1. STEP Newsletter – Issue No. 5, Vol. No. 1
Message from Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov, Director, AKU-IED
The Strengthening Teacher Education in Pakistan
(STEP) Project has been the hallmark project for
Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational
Development (AKU-IED). I am pleased to write this
note for STEP’s final Newsletter. As the project
moves towards its culmination, the focus has not
only been on strengthening capacity but also on
empowering the stakeholders and ensuring long
term commitment.
Over a span of seven years, STEP has both
engendered and witnessed examples of
remarkable transformation in teaching and
learning practices, attitudes and perceptions
resulting in improved quality, increased access,
and enhanced equity. We hope that these changes
will be sustained by the various stakeholders STEP
has engaged.
A STEP FORWARD
I am delighted to present the last issue of the
STEP newsletter. Over the last seven years, STEP
has demonstrated that through consistent effort
and support, bringing about change is possible at
all levels. The stories in this issue focus on the
commitment, resilience and hard work by
various stakeholders that has resulted in
significant transformation.
STEP colleagues, government officials, mentors,
teachers, head teachers, students and others
have consistently enhanced the teaching and
learning environment in schools and
strengthened systems to improve quality and
access. We acknowledge and appreciate their
Editorial
exceptional efforts and dedication and hope
that they will sustain and scale up this work.
I hope that the readers will find these stories
motivating and will inspire them to build on
these examples and models for their own
professional development and for the
development of their own organizations.
Happy Reading!
Nida Dossa
Associate - Documentation
Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov,
Director, AKU-IED
About STEP
Strengthening Teacher
Education in Pakistan (STEP)
project is a multifaceted
intervention that aims to
improve the quality and
delivery of elementary
education services
appropriate particularly to the
poor and disadvantaged,
women and children through
professional development
opportunities and networks.
Transforming
education one
classroom at a
time!
AKU-IED values partnerships with the
government and other national and
international stakeholders in the education
sector and believes that through these inclusive
collaborative endeavours, maximum impact can
be achieved. We look forward to continue to
work with our trusted partners, valued donors,
schools and local communities to not only
sustain the positive changes brought about by
STEP Project but also to leverage these changes
and make an impact on the overall education
system in the country.
Congratulations STEP team!
Page 1

2. TEOs engaged in discussion during
the training.
Empowering TEOs for improved school management
Schools nurture children to become
productive and skilled members of the society
inculcating the values our young generation
carries. To ensure that the school does this job
effectively, quality teaching and learning is
essential which can only be possible with the
right amount of support and a continuous
monitoring system.
The STEP project paid special attention to the
capacity building of those responsible for
monitoring and decision making to create
holistic impact.
In this context, a three day training of 36
Taluka Education Officers (TEOs) and other
officials with school monitoring
responsibilities was conducted in December
2015. This training focused on quality
Monitoring and Evaluation strategies using
tools that the STEP project has developed.
mentors. The headteachers acknowledged
that although change is important, it
requires sustained effort. One of the
participants commented, “Real change takes
time. It is significant that all school
stakeholders must be involved and have a
clear understanding of school improvement
processes and implement school
improvement plans”.
Participants developed knowledge and skills
with regards to school improvement,
enhanced thinking skills and a sense of
ownership. In addition, reinforcing the
concepts of gender equity was also a
highlight of the program. Gender as a cross
cutting theme in the STEP project, has been
incorporated in all of the project facets
leading to visible changes in practice at
school and classroom level. This is evident
from observations and reflections of
stakeholders as well as quantitative results
like increased girls’ enrolment. One of the
headteachers at the refresher course noted,
“We now give equal opportunities to boys
and girls, we have implemented gender
focused activities in school, and shared with
teachers and parent the importance of
gender equality”.
It is hoped that these changes will be
sustained and will continue to make an
impact in the communities where these
schools exist long after the project is
culminated.
Shifting Mindsets: Re-orientation of STEP trained Head teachers
Head teachers are the pillars of a school.
Through the STEP intervention, there has been
a paradigm shift in the mind-set of the
headteachers. It has been observed that
headteachers who were part of STEP are now
more encouraging and motivating to the
teachers and have much more clarity on their
roles and responsibilities as leaders.
