Brought up in a small village near Gilgit, Pakistan, Mola Dad Shafa (MEd '96) recently became the first AKU-IED candidate from the Northern Areas of Pakistan to complete a PhD.

Dr. Mola Dad undertook his doctoral studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, through a scholarship from AKU-IED. His research focused on understanding how a government secondary school head teacher in the Northern Areas understood and addressed the challenges of school improvement.

A part of the first cohort of graduates of AKU-IED's Masters of Education programme, Dr. Mola Dad began his career as a primary teacher, and subsequently joined Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P). As a head teacher, teacher educator, and an education officer and programme officer, he disseminated innovative educational insights on multi-grade teaching and co-operative learning to hundreds of teachers at the community level in various rural sectors of the Northern Areas.

His work included assisting teachers from government, community, and AKES,P schools, to improve their instructional skills, as well as increasing parent involvement in school activities, establishing resource centres in schools, and encouraging student participation in school improvement programmes.

Hoping to be able to continue to teach and engage in further research, Dr. Mola Dad anticipates that "the insights gained from my doctoral study will contribute to the uplift of education in general, and the professional development of head teachers in particular, in the Northern Areas and elsewhere in Pakistan."

For further information on AKU-IED, please visit: http://www.aku.edu/ied/