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Table of Contents

Acronyms ...... 3

Executive Summary ...... 4

Component 1: Improved classroom learning environment for reading ...... 8

COMPONENT 2: Improved Policies and Systems for Reading ...... 30

Component 3: Improved Community -Based Support for Reading ...... 47

Gender ...... 53

Communications ...... 60

Monitoring & Evaluation ...... 68

Issues and Challenges in FY2018-19 ...... 80

Annexures: ...... 81

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ACRONYMS

ADE Associate Degree in Education MBL Mobile Bus Library ASI Adam Smith International MT Master Trainer AAEO Assistant Agency Education Officer MRC Material Review Committee AEO Agency Education Officer NACTE National Accreditation Council of Teacher Education AFAQ Association for Academic Quality NCC National Curriculum Council AJK Azad Jammu & Kashmir NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations AOR Agreement Office Representative NEAS National Education Assessment System B.Ed. (Hons.) Bachelors of Education (Honors) NGO Non-Government Organization BoC Bureau of Curriculum NOC No Objection Certificate BECS Basic Education Community Schools PAC Provincial Advisory Committee BEAC Balochistan Examination and Assessment Commission PEC Procurement Evaluation Committee CA&DD Capital Administration and Development Division PSC Provincial Steering Committee CAII Creative Associates International Inc. PEAS Provincial Education Assessment System CBCL Classroom -Based Corner Library PIRs Performance Indicators Reference Sheets CU-CSR City University Consultancy Services and Research PITE Provincial Institute for Teacher Education CMR Community Managed Reading PMP Performance Monitoring Plan C1 & C2 Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 PPP Public Private Partnership CPD Continuous Professional Development PRP USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project CWG Communication Working Group PSC Provincial Steering Committee CRP Complementary Reading Project RIT Reading Instruction Time CRC Curriculum Review Committee RFA Request for Application DCTE Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education RFP Request for Proposal DG Director General RFQ Request for Quotation DCRD Directorate of Curriculum and Research Development RIS Reading Improvement Strategy DoE Directorate of Education RLM Reading Learning Material DRLP Daily Reading Lesson Plan SMC School Management Committee EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment STEDA Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority ETOs Education Training Officers SoW Scope of Work EEF Elementary Education Foundation SMT Senior Management Team FDE Federal Directorate of Education SSA School Support Associate FGD Focus Group Discussion SSV School Support Visit TIG Teacher Inquiry Group

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project (PRP) is supporting the provincial and regional departments of education in Pakistan to improve quality of education, with a focus on improving the reading skills of children at early grade levels. PRP is working to achieve this goal through three key objectives: teacher training, policy reforms, and community support for reading in Pakistan.

During FY 2018-19, PRP activities continued in target provinces and regions across Pakistan per the approved annual work plan. PRP’s foremost accomplishment during the reporting year was achievement of its project target of reaching 1.3 million student beneficiaries in grades one and two. PRP added 169,574 new grade one and two students during FY 2018-19 who continue to receive reading interventions through PRP trained teachers. By the end of the reporting year, the total number of grade one and two students benefitting from PRP across Pakistan was recorded as 1,547,483.

During the reporting year, PRP received guidance received through USAID’s letter of May 03, 2019 to close its reading intervention in AJK and GB on July 31, 2019 and revise the scope of work and budget in other PRP regions to align with USAID’s new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). In line with the USAID guidance, PRP submitted the revised program description, work plan and budget. Subsequently, PRP received the USAID approval in the form of Modification 15 to the PRP Cooperative Agreement on September 18, 2019. Under this award modification PRP’s budget has been reduced from $164,737,979 to $142,311,065. This modification has also reduced the project cost-share from $7,987,454 to $5,000,000. Key project scope changes include closure of PRP’s AJK and GB regions on July 31, 2019 and two of the five Cohort 3 districts in Sindh by September 30, 2019.

In addition, PRP submitted a revised and expedited approach to USAID to implement PRP in the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of KP in the absence of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the region.

