Development of a cadre of teacher educators: some lessons from Pakistan

This article is based on an educational innovation, the creation of a cadre of teacher educators, in the developing world. Professional Development Teachers were trained in an in-service two-year teacher education programme leading to a Masters of Education Degree. The Professional Development Teachers were expected to play three roles in their home schools upon completion of the Degree Programme: (a) Exemplary Teachers; (b) Teacher Educators; and (c) Change Agents within their home schools to effect improvement

Investigating Educational Change: The Aga Khan University Institute For Educational Development Teacher Education For School Improvement Model

This article continues the analyses of the impact of an innovative teacher education programme aimed at school improvement in a developing country context (Khamis and Sammons 2004). Building on recent publications that have analysed outcomes of the teacher education programme and how the cadre of teacher educators has worked to initiate improvement in schools in Pakistan, the article considers the ‘Teacher Education for School Improvement Model’ based on findings from nine co-operating school case studies. Lessons are presented to further inform the development of teacher education programmes and the measurement of effectiveness of such programmes in developing country contexts. The article further considers relevant international research on educational change and reform to draw further lessons. These lessons include the need to pay greater attention to the cultural contexts and milieu in Pakistan, and the need to create models of school improvement and teacher education that originate within developing country contexts rather than the adaptation of European/North American models that are based on sources of data in those contexts. The article concludes by arguing for the need to develop better theoretical understandings from the current innovations underway and placing the onus on intervening agencies to better inform educational change strategies promoted in developing country contexts

Early Childhood Development in Uganda: Investing in Human and National Development – Reflections from the COVID-19 Pandemic

This chapter presents an analysis of the development of early childhood development in Uganda from policy to programme development in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the achievements and challenges as well as the opportunities for government and its partners whilst navigating an evolving and increasingly competitive political economy. The chapter identifies gaps that need to be addressed in terms of human development, which is argued to be the basis of national development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are presented as an acceptable and agreed framework by all stakeholders as Uganda and other nations confront uncertain futures. The chapter concludes by recommending strategic and programme development options that exist at the policy level, including the role of partnerships, which are critical in addressing future challenges as exposed by the pandemic

The Bangsamoro: A Search for Autonomy in an Era of Contested Priorities and Global Changes – Implications for Education for All

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), an offshoot of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), was established in the 1970s to struggle for autonomy and self-determination of the Bangsamoro. The Bangsamoro home of the Moro Muslim community in the Southern Philippines achieved its strategic goal of a measure of autonomy through a national plebiscite in December 2019. A transition period of three years is underway, with funding from international and bilateral agencies, to strengthen the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority’s governing framework and for its service provision particularly education for all. Local educational authorities, personnel, and schools over the past five decades have espoused the mujahidin ideology. Communities spread in barangays (villages) along with their children participated in training and combat — jihad; the new political dispensation seeks a harmonised policy inclusive of the whole population, Muslim and non-Muslim. This chapter addresses the question of what the prospects are for education where public, private, and selfgoverning autonomous religious schools — madrassahs — play a mediating and determining role with cognate organs of society to shape values and a vision of the future. It explores and analyses the question in the current socio-political situation and the contested ideological underpinnings shaping educational policies during this difficult transition phase

A bibliometric analysis of the Aga Khan University research contribution in early child development

The research contribution of the Aga Khan University to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been explored through a bibliometric analysis. The analysis shows exponential growth of research across the SDGs undertaken by AKU-affiliated researchers. The analysis identified areas of interdisciplinary research, with a significant focus on societal development of interest to AKU, as per its mandate, and reflective of the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) of which AKU is an integral part. Building on the bibliometric analysis, this paper focuses on early childhood development and early childhood education with reference to the SDGs. A specific query is undertaken on ECD with respect to SDG 4 (Education) with an in-depth review of ECD reflective of AKU’s research output, 2016-2019. The paper presents an analysis of publications by AKU-affiliated authors as indexed in Scopus, a citation database of peer-reviewed literature, which indexes over 15,000 titles. This study presents bibliometric indicators including trends in high-impact publications along with citation analyses of articles, h-index, journal rank, impact factor and societal impact through analysing articles published in open access journals. In undertaking this study and reflecting on the themes of the IHD/CoEWH Conference, the paper makes a scholarly contribution with a specific focus on AKU’s research and scholarship to the areas of ECD and the SDGs. The paper notes areas for further research on ECD and SDGs emanating from this analysis