A six days refresher workshop course was
organized at AKU-IED for 95 head teachers of
Whole School Improvement Program (WSIP)
schools in two cohorts in May and August 2015,
as well as for 131 headteachers from Cluster
Based Mentoring Program (CBMP) schools in
three cohorts in May, June and July 2015.
Sustainability of the STEP model is pivotal
therefore emphasis was given on how the
activities will be sustained after project
culmination in the selected schools by STEP
trained MEd graduates, lead teachers and
TEO is a new cadre in the Sindh government
system and this training empowered these
newly appointed officers with the tools and skills
they need to ensure that they assess the school
management, academics and infrastructure
effectively in both quantitative and qualitative
ways. Mr Abdul Aziz, a TEO from Sukkur notes,
“It (the training) has given us a better
understanding of M&E processes and enabled us
to play our role in the results oriented way
resulting in better educational atmosphere in
the society.”
During training, a need for further clarity on
roles of school staff was identified. It was noted
that this lack of clarity is a major hindrance in
the performance and observations that TEOs
have to undertake.
The facilitators discussed these problems and
explained how it is possible to carry out M&E
activity in each school despite the challenges.
Headteachers engaged in group work at the CBMP Refresher
course
Page 2

3. Leadership for Holistic Change – Capacity Building for
Education Managers
A teacher is an agent of change who inspires
generations of intellectuals, change makers,
creative and innovative professionals who
strengthen a society. However, in order for
teachers to work at their best, systems and
governance needs to be strengthened. The
model of change that the STEP project has
implemented has ensured that stakeholders
at all tiers, from students to senior
government officials, are engaged to
strengthen that support system.
STEP organized a capacity building
programme for 30 education managers in
August 2015 at AKU-IED. The programme
aimed at strengthening senior education
leaders/mangers’ skills and knowledge about
leadership and management. The
programme also aimed at increasing
awareness about the successful work that
has been done at school level by STEP
through the CBMP, WSIP and PNTD
programmes, to demonstrate the value of
these initiatives, to enlist ongoing support
and to determine ways to ensure adequate
resources are allocated to these activities in
district budgets so that this work can be
sustained.
Educational leaders shared pictorial
presentation of pre and post condition of
STEP intervened schools.
Furthermore, the program also highlighted
project sustainability and participants
developed a complete sustainability plan for
project activities in future. “Learning about
sustainability plan, its strategies and
important areas was helpful for us and now
we have sustainability plan in our hand so it
will be easy to implement in districts to
sustain STEP activities. We can modify the
plan according to local needs”, a participant
commented.
Multi-grade teacher training in
progress in Killa Saifullah
Mentoring support being provided to
teachers in Hyderabad
More in less: A STEP for Multi-grade Teaching
Page 3
Multi-grade teaching (MGT) is an appropriate way to provide good quality education to children
who are often at a disadvantage because they live in small, poor, and remote communities. Multi-
grade teaching practices include classroom organization, student management, and ultimately,
the successful transmission of curricula. A Multi-grade teacher plans and organizes the classroom
to get the best results from the space and resources available.
Needs analysis surveys done by the STEP team, found that in some districts, teachers were
unaware of techniques to use when teaching more than one Grade at the same time. Keeping this
in view, in 2013 a group of CBMP mentors from 10 districts was selected and given training at
AKU-IED. In 2015, these mentors were re-orientated by the AKU-IED before they conducted a 10
day field training in all STEP districts on multi-grade teaching practices for over 272 teachers.
The focus of the training was designing of curriculum in four subject areas, time tabling, lesson
planning, integration of concepts across the curriculum and classroom management. Further,
teachers’ resource kits were also distributed to all participating schools to establish learning
corners and facilitate MGT. Teachers were given orientation and follow up support with the use of
these kits in their lesson.
As a result of the training and follow up, it was observed that teachers benefitted immensely from
the training and they are utilizing the techniques learnt in their classrooms. One of the teachers
commented, “In the beginning of the session when we were asked what is multi-grade teaching,
we were not able to answer but by the end of the program we are able to not only define the term
but also implement it in our classrooms”.