A brief summary of other major project accomplishments under key project indictors is given below:

Number of Teachers trained across all PRP regions: Face -to -face training is the integral part of PRP’s professional development model. All the teachers served through PRP attend a 5-day face -to -face training in the first year of the intervention followed by a 3-day refresher at the start of the second year. In addition, the project also arranges condensed trainings for newly transferred/inducted grade 1 and 2 teachers to PRP schools. During the reporting year, PRP trained a total of 2,616 (1,486 M; 1,130 F) teachers in Cohort 1, 2 and 3 including new/transferred teachers. In total, PRP trained 26,915 teachers as of September 30, 2019. In addition, the project completed phase-2 face-to-face training in Cohort 3 districts, and continued providing support to the teachers through monthly TIG meetings and school support visits.

Number of Mentors/Government Officials trained through PRP: Mentors, who are selected government academic staff and teachers themselves, play an important role in building the capacity of teachers as effective reading instructors. Mentors facilitate training of teachers, teacher inquiry group (TIG) meetings and school support visits. As with teachers, the project arranges trainings for

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mentors to help them understand and carry out their responsibilities as mentors and government officials towards improving reading skills. During the reporting year, PRP trained 1,617 government officials, including 4 reading specialist, 336 mentors, 232 academic supervisors and 1,045 head teachers in Cohort 3 districts. By the end of the reporting year, the project trained a total of 11,783 mentors/government officials.

RLM provided to Schools: During the reporting year, PRP continued delivering Reading Learning Materials (RLM) to students, teachers, and relevant education officials. These materials include daily reading lesson plans (DRLPs), workbooks, big books, level readers, flash cards, syllable charts, library books, manuals for face -to -face trainings/orientations, TIG modules, and tablets. During the reporting year, PRP distributed 1,533,485 copies of RLMs to mentors, academic supervisors, teachers, students, and other government officials. Since the inception of the project, the project distributed 6,788,210 copies.

RLM development in languages of Balochistan: PRP in collaboration with the Material Development and Material Review committees constituted by the education department completed the development of RLM for grade one in in four languages of Balochistan including Balochi, Brahui, Pashto and Sindhi spoken in the province. The work on grade two RLM in the four languages was in progress at the end of the reporting year.

Corner libraries established: Classroom -based corner libraries are a part of PRP interventions in schools. Under this initiative, the project provides grade level story books to each school to help promote reading among children. During the reporting year, PRP established a total of 6,039 corner libraries. At the end of the reporting year, PRP established a total of 14,725 corner libraries altogether across the intervention schools. In addition, PRP launched the Mobile Bus Library program to reach out to 50 schools in Peshawar at the request of the KP education department.

Policy support to reading: During the reporting year, PRP continued its coordination and follow-up with counterpart education departments to implement the various components of Reading Improvement Strategies already approved by the departments. The project worked closely with the education departments in Gligit Baltistan (GB) and Sindh to have the revised Scheme of Studies and Urdu Language Curriculum for Primary Grades approved in GB and Sindh respectively. PRP’s follow- up with teacher education institutions and National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE) resulted in completion of accreditation of 24 teacher training institutions in the reporting year. The project was able to develop eight partnerships with various private sector entities during the year. The project remained active in vigorous follow up and coordination activities with the counterpart education departments through 11 Provincial Steering Committee meetings and 13 Advisory Committee meetings held during the reporting year.

Community managed reading grants: During the reporting year, PRP worked closely with the KP education department to have community managed reading (CMR) grants approved for 131 selected Parent-Teacher Councils (PTCs) in five districts of KP including Haripur, D.I. Khan, Karak, Kohat and Upper Dir. Following review of grant applications completed by participating PTCs, the project

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awarded 62 grants and the grantee PTCs initiated implementation of grants activities to engage community members during the reporting year. The remaining 69 CMR grants will be implemented during the current fiscal year.

