British High Commissioner’s school visit highlights UK efforts to tackle Pakistan’s learning crisis
Islamabad (MNP) British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Turner CMG, visited Islamabad Model School for Girls, Jaba Taili, Islamabad on Thursday, to observe how an innovative approach to professional development of teachers is delivering improved learning outcomes.
The High Commissioner visited classrooms where teachers are using tailored lesson plans, catering to the different learning levels of each student from underserved communities across Islamabad. These teachers, known as fellows, have been recruited and trained as part of a partnership between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK, the Federal Directorate of Education, Islamabad and Teach for Pakistan. Director Academics, Ms Riffat Jabeen and Director Planning and Development, Inam Jahangir, of the Federal Directorate of Education, and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Teach for Pakistan, Khadija Bakhtiar accompanied the High Commissioner during the visit.
8 out of 10 Pakistani children can’t read a short paragraph by the age of 10. National Annual Status of Education Report, 2021 shows that overall learning levels are even lower in girls than boys between the ages of 5 and 16. Covid-19 and the recent devastating floods have further aggravated Pakistan’s learning crisis.