The programme not only equipped teachers with the right skills but also motivated them to apply
group work, peer learning, games, puzzles etc. in their teaching. Use of MGT kit supported their
teaching and they felt that now they can manage MG classes better than before.
The programme helped participants
understand the complete model of STEP,
the ongoing activities and major outputs &
outcomes and gained commitment from
these influencers and decision makers in the
field to ensure that these models are not
only sustained but are replicated, scaled up
and improved to benefit teachers and
students in their districts.

4. Continuous Professional Development – Strengthening Networks
The Professional Network for Teacher
Development (PNTD) is a cluster of nine
voluntary professional associations. The
mission of PNTD is to promote a
sustainable environment for the
professional growth and development of
teachers and educators from diverse
backgrounds and communities with the
vision to bring improvement and quality in
the Education system of Pakistan.
In order to provide a sustainable
professional development platform for
teachers/head teachers the existing PNTD
was strengthened by the STEP project and
expanded in 7 districts across Pakistan. A
variety of schools including government,
private, NGO and community-based
schools are members of PNTD and their
teachers regularly attend PNTD
professional development workshops at all
seven chapters.
During 2015, 3,336 teachers which
includes over 75% female participation,
attended PNTD activities.
Various activities have been conducted by
PNTD chapters, including professional
development workshops, seminars, courses
and student Olympiads.
The workshops not only enhance the skills of
teachers but also provide a platform to form
professional links and networks for knowledge
sharing.
The student Olympiads are a unique facet of
the PNTD network as it inculcates a sense of
healthy competition, achievement and
scholastic ability in students. Each district
organized Olympiads where students from
various schools participated.
Students noted that one of the most exciting
aspects of participating in this event is working
with students of different schools in team
activities fostering a collaborative learning
culture. One of the teachers from a
participating schools commented, “…students
should be provided with such opportunities
where they develop different skills, such as
group work, team work, leadership skills and
arts etc.
While working with different students in
mixed-groups, students learn to respect both
cultural and intellectual diversity and use this
as strength to excel. This is something we
hope to continue when we go back to our
school”. Other stakeholders in districts have
also committed to continuing and replicating
this practice.
STEP sponsored MEd graduates, in all the
districts, continue to support the chapters by
leading PNTD workshops and sessions as
facilitators and provide trainings to their
fellow teachers in their role as teacher
educator.
Through the PNTD effort, tangible
transformation in the professional
development in targeted schools has been
observed. It is hoped that this strong
network will now be sustained by the
teachers, government officials, community
members and stakeholders who have taken
ownership of the PNTD initiatives in their
respective districts.
Page 4
Sustaining Professional Network
In order to ensure that the impact from
the PNTD effort is disseminated widely,
seminars are being conducted in each
district engaging stakeholders at all tiers.
These one day seminars were a platform
to bring stakeholders together to gauge
commitment and resources to sustain
PNTD activities in all the districts. Steering
committees were formed and
comprehensive TORs were formulated by
PNTD and STEP officials. These committees
comprise of government officials,
headteachers, mentors, lead teachers and
STEP sponsored MEd graduates who will
carry forward the work done under PNTD.
The seminars focused to develop an
understanding and consensus around the
need for teachers’ and educators’
professional networking as well as
deliberating on how this need can be
addressed by sustaining the PNTD network
through public private partnerships.
Realizing this essential need for continuous
professional networking and development,
each district came up with action plans
suited to their own context to continue and
expand the PNTD initiative. This was
informed by the successes and challenges
experienced by existing PNTD chapters.
The seminar also provided excellent
opportunity to the participants to identify
monitoring and follow up mechanisms for the
successful functioning of PNTD initiatives
which was highlighted in each of their action
plans. The sense of responsibility and
commitment from stakeholders evident from
the robust discussion, the pragmatic action, a
vow to presenting voluntary services for
future workshops, and activities in the
districts is a significant achievement and one
that will ensure that these networks continue
to benefit teachers and students for a long
time to come.

5. Community Mobilization
Community mobilization increases the
participatory decision-making processes
by bringing diverse stakeholders to the
table including those people who may
not normally be involved in the decision
making process. Mobilization also
fosters strong relationships between
local governments, businesses and
community members.
