – 2 teams visited India in 2006 & 2007 – from Pakistan to understand the ASER India cycle and steps • Volunteer Technical Team (7) from ASER Center & Pratham came to Pakistan in August 2008 for a hard core ‘nuts & bolts’ workshop • 55 participants across the country in Lahore. Mainly self financed • Supported by: IER- PU; CGN; PCE; ITA

15. Scale of ASER 2009 India & ASER Pakistan 2008 • ASER India in all rural areas/districts of India. 16291 villages and 700,000 children covered in 2009 ASER India. • The eventual aim of ASER Pakistan is to conduct the survey in all districts of the country • For its first round in 2008, ASER Pakistan conducted in 11 districts (Phase I) from 2 provinces and Islamabad Capital Territory - . • ASER Pakistan 2008 totally self –financed by partners, NGOs and volunteers

16. About the ASER Survey The purpose of the ASER 2008 rapid assessment survey and its planned annual rounds in rural areas is twofold: To get reliable estimates of the status of children’s schooling and basic learning (reading and arithmetic) up to grade II at the district level To measure change in these basic learning and school statistics over time- annually

17. How is ASER different from Other Assessment Initiatives in Pakistan?

18. ASER Pakistan 2008 Roll Out • A National Preparatory Workshop for ASER held in Lahore Aug. 2008. • Tools tested, adapted, translated, peer reviewed and finalized Aug.- Sept. 2008 (ASER Centre India also provided feedback) • Provincial level workshops led by SAFED’s team Sept. 2008 • District level trainings October – November 2008 • ASER Pakistan conducted November – December /January 2008-2009

19. Dimensions of InformationIn ASER 2008 Pakistan Learning level Reading - letters; word; para; story (Class 1&2) Arithmetic- numbers (1-9;11-99); Subtraction 2 digits; division 3 digits by 1 digit (Class1& 2) School Statistics Enrollment Attendance ( Teachers, Children) School Infrastructure ( facilities) Class Room Environment School Grants

20. ASER Pakistan 2008 Assessment Tools

21. ASER Pakistan 2008 - Rural FINDINGS

22. ASER 2008 in Pakistan ASER Pakistan 2008 only completed in 11 districts of 2 provinces: Punjab, Sindh and the Islamabad Capital Territory . Unfortunately, ASER Pakistan 2008 could not be undertaken in Baluchistan and NWFP due to the Oct. 2008 earthquake/floods & deteriorating law and order situation /conflict ..local collaborators got engaged in multiple emergency responses

23. Districts’ Summary ASER 2008 In ASER Pakistan 2008 , 16737 children and 6520 households were surveyed in the rural areas during this survey in these 11 districts

24. Children Surveyed - National Number of children surveyed in Primary school age group- 5-9 years - 45% (7581) Middle school age group - 10-12 26% (4347)

25. In-School& Out of School Children - Types of Schools In-School : 85% Out of school: 15% Govt. Schools: 76.5% Private Schools: 22% Madrassah/Others : 1.6%

26. Gender Comparisons Out of School: Girls 54.6% Girls by Type of Schools s - Girls in government schools 41% of the total Girls in Private schools 46% of the total – Girls % more in private than government – households spending money for girls education perception is that HH have son preference and do not spend money on girls education Gender: Out Of School Children Gender : By Type of School

27. Learning Ability of the Age Group 03-16 Years • Reading: • 16,737 children were tested on their reading abilities. • 31.9% were able to read the story text or level - II text • 15.2% were able to read Para text. or level - I text • 16.1% of the children were able to read words • 14.8% were able to read letter and • 22% were categorized as beginners or can’t read. • Arithmetic: • 16,737 children were tested on their arithmetic abilities. • 25.5% were able to do division correctly (3 digits divided by single digits with carry) • 17.7% were able to do subtraction correctly (2 digits subtraction with Carry) • 20.5% of the children were able to recognize numbers from 11-99 • 13.8% were able to recognize numbers from 1-9 and • 22.5% of the children were categorized as beginner or can’t even recognize numbers

28. Learning - National • Learning Ability of the Age Group 5-9 Years: • 72% of the children cannot read para or level - I text and 80% cannot do subtraction or Level-I(arithmetic) • 88% of the children in this age group cannot read story text level-II and about 94% are unable to solve division (level-II) (3 digits divided with single digits with carry) • Learning Ability of the Age Group 15-16 Years: • 16% of the children cannot read para or level - I text and 21% cannot do subtraction or Level-I(arithmetic) • 27% of the children in this age group cannot read story text level-II and about 36% are unable to solve division (level-II)