Review of the role of large scale standardised assessment practices in Sindh Pakistan

This paper reviews two large-scale assessments (LSAs) with reference to their purported con- tribution to improvement of education. Documentary analysis is used to review and analyse publicly ac- cessible documents, which describe and/or explain LSA practices in Sindh. Additionally, episodic data were collected through routine fieldwork with head teachers of primary and secondary schools who had participated in policy dialogue forums where LSAs were discussed. This provides rich contextual data with ground level perspectives. A fundamental question in the approach of LSAs that this paper considers is: does measurement of student performance, with no other supporting or triangulating data sources, allow us to judge the quality of education at a provincial or national level? In the context of Sindh, one of four provinces in Pakistan, with a population of well over 60 million, how valid are the findings of LSAs and what should be done to further strengthen the effort that now has near global uptake? Corollary to the above question is what has been the role of LSAs in promoting quality education in the classrooms. The paper has reviewed gaps in the practice and policy implications of current LSAs and argues for greater validation and critical use of LSAs to judge the current system of education. The paper also calls for further research, particularly systematic reviews and meta-analyses of LSAs

The COVID-19 pandemic: A catalyst for creativity and collaboration for online learning and work-based higher education systems and processes

The purpose of this research is to focus on work-based problems catalysed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, based on a case study of a multi-continental, multi-campus university distributed across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Pakistan. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries lacked pre-existing infrastructure to support online education and/or policy and regulatory frameworks during the pandemic. The university\u27s programmes in Pakistan and East Africa provide lessons to other developing countries\u27 HEIs. The university\u27s focus on teaching and learning and staff development has had a transformational organisational effect

Global strategies and local implementation of health and health-related SDGs: Lessons from consultation in countries across five regions

Evidence on early achievements, challenges and opportunities would help low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) accelerate implementation of health and health-related sustainable development goals (HHSDGs). A series of country-specific and multicountry consultative meetings were conducted during 2018-2019 that involved 15 countries across five regions to determine the status of implementation of HHSDGs. Almost 120 representatives from health and non-health sectors participated. The assessment relied on a multidomain analytical framework drawing on existing public health policy frameworks. During the first 5 years of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) era, participating LMICs from South and Central Asia, East Africa and Latin America demonstrated growing political commitment to HHSDGs, with augmentation of multisectoral institutional arrangements, strengthening of monitoring systems and engagement of development partners. On the other hand, there has been limited involvement of civic society representatives and academia, relatively few capacity development initiatives were in place, a well-crafted communication strategy was missing, and there is limited evidence of additional domestic financing for implementing HHSDGs. While the momentum towards universal health coverage is notable, explicit linkages with non-health SDGs and integrated multisectoral implementation strategies are lacking. The study offers messages to LMICs that would allow for a full decade of accelerated implementation of HHSDGs, and points to the need for more implementation research in each domain and for testing interventions that are likely to work before scale-up

Mental Health during COVID-19 Pandemic among Caregivers of Young Children in Kenya’s Urban Informal Settlements. A Cross-Sectional Telephone Survey

The emergence of COVID-19 has profoundly affected mental health, especially among highly vulnerable populations. This study describes mental health issues among caregivers of young children and pregnant women in three urban informal settlements in Kenya during the first pandemic year, and factors associated with poor mental health. A cross-sectional telephone survey was administered to 845 participants. Survey instruments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, and questions on the perceived COVID-19 effects on caregiver wellbeing and livelihood. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and univariate and multivariate analysis. Caregivers perceived COVID-19 as a threatening condition (94.54%), affecting employment and income activities (\u3e80%). Caregivers experienced discrimination (15.27%) and violence (12.6%) during the pandemic. Levels of depression (34%), general anxiety (20%), and COVID-19 related anxiety (14%) were highly prevalent. There were significant associations between mental health outcomes and economic and socio-demographic factors, violence and discrimination experiences, residency, and perceptions of COVID-19 as a threatening condition. Caregivers high burden of mental health problems highlights the urgent need to provide accessible mental health support. Innovative and multi-sectoral approaches will be required to maximize reach to underserved communities in informal settlements and tackle the root causes of mental health problems in this population