Community mobilization played an
important role in reaching out to the
community members during the STEP
project. Community mobilizers
conducted regular face to face meetings
with stakeholders and strengthened the
existing school management committee
(SMC/PTSMC) structure in selected
districts of Sindh and Balochistan
through trainings and consistent follow
up. This effort continued throughout the
project despite harsh weather, security
risks and cultural sensitivities in even the
remote areas of Sindh and Balochistan
making sure that the community is
empowered to support schools in their
areas.
Through STEP interventions, role of school
committees was strengthened. It also
motivated parents to participate in school
events and to play an active role in the
education of their children. All the STEP
interventions have gender equity
strategies embedded in them. This facet
was also part of STEP’s community
mobilization efforts. Training included
gender sensitive material and advocacy
around girls’ education. In addition,
female SMCs were formed in schools to
address the issue of gender equity in
education which has resulted in increased
girls’ enrolment in very difficult areas of
Sindh and Balochistan. .
The key to successful mobilization efforts
is making sure that communities are in the
driver’s seat during the process. This has
been the approach that the STEP project
has taken.
Engaging parents through
community mobilization efforts
at a school in district Hyderabad
Synergy for change – Success story from Balochistan
Community plays a vital role in a school’s
development. In this regard PTSMCs
(Parent Teacher School Management
Committees) are established in schools in
Balochistan. The STEP project has been
working in Balochistan for several years
over the life of the project and has
conducted sessions and training programs
for PTSMCs covering multiple dimensions
such as organizing administrative sessions
for education managers and dynamic
leadership skills sessions for head
teachers. The project also trained teaching
staff, mobilized community through
training and advocacy so that PTSMC and
the wider community can perform their
role in the whole school improvement of
their school to ensure quality of and access
to education for children. Women were
empowered during this effort to ensure
that their voices are heard and they have
equal participation in the community’s
effort to make learning environments
better.
Government Girls High School (GGHS)
Wahdat Colony is a great example of how
sustained and consistent community
engagement can bring transformation.
GGHS Wahdat Colony is a girls’ school
located in Quetta with 1300 students and
45 teaching staff.
Through deeper engagement with the
community, constructive measures have
been taken to improve the ambience of
the school. One can observe that the
school now has a stimulating teaching and
learning environment where students
engage with the text they study via hands
on activities and project work. The
students not only use the STEP established
LRCs but also a community established
computer lab.
The school lacked a computer lab in the
past and due to lack of resources
computers could not be purchased. The
PTSMC realizing the importance of ICT for
learning took this up as a challenge.
The PTSMC members lobbied with the local
government and extensively raised
awareness about the importance of ICT
integration in teaching and learning. These
efforts resulted in a substantial grant from
a Member of the Provincial assembly that
enabled the establishment of the new
computer lab. Now the school has an
updated computer lab which is functional
and is being used by both students and
teachers. Without motivation, ownership
and collective effort from the community,
this would not have been possible.
STEP is a multi-faceted project and has
empowered and built capacity of not only
individuals but has also motivated and
empowered communities at a broader level
so that a school can develop holistically and
that development is owned and sustained
at local level.
Page 5
Community mobilization
session in progress in
Balochistan
The following stories from the field
showcase examples of the impact
achieved through this effort.

6. Director Schools, signing approval for
school upgradation
Community leaders and educational
managers attending community
mobilization event
In his speech, Director Schools appreciated
the efforts and commitment of students,
teachers and the community; and
announced the upgradation of this primary
school to middle level with immediate
effect as well as an approval to start high
school classes from the upcoming academic
session 2016-17. This will facilitate a
comprehensive education for children of
this village, particularly girls as there is no
other middle school in the area and the
nearest high school is 18 KMs away which
puts children, particularly girls at a
disadvantage who cannot travel that far.
The journey of this school has seen children
being taught in a small hut in the 1940s to
the school falling into disrepair and being
shut down, to it reopening, striving,
surviving and thriving due to the initiative
and consistent dedication of its teachers,
head teachers, students and especially the
community that drive the school to
excellence both in term of access and
quality.
