LAHORE: Prominent policymakers, educationists, and researchers emphasised the critical need for impactful policy decisions to be grounded in rigorous research, aimed at improving teaching quality and learning outcomes for all students, including the most marginalised.

With millions of students in Punjab struggling to meet basic learning benchmarks, education researchers and policymakers gathered at the LUMS School of Education (SOE) to debate the question: “How can better teaching transform outcomes for the most marginalised children?”

Co-hosted by the Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC), the policy dialogue convened key representatives from government, academia, and development partners to deliberate on emerging evidence concerning the teaching workforce’s management and its effectiveness across Punjab.

The discussions structured around key themes such as the Digital Evolution in Teacher Development, Punjab’s Teacher e-Transfer Policy, and Continuous Teacher Learning.

British High Commission Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Education Team Leader Mazhar Siraj said, “Punjab has been a trailblazer at education reform implementation and has been in a historic partnership with FCDO to move the needle on student learning. Through the DARE-RC programme, the FCDO is funding quality research to help shape policymaking. Engagements such as today’s policy dialogue are important to help solidify a research-policy partnership, to explore how research is improving policymaking and making a difference in the lives of children.”

Punjab Special Education Department Secretary Muhammad Khan Ranjha spoke about how teachers were mainly perceived as government employees, without having a real voice in the system. He said, “The movement of the teacher workforce is not ideal in the context of Pakistan, as having teachers move from one school to another impacts their teaching effectiveness and consequently students’ learning outcomes.”

LUMS SOE Dean Dr Tayyaba Tamim highlighted the importance of policy-academia linkages and the pivotal role of the LUMS SOE being at the centre of these conversations.

She emphasised, “Teachers are at the heart of education, and the instrumental stakeholders that shape the educational experiences of children. It is crucial to understand the impact of policies and processes that support the management of the teacher workforce through rigorous research.”

DARE-RC Research Director Dr Monazza Aslam said highly innovative research was being conducted that covers various aspects of the teaching lifecycle: recruitment, initial preparedness of teachers, their deployment and distribution, support during their careers, retention and motivation, and career progression and leadership.

DARE-RC Policy Engagement Lead Kamran Khan highlighted: “DARE-RC has a vast research portfolio investigating climate resilience, teaching, pedagogy, disability and inclusion in education, with the intention to connect the realms of academia, research and policy, which can lead to sustainable policy outcomes.”

The session concluded with key takeaways and a forward-looking agenda, solidifying the commitment of both DARE-RC and the LUMS SOE to a continued partnership focused on ongoing engagement with Punjab’s education sector, ensuring that the latest research continuously informs and refines policy.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025