Technical Support to Gender Equity Unit in Sindh: In addition to the distribution of gender promotional materials in cohort 3 schools, capacity building of staff and stakeholders, PRP provided technical support to the Gender Equity Unit (GEU) at the Sindh education and literacy department to develop a strategic plan with a view to guiding GEU to address gender gaps and enhance gender sensitivity in all policies and programs to ensure greater gender equality in the province. Improving gender sensitivity in new textbooks is another great accomplishment of PRP. In this regard, PRP completed a gender review and analysis of the old versus revised textbooks in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad, and Balochistan and shared findings with education departments. The findings show significant improvements in new textbooks in terms of gender sensitivity and inclusivity as a result of PRP support.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: Together with feeding the data into USAID data portals on a timely basis, PRP also completed five surveys and initiated the work on two research studies. Key surveys completed during the year included Scholarship Graduate Survey, TTI Enrolment and Graduation Survey, and Student Enrolment Survey. In addition to these, the project also completed the impact evaluation of READ Foundation schools, Pashto Midline and Variation Study Baseline. The work on student performance tracking (SPT) and Variation Study Midline well under way at the end of the fiscal year.

Issues and Challenges: Government permissions/NOCs to work in districts of AJK and GB and Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) together with early closure of AJK, GB and Cohort 1 & 2 districts as a result of funding reduction and frequent teacher transfers in project intervention areas remained major issues in the course of project implementation in FY2018-19. To account for delays because of NOCs, PRP developed alternate implementation strategies for AJK, BG and NMDs to carry out program activities in these regions. Senior management held a series of meetings with Cohort 1 & 2 staff to keep them motivated in view Cohort 1 & 2 closure in March 2019. In addition, PRP prioritized hiring of staff laid off from Cohort 1 & 2 districts for vacant positions in Cohort 3 districts. To mitigate the adverse impact of teacher transfers, PRP continued providing condensed training to newly transferred/inducted teachers.

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IMPROVED CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR READING

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COMPONENT 1: IMPROVED CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR READING

Component 1 of the project deals with RLMs, continuous professional development (CPD) for in- service teachers, professional development for pre-service teachers, a scholarship program for students to receive Associate Degrees in education (ADE) and Bachelors in Education (ADE), and also use of technology for teacher professional development. The section below provides detail about the activities accomplished during the reporting year under component 1 of the project. 1.1.1. STUDENT MATERIAL FOR READING SUPPORT – DEVELOPMNET AND DISTRIBUTION The project has developed a comprehensive package of RLMs in Urdu, Sindhi, and Pashto for interventions in grades one and two. This package includes daily reading lesson plans (DRLPs), workbooks, big books, level readers, flash cards, syllable charts, and library books. Similarly, the project has also developed manuals and modules for use during face-to-face trainings and teacher TIG meetings, respectively. Similarly, the project is also providing tablets for different stakeholders including teachers, mentors, academic supervisors etc. In the previous year, the project delivered complete grade one RLM packages, manuals for phase I training, TIG modules 1-10, and workbooks to relevant stake holders of cohort 3 schools in all provinces/regions. The material in NMDs was delivered through district education officials after receiving necessary approval from USAID.

During the reporting year, the project delivered 1,533,485 copies of grade two RLMs including DRLPs, Big Books, Leveled Readers, Flash Cards, manuals for phase II training, TIG modules 11-17, classroom -based corner libraries, tablets and workbooks to different stake holders including teachers, students, mentors, academic supervisors, head teachers etc. from cohort 3 schools in all provinces/regions excluding NMDs. In NMDs, material distribution was put on hold due to non-availability of a valid NOC and approximately 160,000 copies are available in stock and will be delivered to target schools subject to approval from concerned authorities. The table below provides details of the material distributed during the reporting year:

Table 1: Reading Learning Material distributed during FY 18-19 Stakeholder RLM RLM Distributed Cumulative distributed as during FY 18-19 Distribution of Sep 2018 Reading specialists 334 37 371 Mentors 57,548 2,892 60440 Academic supervisors 69,776 35,237 105,013 Head teachers 6,459 2,789 9,248 Teachers 2,997,431 955,712 3,953,143 Students 1,844,820 219,746 2,064,566 MBL schools, research schools & Grantees, TTIs, 173,953 PITE, Foundations and classroom -based library 291,378 books 465,331 Radio Shows 50 0 50 READ Foundation Schools 104,354 25,694 130,048 Total 5,254,725 1,533,485 6,788,210

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1.1.2. TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - IN-SERVICE TRAINING PRP’s regular teacher professional development model, extended over two years, is comprised of 3 essential features that include face-to-face trainings, monthly TIG meetings, and classroom-based teacher support through school support visits. Throughout the interventions implemented through this model, the project keeps government stakeholders, including teachers, academic supervisors, head teachers and mentors, engaged in all activities for capacity building, ownership, sustainability, and quality assurance.