29. Reading by Level • Learning Ability of the 5th Class • 79% of the children read para or level - I text but 21% of the children cannot read para or level - I text • Only 54% of the children read story text or level-II and 46% cannot read story text level-II • Learning Ability of the 8th Class • 94% of the children read para or level - I text , 6% cannot read para or level - I text • 84% of the children read story text or level-II and 18% cannot read story text level-II

30. Arithmetic Abilities by Level • Arithmetic Ability of the 5th Class • 73% of the children do subtraction or level - I text but 27% of the children cannot able to do 2 digits subtraction with Carry • 39% of the children can able to do division correctly or level-II and 61% cannot able to do 3 digits divided by single digits with carry • Arithmetic Ability of the 8th Class • 92% of the children do subtraction or level - I text but 8% of the children cannot able to do 2 digits subtraction with Carry • 74% of the children can able to do division correctly or level-II and 26% cannot able to do 3 digits divided by single digits with carry

31. School Level • 287 schools visited • 220 primary schools (katchi/ECE- Gr. 5) • 44 elementary schools (Katchi/ECE – Gr.8) • 19 middle schools (only Grd. 6-8) • 4 secondary schools (katchi/ECE- Gr.10)

32. Attendance • Teachers Attendance is over all 78% • Primary level 75%; • Elementary : 82% • Children’s Attendance overall : 74% • Primary level 79%; • Elementary level 72%

33. School Facilities: Provision & Use • Primary Schools • 31% schools at primary level are without water facility, • 42% schools are without toilet facility • ElementarySchools • 23% schools at Elementary level are without water facility, • 27% schools are without toilet facility

34. Facilities: Provision and Use

35. Mother’s Literacy The rural household survey for the 11 districts yielded an overall literacy rate of 28.7% for 8577 mothers (71.3% illiterate).The highest literacy rates for mothers was in Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Sheikhupura districts. The lowest literacy rates for mothers wasin Khairpur, Multan and Faisalabad districts

36. ASER Pakistan – Key Positive Outcomes • Data trends on education indicators in rural areas corroborate with the annual Pakistan Social Living Measurement survey (PSLMs) data – in some areas improvements are noted (drop outs) • Good support by local people in villages to ASER Pakistan …many signed up as volunteers for the next round of ASER – became a mobilization campaign – positive energy by the people not govt. bashing but eager to know what /how much their children learn • Empowerment witnessed amongst local people and created visible credibility of the process • Many organizations who learnt the ASER methodology practiced it intensively in formal and non-formal programs to measure baselines and diagnose quality interventions to improve learning outcomes • A big demand for ASER Pakistan only if it is predictable and regular – influenced largely by what ASER India has been able to achieve

37. Issues & Challenges • ASER Pakistan is a powerful tool & movement but: • A scaled up initiative cannot be sustained randomly through statements of intent by civil society organizations • Timelines are critical for an efficient and effective ASER Pakistan – NWFP- Balochistan and Sindh counterparts kept promising until March 2009 – data retrieval ..an issue as NGOs got busy with other ‘priority projects’ . June – July 2009 data was retrieved ! • With multiple partners funding their own ASER survey, sensitivity to timing was missing & SAFED had no choice but to wait • Funding was a major constraint for local partners (both strong and weak) – There is limited culture of doing things with ‘own resources’ only through donor supported projects • Volunteers not tapped optimally through colleges /universities/media – often through local CSOs • Finding technical experts was difficult without funding in ASER Pakistan Secretariat at SAFED

38. Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) ASER Pakistan 2010 PROPOSAL -1

39. The Proposal for ASER Pakistan 2010-2015 ASER Pakistan seeks to fill a gap in educational data by looking to provide a reliable set of data at the national level, that is comprehensive and easy to understand. Goal: To undertake ASER Pakistan for five consecutive years 2010-2015, a rigorous tracking of learning outcomes led by citizens themselves for 3-16 years children. Objectives : • To get reliable estimates of the status of children’s schooling and basic learning (reading and arithmetic level) at the district level; and, • To measure change in these basic learning & school statistics from last year • To share the results for action regionally and internationally to the global reporting and campaigns for quality education for all. To leverage the results for appropriate education interventions with in-school and out of school children in Pakistan. • To build capacity for citizen led initiatives to improve understanding and options of: where, what and how well students learn

