ISLAMABAD: Cooperation between the United Kingdom and the governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has helped more than 200,000 children improve their access to education and strengthen basic reading, numeracy and life skills, the British High Commission (BHC) said on Monday.
According to the BHC, Urdu reading proficiency among participating children increased from 15% to 78%, while English reading improved from 15% to 45%. Subtraction skills also increased from 37% to 67%.
The UK-Pakistan partnership used learning-level assessments, targeted teaching, teacher coaching and regular progress monitoring to help children improve their foundational skills.
The programme covered more than 500 public schools and helped over 35,000 out-of-school children return to education.
The BHC said the initiative also provided remedial education to 48,000 learners, while more than 5,500 teachers and 250 master trainers received training. Facilities were also improved in around 400 schools.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said teachers were central to improving learning outcomes and that the most important measure of success was whether educators considered the new approaches useful enough to continue applying them.
She said the feedback received so far had been extremely encouraging, adding that cooperation between governments, schools and communities had helped children who previously struggled to read simple sentences become independent readers.
Muhammad Musa Ali Bokhari, Chief Executive Officer of the Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA), said every child in Punjab should have the opportunity to develop basic reading, writing and numeracy skills before completing primary education.
He appreciated UK support for helping move the discussion around foundational learning from theory towards practical implementation in Punjab.
Meanwhile, K-P Special Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Masood Ahmed said the programme demonstrated that focused investment in foundational learning could produce meaningful results for children and communities.
He said the provincial government remained committed to building on the progress achieved and ensuring that every child had the opportunity to develop literacy and numeracy skills essential for lifelong learning.
