AKU-EB Conducts Final Phase of Capacity Development Training for Balochistan Assessment Bodies

The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) concluded the fourth and final phase of training for the “Consultancy services for capacity development and technical support to the Balochistan Assessment and Examination Commission” project, which forms part of the agreement that it has reached with the Government of Balochistan and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of the larger Balochistan Basic Education Programme funded by the European Union (EU).

This agreement has seen AKU-EB take on a year-long technical support and capacity development role for governmental assessment bodies in Balochistan, including the Balochistan Assessment and Examination Commission (BAEC), the Bureau of Curriculum, the Policy, Planning and Implementation Unit (PPIU), the Directorate of Schools, and the Professional Institute of Teacher Education (PITE).

The training took place in Quetta from December 17-24, and saw a team from AKU-EB travel to the city. Director, AKU-EB, Shehzad Jeeva, welcomed participants saying: “This programme could very well become the basis for a future roadmap towards improving the system of education in Balochistan. We hope that the provincial government ensures that all of you continue to work together in order to utilise the knowledge and skills that you have gained over the past year.”

Over the course of the past eight months, AKU-EB’s programme has taken participants through the various stages and practices of assessment, with the first phase focusing on pre-assessment activities, the second on examination item review, and the third on seeding and e-marking processes. The fourth and final phase focused on multiple topics, including the different types of Assessment, the handling and representation of data pertaining to assessment, and both the psychometrics and reporting of such data.

Honourable Secretary, Secondary Education, Balochistan, Mr Tayyab Lehri, visited the training session on the first day. He thanked the AKU-EB team for their professionalism, dedication and hard work, and also encouraged participants to emulate these practices to the best of their ability. “The degree to which this province and its systems of education progress is entirely up to those of you benefitting from this training,” he said. “Therefore, my request to you is to take careful note of everything that you are learning today. Our ultimate goal is education, and you are the product of this training that will help us attain that goal.” Mr Lehri also thanked the European Union (EU) and UNICEF for their unwavering support towards education in Balochistan through projects such as this.

Dr Naveed Yousuf, who is the Associate Director of Assessment and Research at AKU-EB, and the head of this project, thanked participants for their continued attendance and hard work. “I sincerely hope that the relationship between all of you and those of us from AKU-EB is one that will be cherished and nurtured for a long time to come,”, he said. “Your testimonies tell us how much you have valued the learning and experience gained through this programme, as well as how important it is to you that these skills be passed on to help enrich the knowledge and skills and empower those unable to attend.”