Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) partnered with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT) and other stakeholders from the private and public sectors to deliberate the National Digital & Innovation in Education Strategy (NDIES). The webinar, conducted on April 4, 2024, aimed to delve into NDIES's approach to enhancing the quality of public education in Pakistan.
Zulfiqar Ali Qazilbash, Ed Tech Advisor to MOFEPT, introduced NDIES, highlighting its goal of providing a comprehensive national strategy to integrate digital learning into the public education system. The strategy aims to transform current pedagogical approaches in public schools into 21st-century learning experiences through best practices and innovative programming.
The webinar featured a distinguished panel, including Dr Farid Panjwani, Professor and Dean at AKU-IED; Mr Mueen Batley, Senior Advisor at the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan; and Dr Suleman Shahid, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Founding Director of LUMSx - Center for Online Learning and Professional Development. The session was expertly moderated by Ms Azra Naseem, Director of Blended and Digital Learning, and faculty at AKU-IED.
During the discussion, panelists emphasized the importance of adopting a whole-society approach to the strategy. Dean Panjwani shared his insights, stating, "Education is a social problem, not a technical one. Technology is an integral part of society and can be harnessed as one of the tools to bring about change in our education landscape."
There was a recognition of the need to identify the outcomes desired (what kind of humans do we want). Given that the Pakistan education policy dates back to 2009 and significant changes have occurred since then, visioning becomes critical. Without this, the strategy could do more harm than benefit in the long run. There was a discussion on the importance of pilot projects, and the need for those to be designed for scale. The panelists stressed the importance of considering context in technology integration and the issues of safe and wise use of digital technologies within the strategy.
Mahboob Mahmood, CEO and Founder of The Knowledge Platform, highlighted the importance of such conversations in driving meaningful change in education, saying: “This webinar, to pre-screen the Federal Government's EdTech Innovation Policy, is a great step forward in genuine public-private partnering. Getting this relationship right is most important for transforming education."
The webinar concluded with the panelists agreement to support and collaborate with the Ministry to ensure the success of this strategy for the improvement of the education system and the future of our country.