40. Proposal Contd.. Underpinning the above, there will be rigorous efforts to obtain disaggregated insights into gender trends as well as public and private systems of education Coverage : The objective is to implement ASER in all five provinces i.e. in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, PakhtonKhawa, GilgitBaltistan, FATA and AJK. Only rural areas will be sampled. Phase I : Year I 2010 – 30 districts across Pakistan Phase II: Year II 2011 – 70 districts across Pakistan Phase III : Years III, IV , V all districts across Pakistan (138 districts) Sample: 600 households per district. Two-stage sample, stratified in the first stage. Obtained by selecting 30 villages per district & 20 households per village.   Villages will be selected randomly using the village directory of the latest Census. The Probability Proportional to Size Sampling (PPS) technique will be adopted as an appropriate one when the sampling units are of different sizes. Focus on nuances between public and private . In each village profile of 1 govt. and 1 private school collected and gender

41. Proposal cont… • Tools translated and refined according to the current textbooks in relevant languages • In ASER, every year, we will retain 20 villages from the previous year and 10 new villages will be added. Ten villages will also be randomly dropped each year from the previous year’s list, and 10 more villages will be added from the population census village directory. The 10 new villages will also be chosen using PPS. 20 old villages and the 10 new villages give us a “rotating panel” of villages, for more precise estimates of changes. • ASER will be carried out in an inclusive campaign mode as a national project. • SAFED involves ordinary citizens in the process of data collection and survey empowering them with an accessible tool for evidence gathering & action • Workshops will be held at the national, provincial and district levels to train surveyors with necessary skills. • Survey undertaken within 4 weeks and results sent to the central secretariat for ASER Pakistan • A communication strategy finalized for the ASER findings and dissemination • Reports generated and final national and disaggregated reports and policy briefs prepared for the launch • NEAS/PEC other assessment initiatives kept in the loop

42. Future PlansProposal ASER Pakistan 2010-15 • Proposal - ASER Pakistan 2010-2015 has been submitted to donors. UNESCO has agreed to support one fifth of the total budget for ASER 2010) • Goal: To undertake ASER Pakistan for five consecutive years 2010-2015, a rigorous tracking of learning outcomes led by citizens themselves for 3-16 years children.

43. The Team for ASER Pakistan: Expertise • Baela R Jamil : Public Policy; Public Private Partnerships; Activist; & Innovator • Dr. Monnazza Aslam: Economist ; Economics of Education, Gender & Labor at CSAE Oxford; • Amima Syed : Quality; research and writing /Sindh Support • Imtiaz A Nizami: Soft ware; analysis, trainer, reporting • Raheela Akram: Assessment ; psychology • Safyan Jabbar : Researcher ; report writing • Faiza Ghulam Nabi: Statistics/Research • Hina Sheikh: Research Associate • Mansoor Malik : Media Support • Ismat Riaz: Media Write Up Support • Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) : Partner Organizations in the field • NCHD : Volunteers and networks • CPDI – Mr. Mukhtar -

44. Time Line ASER 2010

45. Year Wise Targets (2010 – 2015)

46. Budget ASER 2010-2015 ASER Centre to be established at IPL for Policy Research & Training on Learning & Assessment US $ 1.5 million

47. Proposals II & III II. Chalo Parho Barho III. School Based Budget Tracking

48. A Citizens’ Campaign For Quality Education For All Pakistan 2011-2015 CHALO PARHO BARHO LET’s READ & MOVE AHEAD ITA works with public sector institutions for Educational transformation and providing a voice to the excludedin Pakistan and the entire region SUPPORT FOR IMPROVED LEARNING OUTCOMES In Pakistan

49. CHALO PARHO BARHO - AN ALL OUT ZAKAT/GIVING & CITIZENS’ CAMPAIGN FOR IMPROVED LEARNING OUTCOMES IN PAKISTAN • The data from Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Pakistan 2008, assessed 16737 rural children 3-16 years of age for up to grades II & III competencies, revealed poor results in reading and maths. Whilst overall reading ability of story level was 31.9%, maths (division 3 digits) was only 25.5%, 54% of grade V children could do grade II reading at story level and only 39% of grade V children could do grade III division. (www.safedafed.org) A low baseline in reading, leads to drop in maths by 4-14% points. • Education for All (EFA) & Millennium Development Goals (MDG) goals will remain unmet! • This is unacceptable but can be improved radically if we partner for an all out learning improvement as a massive intensive campaign: ;led by CITIZENS and with govt. support • ChaloParhoBarho (CPB) is a movement by ALL CITIZENS! This initiative has been tried in neighbouring countries with success… www.pratham.org

50. CHALO PARHO BARHO - CPB • Duration: It is A Five Year Well Tracked Movement - Countdown 2011 to 2015 •  Core Areas: CHALO PARHO BARHO addresses gaps in reading and numeracy. • Target Group: Children Aged 4-12 in ALL public sector & some private sector schools •  Where: In a district wide mode selected for the LEARNING UPLIFT program Children will be selected from grades 1-V in the target schools and local communities • Coverage: All government schools in each district covered plus private schools