The project successfully implemented a two-year teacher professional development program in cohort 1 and 2 districts in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and extended its presence in these districts through a modified model of reduced frequency of interventions via quarterly TIG meetings, need- based support visits, and the provision of workbooks to all grade 1 and 2 students in project schools. Similarly, the project also started interventions in 24 Cohort 3 districts, including Gilgit in GB, in FY- 2017-18 However, the project could not start interventions timely in two districts of GB (Diamer and Ghanche), four districts of AJK (Sudhnuti, Poonch, Bagh and Haveli) and Kohat district of KP due to unavailability of valid NOCs.

During the reporting year, the project completed phase II face -to -face training in 24 Cohort 3 districts and continued providing support to the teachers through monthly TIG meetings and school support visits. Similarly, also started interventions in Kohat from October 2018, upon receiving NOC from the competent authorities. Moreover, the project also started working with selected high priority schools in northern Sindh.

The interventions in two districts of GB (Diamer and Ghanche) and four districts of AJK (Sudhnuti, Poonch, Bagh and Haveli) could not be initiated until January 2019. Due to this lingering delay in issuance of NOC, the project implemented reading interventions in these areas through an expedited strategy after receiving approval from USAID in January 2019. However, the project could only complete the first phase of face-to-face training, 3-4 cycles of TIG meetings, and provided a few school support visits before the USAID mandated closure of interventions in both the regions (AJK and GB) by July 2019 as per USAID instructions. For details, please refer to activity 1.7 and 1.8 below.

Based on the USAID instructions from USAID, PRP also concluded its interventions and operations in 32 Cohort 1 and 2 districts during Q2 of the FY 18-19. As part of the closeout, PRP handed over all the inventory items to the approved recipients including provincial/district education offices and PRP intervention schools. Similarly, interventions in Thatta and Sujawal districts of Sindh were also concluded earlier than the scheduled time due to budgetary limitations. Moreover, interventions in newly merged districts (NMDs) of KP remained on hold in the absence of a valid no objection certificate (NOC) from the relevant authorities. The project, in coordination with Directorate of Education NMDs submitted a proposal to USAID for implementing reading intervention through an expedited strategy in the 6 NMDs.

It is clear from Internal and external studies show that PRP interventions have impacted positively on student reading skills. These studies include PRP internal baseline, midline and endline for Cohort 1&

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2 schools and variation study baseline for selected Cohort-3 districts in KP. Similarly, external studies such as EGRA 2018 conducted by third party (MSI) commissioned by USAID, have also shown that the number of zero scorers decreased in each province/region, as shown in the graph below. Similar findings were also observed in the internal studies conducted by the project during the implementation phase.

1.1.2.3. CLUSTERING OF SCHOOLS FOR TIGS - COHORT 3 Prior to initiation of any activity in new districts, PRP arranges orientation meetings with education officials including district education officers, academic supervisors, assistant district education officers and other key officials who are the custodians of primary schools. During these meetings, the stakeholders are briefed about the project’s scope of work and their role in the effective implementation of project intervention for the improvement of reading in their respective schools/areas. They are also informed about the clustering of schools for TIG meetings and the process to form easily accessible clusters.

During the reporting year, the project arranged orientation meetings in Kohat which was attended by 19 officials (11M; 8F). Subsequently, the project staff in coordination with district education officials formed 58 clusters for 411 schools in Kohat district of KP. 1.1.2.5-7. TRAINING OF MENTORS Mentors play a significant role in the implementation of reading interventions in schools. A mentor’s role entails working in collaboration with project staff to facilitate face-to-face trainings for teachers, TIG meetings, and to provide on-the-job support to teachers in the classrooms.

During previous years, the project completed first phase of training for mentors in 24 districts of cohort 3 but due to NOC issue could not complete this phase in two districts of GB (Diamer and Ghanche), four districts of AJK (Sudhnuti, Poonch, Bagh and Haveli) and Kohat district of KP due to NOC issue.

