December 28, 2023 (MLN): A significant expansion of school access, and stark disparities in learning levels persist across public and private schools and schools in rural and urban areas of Pakistan, the Asian Development Bank highlighted in its latest report.
One of the key reasons for these inequalities is the variation in the quality of teaching across educational institutions.
Strengthening a merit-based system to link teacher promotion and career progression to teaching efficacy rather than to seniority or social connections is crucial, it said.
The current practice of promoting high-performing teachers to managerial or administrative positions could be discontinued.
The performance appraisal mechanism for teachers needs to be strengthened and linked to career progression.
Presently, schoolteachers are assessed using generic criteria set for all government employees under the Annual Confidential Reports system, which has little relevance to the role of a modern teacher.
The government needs to strengthen the capacity of teacher training institutions by increasing the number and quality of teacher educators and trainers to help improve teaching quality, the World Bank noted.
