IED Starts PhD Programme in Education    

In a major step towards further enhancing the quality of human resources in the developing world, AKU-IED is now offering a PhD programme in education. This four-year, full-time programme aims to produce exceptionally qualified researchers and focuses on teaching, learning, curriculum improvement and educational leadership. The programme, which commenced in October 2004, includes a year’s course work, an internship and research leading to a thesis.

There is an urgent need for well-qualified researchers in the developing world, particularly in Pakistan, not only in universities but also the many government and non-governmental agencies which serve the education community. This was identified through a needs assessment undertaken by AKU-IED’s Working Party for the PhD programme, an international committee chaired by AKU-IED faculty and featuring representatives from the University of Toronto, Canada, and Department of Educational Studies, Oxford University, UK.

Over the years, AKU-IED has systematically built its capacity to be able to offer such a robust and challenging programme. More than 20 members of the Institute’s faculty currently hold doctoral qualifications from universities of international repute and this number is likely to increase in the coming years.

Dr Nelofer Halai, Coordinator of the programme, says “the PhD offered by the Institute is distinctive in many ways. It is a contextually relevant and rigorous programme with an internship built into it. The internship is a three- to four-month attachment to a non-university organisation for the purpose of broadening students’ understanding of research and development work in a real-world setting.” She adds that AKU-IED faculty will teach and supervise in collaboration with colleagues from reputable institutions such as Oxford University, UK, University College, Oslo, and University of Toronto, Canada.

As is the case with all AKU programmes, admission to the PhD course is based strictly on merit. Students need to show evidence of high academic achievement, ability to communicate in English in an academically rigorous manner, and the potential to engage in independent learning and research. This includes successful completion of a Masters degree in education or the social sciences, with two years of post-Masters work experience in a relevant field.

Other programmes offered by the Institute include a two-year Masters degree in education, advanced diplomas in various curricular areas and educational leadership, as well as in-service certificate programmes.

AKU-IED was established in 1993 with a mandate to assist in improving the quality of education in Pakistan and other parts of the developing world. The Institute tailors its programmes to the realities and constraints of developing country contexts, using a field-based approach to professional development. AKU-IED focuses on research that is relevant to, and which addresses, the endemic problems of a region beset by financial difficulties and low development indicators. In Karachi alone, over 50 government and private schools send their faculty to AKU-IED for training. Over 40 per cent of the Institute’s graduates are from government schools in Pakistan.