During the reporting year, the project completed phase I face -to -face training of 34 (19 M; 15 F) district Kohat mentors. Similarly, the training of mentors Phase -I for GB and AJK. For details please refer to activity 1.7 and 1.8. Moreover, the project also completed 6-day phase II training of mentors

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for 24 Cohort 3 districts along with Kohat districts in KP. The table below provides details of mentors trained during phase -II in Cohort -3 districts. Table 2: Number of mentors trained during phase II training Province/Region Male Female Total Percentages Balochistan 61 36 97 97% GB (Gilgit only) 06 03 9 100% ICT 03 08 11 100% KP 75 63 138 100% Sindh 138 15 153 97% Total 238 125 408 99%

In addition to that the project also arranged condensed trainings for 265 transferred/promoted mentors (161 M; 104 F) from cohort 1, 2 and 3 districts of AJK, Balochistan, GB, KP and Sindh.

1.1.2.8-10. ORIENTATION OF ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS - COHORT 1, 2 & 3 Academic Supervisors (AS), including Area Education Officers (AEOs) and Assistant District Education Officers (ASDEOs), are responsible for overseeing primary schools and synchronizing school level activities with the district level educational structures and policies by periodically visiting the schools in their areas throughout the year. PRP envisions the academic supervisors working directly with head teachers and teachers to help address challenges such as teachers’ attendance, participation in TIGs, lesson preparation, accountability, and responding to students’ needs in order to improve reading outcomes. In FY 2017-18, the project completed the phase I orientation of academic supervisors except for Cohort 3 district of Kohat from KP, due to NOC issues.

The project completed phase II orientation in cohort 3 districts and both phases of orientation in Kohat. In Kohat 7(2 M; 5 F) AS were provided phase I orientation. The table below provides details for number of academic supervisors oriented in each province/region during the FY 18-19.

Table 3: Number of phase II academic supervisors C-3 oriented during FY 18-19 Province/Region Province/Region Target Male Female Total Balochistan 60 39 15 54 GB (Gilgit only) 10 5 1 6 ICT 10 7 3 10 KP 54 29 28 57 Sindh 50 25 11 36* Total 184 105 58 163 *In Sindh 14 AS were trained during condensed training.

In addition, the project also held condensed orientation sessions for 180 newly appointed academic supervisors (120 M; 60 F) in Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP, and Sindh for all Cohorts. 1.1.2.13. ORIENTATION OF HEAD TEACHERS Head teachers play an integral administrative, management, and academic role for the successful functioning of schools. Head teachers work closely with academic supervisors and lead the team of teachers to ensure the quality of teaching and learning processes in their schools.

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In order to effectively support PRP teachers in their school and classroom environments, head teachers must understand the PRP model, their role in school development and teacher support, and how to use reading assessment data to track school progress towards reading improvement goals. Head teachers are oriented to have the knowledge and skills to create supportive conditions for teachers. PRP usually arranges orientation sessions for the head teachers in the first year of intervention in any district. In these sessions, the teachers who do not attend PRP training as mentor/language teachers are invited.

During the reporting year, the project organized first phase of 3-day orientation for 290 Head Teachers (172M; 118F) from Kohat in KP. Similarly, condensed orientations were arranged for 106 newly replaced/ transferred head teachers (80 M; 26 F) from Cohort 2 and 3 districts in Balochistan, ICT, KP and Sindh. 1.1.2.16. TRAINING OF TEACHERS (FACE -TO -FACE) Grade 1 and 2 teachers are the primary actors in the theory of change in promoting the improvement of students’ reading skills. The PRP professional development model revolves around the capacity building of these teachers as effective reading instructors. As part of the project intervention, language teachers undergo two annual face-to-face trainings that introduce them to PRP-designed teaching and learning materials and accompanying teachers’ guides. A 5-day introductory training and 3-day follow-up refresher training, co-facilitated by the mentors and PRP staff, are usually held during school holidays. This training helps the teachers to effectively implement reading lessons and assess students’ reading skills. In addition, PRP also orients them about their role in TIG meetings.

