KARACHI:
Education reforms in Pakistan in general and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in particular are announced with increasing frequency, yet one critical stakeholder remains largely absent from the reform process: the teacher.
Being a scholar in education policy and a teacher working on the ground, I clearly observe the gap between policy and on ground realities. Policies related to assessment, accountability, digital learning and licensing are often designed and rolled out without meaningful consultation with those expected to implement them in classrooms. This top-down approach may appear efficient on paper, but in practice it breeds confusion, anxiety and resistance rather than ownership.
Teachers are not merely service providers; they are frontline professionals with firsthand insight into what works and what fails. When reforms are introduced without their input, even well-intentioned initiatives risk poor execution. Repeated changes in rules and procedures — announced without clarity or training — have also contributed to declining morale within the profession.
International experience shows that sustainable education reform depends on trust and collaboration. Systems that engage teachers in policy design tend to see stronger implementation and better learning outcomes.
If K-P is serious about improving education quality, it must move beyond viewing teachers as subjects of reform and start treating them as partners in it. Without a teacher’s voice, reforms may be announced — but they will rarely be owned.
Manzar Hassan
Peshawar
