'My usual routine and teaching methodologies are not working to engage students effectively. After attending PEELI training and engaging in the longitudinal study, I began to find new approaches to shift my teaching methodology from teacher-centered to student-centered.' - Primary School Teacher, Punjab
Life cycle
2017-20
Country/Region
Pakistan
Client/Partner
Government of Pakistan, UK Aid
Vision
To create a classroom environment across all primary schools in Punjab, Pakistan, where teachers are delivering purposeful, engaging, and inclusive lessons.
Situation
Pakistan was underperforming against all global educational indicators. The quality of classroom teaching in government schools, especially primary schools, lacked the engagement and skills to deliver 21st-century education. We aimed to improve this by strengthening the capacity of professional development in the Punjab education department (QAED) to improve the effectiveness of 200,000 primary school teachers. Our unique Teaching for Success approach and global track record in teacher development ideally positioned us to support the region on this goal.
Implementation
The delivery approach alongside the government delivery partner, the QAED, was driven by beneficiary needs, a strong evidence-base, and a regular review of delivery activities. For example, our original face-to-face cascade training has improved by integrating mentoring, peer-to-peer collaboration, and digital resources. The Edmodo social learning platform for professional development and the Aptis English proficiency tests have increased overall teacher quality whilst developing English language abilities. Monthly control checks are also carried out, alongside improving our systems for validating master trainers. We also review the quality of training and aim to gain greater involvement of headteachers in the programme.
Impact
Through our third-party validation partner, FAME, we have been able to report reliably on the impact of our work during the lifecycle of the project. The main results are:
• Expert trainer competence: we have evaluated the impact and the evolving impact of our training on expert trainers against our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework for teacher educators.
• PSTs in action: we have established a baseline against which to measure the impact of our training on the teaching behaviour of primary school teachers, mapped against our CPD framework for teachers and change has been measured against this baseline.
• PST longitudinal survey: we have captured a more detailed picture of the impact of our work on the professional lives of primary school teachers over the second two years of the project.
Key findings also indicated that the teachers involved in the project perform better than the non-project beneficiaries, whilst the competence of the teacher trainers involved in the project were on an upward trajectory.
Mutual benefit
Through high-quality and needs-based work in partnership with provincial education ministries, we developed trust in our organisation and, by extension, the UK. We worked towards our wider vision in English and education, that good English teaching helps people to study, work, and to develop careers and confidence. Improving access to and attainment through English education was a key contributor to the development of the English profession worldwide. Through PEELI we provided consultancy opportunities for UK academics and UK goods and services, such as Iris Connect, to deliver expertise.