LAHORE: Academics, researchers and policy experts shared their findings and opinion on matters including curriculum development, assessment and evaluation, policy implications on the sector to improvements in the university-ranking process during a roundtable conference held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
The roundtable is collaboration between the education initiative at LUMS and the Institute of Educational Development at Aga Khan University (AKU-IED) Karachi.
The first day titled ‘Research, Policy and Practice: The Possibility of a Symbiotic Relationship for Education Reform in Pakistan’ brought together practitioners, academics, and policy experts to examine the challenges of education in Pakistan.
The conference aimed at gaining a deeper perspective of the structural, cultural, and intellectual challenges of education reform through various perspectives. Academics and researchers from different institutions shared insights on the problems and potential solutions during 10 sessions.
The sessions covered a wide range of themes with experts like Dr Razia Fakir, Dr Sadia Bhutta, Dr Nusrat Fatima, Dr Dilshad Ashraf, Dr Sajid Ali and Dr Takbir Ali from AKU-IED; Dr Razia Sadik from Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) and Dr Tania Saeed, Dr Hadia Majid, Dr Mariam Chughtai, Dr Faisal Bari, Jazibo Zahir and Aamma Khalid from LUMS pitching in with their thoughts.
During the discussions, researchers concluded there was a need to widen the scope of dialogue between different stakeholders that included teachers, parents, policy makers, students, researchers and bureaucrats for more meaningful and outcome-achieving changes.
Speaking at the end of the sessions, LUMS Board of Governors Chairman Syed Babar Ali formally announced the School of Education at LUMS. “I hope the newly established school of education will play its role for the development of the country as education is the only way this country can go forward,” he said.
LUMS Vice-Chancellor Dr Sohail Naqvi said the issues in education remain the same at all levels ranging from governance, curriculum development and assessment methodologies. He added the universities were facing the same challenges as schools.
The second day of the regional roundtable will be held next week on December 17 at the AKU-IED campus in Karachi with LUMS faculty in attendance.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2016.
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