Data and Research in Education Research Consortium (DARE-RC) Programme 

A programme to help to improve Pakistan's education system so that all children, especially girls and those from marginalized groups, can rec​eive a quality education.

Overview

The Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC) is a three-and a-half-year, FCDO-funded programme that supports Pakistan's education system through high-quality research, capacity strengthening, and evidence-informed policy engagement. The programme generates timely evidence to address key education challenges and improve learning outcomes, especially for marginalised children and communities. It is managed by Oxford Policy Management (OPM), Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) and Sightsavers as consortium partners.

DARE-RC supported research initiatives are designed to respond to the following overarching research question:

What works to deliver educational access, quality, continuity, and coherence to improve learning outcomes, at scale, for all children in Pakistan, especially those most marginalised (e.g. by gender, disability, location, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic status)?

DARE-RC, specifically, aims to generate a robust body of evidence in Pakistan focusing on pivotal education concerns including marginalised children's (girls, children with disabilities, and minorities) access to 12 years of quality education, teaching standards for better learning outcomes, climate-induced issues and innovative solutions for resilient education systems, and accountability mechanisms to improve education system coherence.​

​DARE-RC Research Priority Areas and Cross-Cutting Themes



​Duration: August 2023-December 2026

​Target area: All provinces/regions of Pakistan 

Funding organisation: Oxford Policy Management Pakistan with funding from UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office
Consortium Partners: Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, Sightsavers  ​ and Oxford University Department of Education's Centre for Educational Assessment


Through the project, consortium partners will work with:

  • Government representatives to strengthen the education data system, which will help to identify needs, allocate resources, and measure progress, especially for girls
  • Civil society organizations to develop and test innovative solutions to the challenges identified through the data

Expected Outcomes​

  • ​Development of a rigorous body of timely and accessible evidence on the key issues within the education service delivery in Pakistan – such as getting more girls into school, studying for longer and learning better, improving teaching quality, increasing accountability, reaching out to marginalised girls and boys such as those with disabilities and from minorities and the use of technology in education  

  • Promoting the use of this accessible research by policymakers and the government 

  • Building the research capacities of local academic institutions and think-tanks​​