When Hope Meets Commitment – Success story from Sindh
Page 6
Village Habib Soomro of Union Council
Sonda, District Thatta is an old and
underdeveloped area which lacks basic
facilities of education and health. In this
context, the Government Boys Primary
School, Habib Soomro provides hope to the
community; and when hope meets
commitment, transformation happens.
In a setting like this, it is not only important
to open schools and offer classes but to also
ensure that children in the community have
access and are attending regularly. The STEP
Project has worked over the last seven years
on school transformation through
multifaceted interventions and community
mobilization is one of them. The enrolment
at the school has risen from 12 to 179 boys
and girls over the past few years.
STEP’s community mobilization team
conducted regular activities including Broad
Based Community Meetings in the nearby
village to mobilize the villagers and parents
to enhance educational awareness about
the importance of quality education for
their children. As a result of this consistent
effort, the community started to take a
deeper interest in the school, working to
upgrade their school from primary to middle
level as well as improve existing facilities.
The community leaders along with STEP
mentors, mentees and teachers had several
meetings with officials from the
government’s education department
including, TEO, DEO and Director Schools in
this regard.
Recently an event was organized at the
school by the STEP mentor in coordination
with the community leaders and villagers to
showcase the achievements of the students
in front of their parents. The main purpose
of the event was to involve the wider
community and parents in their children’s
education. Students from Grades 1 to 8
participated in different activities such as
gallery presentation, poetry, oratory, role
play, writing, reading and drawing activities.

7. Page 2
Education for All: Facing Challenges around equity in education
Pakistan ranks second last on the World
Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap
report rankings 2014 for gender equality.
Despite education being a constitutional
right of every child in Pakistan, according to
a UNICEF report, an estimated 31 million
girls of primary school age and 32 million
girls of lower secondary school age were out
of school in 2013.
AKU-IED, Pakistan organized a two-day
National Seminar on October 28th and 29th
to deliberate on this key concern. Over 100
professionals including policy makers,
researchers, academicians and heads of civil
society organizations from across Pakistan
attended the seminar to develop deeper
insights into classroom and school-based
challenges, structural barriers, worthwhile
strategies and policy initiatives to enable
equitable delivery of quality education.
Gender equity has been a cross cutting
theme under the STEP project which has
reached over 1600 schools across Pakistan,
integrating gender equality into classroom
teaching and school governance as well as
community mobilization efforts. The stories
of change shared by mentors and teachers
during presentations and live panel
discussions reflected how the multi-pronged
strategies employed by the STEP project
helped them transform their personal belief
systems about gender equity in education
and permeated into their families, other
teachers, communities and students in the
classroom.
“I became part of the STEP project as a
mentee teacher. Initially when there were
discussions about gender in the project
trainings, I and my other colleagues used to
feel uncomfortable. But gradually the
programs helped us question our own pre-
conceived notions about gender. The project
adopted very unique strategies sensitive to
my family norms and culture to make my
participation in the M.Ed program possible at
AKU-IED. It now feels very rewarding when I
see my community members, who were
earlier against me getting a higher
education, requesting me to counsel their
daughters and encourage them for further
education” shared Sadia Kanwal from
district Tando Allayar, who is an MEd
graduate from AKU-IED and was part of a
live panel at the seminar.
Sadia’s story represents the complex social
context of Pakistan, particularly in the rural
areas where cultural and religious
sensitivity, issues around mobility and
poverty make it difficult for children,
especially girls to get access to the quality
and relevant education. A consistent
discourse during the seminar to address
this was through community engagement.
This means that communities are more
susceptible to change if the change comes
from within. Initiatives that are sensitive to
the culture and value systems of the
communities, which take into account the
needs of the community, the safety and
security of children and familiar examples
of success much like Sadia’s, enable a sense
of agency and lead to changes in
perceptions and actions.
A display of gender inclusive material
prepared by various government school
teachers under the STEP project was also
organized showing best practices in
integrating gender inclusiveness in teaching
curriculum in classrooms.
