AKU-EB initiates a new phase of Capacity Development Programme for Education Sector of Balochistan

​The Aga Khan University Examination Board commenced a new phase of the “Capacity Development Programme on Student Assessment”, which forms part of the agreement that it has reached with the Government of Balochistan and United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of the larger Balochistan Basic Education Programme funded by the European Union (EU). 

Under the terms of this agreement, AKU-EB has taken on a technical support and capacity development role for multiple governmental education institutions/ departments in the province, including the Balochistan Assessment and Examination Commission (BAEC), the Bureau of Curriculum, Policy, Planning and Implementation Unit (PPIU), the Directorate of Schools, and the Professional Institute of Teacher Education (PITE).

This new phase comprises of three independent training programmes,  including, Capacity Development on Student Assessment, Training of Trainers on Student Assessment, and Training on Educational Research.  Capacity Development on Student Assessment focuses on building the capacity of a new cohort of participants on Student Assessment; while, the other two programmes are planned to further enhance the skills of participants from last year’s cohort as trainers and researchers on Student Assessment. These training programmes are developed with a holistic approach to build a network of experts on Student Assessment across the province, who will further undertake the role of improving the educational landscape of Balochistan. 

Capacity Development Programme on Student Assessment – Module I

Module I of ‘Capacity Development Programme on Student Assessment’ took place in Quetta from March 26-April 4, saw a new cohort of individuals from public sector educational institutions in Balochistan benefit from the training in student assessment. This training, which is intended to span nine months, will take participants through the entire assessment cycle, from pre-assessment activities, to examination item review, to marking, and finally on post-examination data analysis and feedback to stakeholders.

​The AKU-EB team also conducted a formal closing ceremony for the participants of last year’s training on March 26, while in Quetta. 

​Training of Trainers on Student Assessment

Module I of ‘Training of Trainers on Student Assessment’ took place in Karachi from March 11-16, featured ten selected members of last year’s cohort of trainees. This module, focused on developing the skills of these trainees as trainers in assessment, with their ultimate goal being to help develop the capacity of teachers across Balochistan.

Module II of the ‘Training of Trainers on Student Assessment’ programme took place in Quetta from March 27-April 3, and saw the same ten individuals from Module I work alongside the AKU-EB team in order to gain practical experience on training in assessment in a live setting.

Training on Educational Research – Module I 

The training programme focused on educational research for public sector educational institutions in Balochistan took place from April 15-27 in Karachi. This training programme is a part of a joint effort with the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). Similar to the ‘Training of Trainers’, it featured nine selected members of last year’s cohort of trainees in student assessment, and aimed to develop research skills among the various institutes represented.

Associate Director, Assessment and Research, AKU-EB, Dr Naveed Yousuf, who has also served as Project Director since the planning stages of this undertaking in 2017, stated that he had high hopes for the future. “It is very exciting, on both a personal and institutional level, to enter into this new phase of the project,” he said. “Compared to last year, everything is larger now in terms of activities, stakes, as well as expected impact. Through a holistic approach, our ultimate goal is to create three cadres of human resource experts in assessment, training and educational research, which will ultimately take Balochistan a long way towards improving their educational and assessment practices.” 

Each programme was also visited at various points by relevant institutional heads and representatives, including Honorable Secretary, Secondary Education, Balochistan, Mr Tayyab Lehri, Additional Secretary Development and Focal Person, PPIU, Mr Dawood Khilji, and Education Specialist, UNICEF, Balochistan, Palwasha Badar Jalalzai.