A recent workshop brought together leading academics, government officials, and development partners to bridge the gap between education research and policymaking in Pakistan. The initiative, a collaboration between the Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), aimed to harness expert knowledge for practical policy decisions that can reach every child.
Dr. Shahid Soroya, Director General of PIE, expressed his appreciation for the partnership, emphasizing the crucial role of experts in informing sound policy deliberations. The inaugural session set the tone with inspiring remarks from Saima Anwer, Acting Education Team Lead at FCDO Pakistan, and Harris Khalique, Programme Director of DARE-RC.
Anwer lauded the workshop’s potential to bridge the divide between research producers and users, stressing its importance in shaping real-world education policies. Khalique echoed this sentiment, highlighting the opportunity for collaborative, evidence-based policymaking, which he deemed essential for universal education.
The workshop witnessed active participation from diverse stakeholders, including representatives from federal, provincial, and Gilgit Baltistan education departments, alongside leading academics from public and private universities across Pakistan. Notably, Dr. Alia Aslam of Sardar Bahadur Khan University, Balochistan, and Asif Aqeel of the Lahore School of Law, representing the Christian community, emphasized the significance of academia-government partnerships for impactful research, particularly in underserved areas.
Dr. Stephen John from Sindh Madrasatul Islam commended the informative sessions on data utilization, while Dr. Sonia Umar of Punjab University hailed the workshop as “productive and fruitful.”
Overall, the workshop provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, paving the way for evidence-driven education policies that can address the needs of all learners in Pakistan. The active participation and positive feedback from stakeholders suggest a promising future for research-informed education policymaking in the country.
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