The two day seminar drew on these
examples and academic research to analyze
issues and identify potential solutions and
policy recommendations. One of them is to
acknowledge that one size does not fit all. A
case-to-case based approach is more
effective to ensure education for girls and
women coming from diverse socio-cultural
backgrounds. This means taking into
account unique circumstances of
communities with reference to religion and
culture particularly, and empowering
communities from within. Secondly, real life
experiences and successes are powerful
and relevant to inspire and trigger the
change process and should be shared as
widely as possible.
Though education for all is difficult to
achieve in Pakistan given the various socio-
economic, political and cultural challenges,
reflections and deliberations from this
seminar instill some hope. If the needs of
the communities are understood, if they
are empowered in their own contexts, if
good role models are created and
opportunities provided, these challenges
can be turned into possibilities.
Page 7
Top: Panellists speaking on theorizing lessons learnt from the field
Bottom: Seminar participants attending presentation on case study from
Quetta

8. For more information:
STEP Project Office at
Institute for Educational
Development, Aga Khan
University, Karimabad,
Karachi
Phone:
+92 21 3634 7611-4/3682
6991, Ext: 8559
Email:
Nida.dossa@aku.edu
Web Site:
www.aku.edu
Page 8
Inspiring change from within – exploring successes of localized models of
teaching
quality but is what the child can relate to and
understand. “Previously teachers would teach
us from the book. Now when the teachers
enter the class, they have something in their
hand, maps or globes or charts which make
learning in classrooms fun” said the student
panelist further elaborating on how these
models have made teaching and learning
innovative and child friendly.
The Senior Minister for Education and Literacy,
Government of Sindh, Mr Nisar Khuhro also
commented on the quality of teaching and the
commitment of teachers towards professional
development in his address. He said, “Quality
education is important so that we can identify
diamonds in our rural areas and polish them so
that they can face any challenges in the world.
And this responsibility of polishing these
diamonds in the rough lies with the teachers in
schools. Teachers must engage with the
society and the community.”
It is hoped that these partnerships with the
government will be built upon for sustainable
impact in the sector. These partnerships will
ensure that the change created and the
models introduced are sustained and
replicated on a much larger scale.
Access to quality education has been deemed
an essential foundation to improve chances of
people having a better quality of life and for
the economy to grow. However, this requires a
consistent effort to make education relevant
and for teachers and education managers to
develop and sustain local practices that are
suited to the needs of the context of the
learner. This was the primary discourse at the
AKU-IED’s 10th International conference. The
conference also showcased the successes and
lessons learnt from the STEP project.
The STEP dissemination seminar at the
conference highlighted the impact from STEP’s
local models for school development which
have been running successfully in districts of
Sindh and Balochistan since 2009. The seminar
featured panel discussions, research
presentations and an exhibition displaying low
/ no cost teaching learning aid developed by
teachers and students to aid learning in a way
that is relevant to their own context.
STEP disseminated success on the level of
governance and leadership, teaching and
learning and community engagement; each
reflecting on experiences of senior government
officials, headteachers, teachers, students and
community members.
The panel discussion on leadership focused on
ownership of schools and its related
stakeholders, keeping in mind their needs and
ensuring quality in that perspective. “We have
been motivated by the (STEP) project and the
training it provided to actually go to schools
and monitor change, change which is visible”,
said Mr Liaquat Ali Khaskheli, DEO, District
Khairpur. “I learnt that we cannot change the
government as a whole but when we change
ourselves, we start seeing change externally
as well. This is what we did. Not only do we
teach, our walls teach as well by the
learning resources that adorn them”, added
Ms Fehmida Khanum, Education Supervisor
from District Tando Allayar.
This sense of ownership combined with
strategies implemented to make teaching
and learning child centric has led to visible
change not just in the quality of teaching
but also the academic achievement of
students.
The STEP project has implemented a whole
school improvement programme focusing
on holistic development of the school as
well as a cluster based mentoring
programme which promotes training and
peer coaching to improve teaching and
learning practices. This mentoring model, as
shared in the research findings at the
conference has huge potential for improving
teaching practices and can be replicated.
Both of these models have successfully
transformed the way teachers teach in
these schools, making sure that the child is
at the centre of the process and the
education being provided is not only of high
Senior Minister for Education and Literacy, Government of
Sindh, Nisar Khuhro addressing the audience at the
conference