LUMS School of Education joined hands with the Government of Punjab through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony on October 17, 2017. This partnership aims to facilitate research-based policymaking and innovation in education through shared data analysis for scalable impact in Pakistan.
Two MoUs were signed at the ceremony. The first MoU was signed between the Government of Punjab, Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU), LUMS School of Education (SOE), and the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP). The second MoU was signed between the Punjab Government School Education Department (SED), LUMS School of Education (SOE), and the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP). The MoU between Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) and LUMS SOE will enable graduate students to use the data shared by PMIU for research purposes while the tripartite SOE-SED-CERP MoU will serve as a partnership of scalable impact geared towards education reform in Pakistan.
The event started with a welcome note by Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Vice Chancellor LUMS followed by an introduction of the LUMS School of Education by its Dean, Dr. Tahir Andrabi. While addressing the audience at the occasion Dr. Naqvi stated, “The ground-breaking collaboration between the Government of Punjab and LUMS SOE will serve as a game changer within the region for graduate level programmes in education and education policy.”
Dr. Andrabi gave an overview of the partnerships and talked about the importance of such collaborations. “Pakistan is in crisis but when some people see crisis, others see opportunity. Education is the driver of economic growth and the fastest growing sector in Pakistan,” he said.
Dr. Allah Bux Malik, Secretary SED was of the opinion that the collaboration between the two institutions will help promote quality teacher training, thus positively impacting the quality of education in Punjab.
Head, Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit, Syeda Fatima Zaidi also shed light on the significance of the MOUs. “This is an unprecedented step forward towards integrating research with policy in Punjab. Partnership with LUMS SOE is set to enable need-based and timely research for the government as well as empower data cooperation for inventing policy avenues and enhancing evidence based corrective mechanisms. It extends the Chief Minister’s approach of inviting researchers to policy discussions and incorporating scientific methods and expertise in designing interventions,” she said.
This collaboration between LUMS SOE and the Government of Punjab, facilitated through the Chief Minister’s Office, will engage in high calibre education research that will provide insights to assist the Government of Punjab in making evidence-based interventions in the region, and undertake a multi-faceted and multidisciplinary approach in its research to effectively identify the pressing problems of the education system and generate practical solutions.
