Over 55,000 children benefit from education reforms inSindh

KARACHI, 31 October 2024: The education pilot Sindh Technical Assistance
for Development through Enhanced Education Programme (STA DEEP),
supported by the European Union and UNICEF, concluded today, with over
55,000 children benefitting from this five-year programme. STA DEEP
introduced decentralized approaches to school management, digital
monitoring systems and professional development trainings for teachers to
empower the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) to become
more equitable and responsive to student needs.
“We are pleased to announce the success of our school clustering model,
which has significantly improved monitoring and strengthened the capacity of
teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders. We extend our heartfelt
thanks to the European Union and UNICEF for implementing this globally
recognized system. We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with
UNICEF and the EU as we embark on this exciting journey toward achieving
quality education,” said Zahid Ali Abbasi, Secretary Education, School
Education and Literacy Department (SELD), Government of Sindh.
Traditionally, Sindh’s education department has functioned under a centralized
model. STA DEEP provided technical support to SELD to implement the school
clustering policy that decentralizes decision-making, budget allocation, and
administrative responsibilities to local cluster school heads. that
The programme successfully grouped 400 schools into 20 pilot clusters across
14 districts in Sindh. This model improves access to quality education and
E-mail: unic-islamabad@un.org, Web: www.pakistan.un.org
ensures that schools are better aligned with the needs of their students and
communities.
“As we celebrate the conclusion of the European Union’s financial and
technical support to the education sector in Sindh, it is time to reflect on how
to expand and build upon the successes achieved during this partnership to
improve the delivery of education services, at the local level,” said Jeroen
Willems, Head of Cooperation, the European Union.
“The lessons learnt over the last five years should serve as a guiding
framework towards a future where every boy and girl in Sindh has access to
quality education.
The European Union remains committed to this vision and will continue to
extend its support to improve the quality and access to education in Sindh and
Pakistan through the Global Partnership for Education, to which the EU and its
Member States remain the single largest contributor,” he added.
STA DEEP has prioritized modernizing teaching methodologies and continuous
professional development for teachers. Each cluster school uses new teaching
strategies that align with current pedagogical standards, fostering active
learning and motivation among students and creating improved learning
environments.
“This pilot has produced impressive results through its support to the Sindh
Education and Literacy Department. It established an innovative model for
decentralizing school systems by shifting authority from provincial to district
level through policy reforms. We expect the pilot to pave the way for wider
implementation of reforms across all schools in Sindh, fostering long-term
sustainability,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.”
STA DEEP introduced a robust school monitoring system. The programme
implemented a portable biometric device to track teacher attendance alongside
a comprehensive digital monitoring system that consolidates data on school
infrastructure, student enrollment and staff attendance from over 40,000
schools. This helped to enhance accountability and improve the overall
management of educational resources while supporting efforts to improve
educational outcomes for students.