In the previous years, PRP completed phase I face -to -face training for Cohort 3 teachers except for Kohat (KP). In the reporting year, 5-day phase I training was completed in Kohat (KP) for 435 teachers (245M; 190F) during the first quarter of FY 18-19.

During the reporting year, the project completed 3 -day phase II trainings in Balochistan, ICT, KP, Sindh and Gilgit district. The table below provide the detail about number of teachers attending phase II training in provinces/regions.

Table 3: Number of teachers trained during phase II Face -to -Face Training of Teachers Province/Region Teacher Target Male Female Total %age Remarks Achievement Balochistan 954 461 392 853 89% Remaining GB (Gilgit only) 74 26 48 74 100% teachers in ICT 175 31 139 170 97% GB & Sindh KP 1,848 978 789 1,767 96% could not Sindh 2,718 1,928 479 2,407 89% attend training due to transfer and promotion and will be

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trained through condensed training with the consent of the education department. Total 5,510 3,424 1,847 5,271 94%

A total of 1,124(877 M; 650 F) newly transferred/replaced teachers from Cohort 1, 2 and 3 attended condensed trainings in all regions except NMDs. These teachers joined PRP-focused schools due to transfer, posting, or promotion of trained teachers.

1.1.2.19. ORIENTATION OF TIG FACILITATORS - COHORT 3 In each TIG cluster, a member teacher is identified as a facilitator to serve as a focal person and point of contact. This TIG facilitator works in coordination with his/her mentor and the project staff to administrate the TIG meetings’ arrangements. The project arranges one-day orientations for these TIG facilitators to help them understand their role as facilitator. In the previous years, the project completed orientations for Cohort-3 TIG facilitators except for those in Kohat (KP).

During the reporting year, the project held orientations for 58 (31M, 27F) Cohort-3 TIG facilitators in Kohat (KP). This activity was scheduled for the previous year but was carried out during the reporting year due to delay in Kohat NOC. 1.1.2.22. TEACHERS TRAINED THROUGH TIG MEETINGS - COHORT 3 Following face-to-face trainings, the project starts engaging teachers in monthly TIG meetings. These meetings are an integral part of the PRP CPD model. During the two-year cycle, teachers attend 17 TIG meetings, where each TIG meeting usually lasts for about 3 - 3.5 hours. This monthly forum provides teachers a platform to discuss and learn from each other and to form a community of practice. These meetings are led by the teachers themselves and supported by TIG facilitators, mentors, and School Support Associates (SSAs).

In these monthly meetings, teachers continue their learning as they work together through activities in the highly structured TIG modules and videos. Teachers continue to develop their competency in teaching the daily reading lesson and guiding pupils in the use of student workbooks. New concepts are learned as the previous learning is reflected upon simultaneously in these meetings.

During the reporting year, the project continued arranging TIG meetings on a monthly basis and held up to 12 TIG meetings, except in NMDs and Haripur districts of KP. During these meetings the teachers covered modules on Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension, Learning to Write and Writing to Learn, Continuous Assessment, Promoting Student Wellbeing: Creating Healing Classrooms, Community Engagement for Reading Support, Leveled Readers – Assessing, Grouping and use, and Differentiated Instruction. These TIG meetings were attended by 6,142 (3,927 M; 2,215) teachers. The table below provides detail about teachers’ participation ratio in TIG meetings in cohort 3 districts.

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Table 4: Percentage of teachers attending TIG meetings in Cohort 3 districts Province/ Region Teacher Teachers who % Teachers Remarks Target attended 9 or who attended more TIG 9 or more TIG meetings up meetings up to Sep 2019 to Sep 2019 year year Balochistan 954 820 86% Remaining teachers will complete 9 TIG meeting by Q2 of FY19-20. GB (Gilgit only)* 74 60 81% Interventions were concluded in Gilgit by June 2019. ICT 175 124 71% Remaining teachers will complete 9 TIG meeting by Q2 of FY19-20. KP 1,848 1,227 66% Remaining teachers in Kohat and other districts of KP will complete 9 TIG meeting by Q2 of FY19-20. Sindh 2,718 2,193 81% Interventions were concluded in Thatta and Sujawal districts by September 2019. Remaining teachers will complete 9 TIG meeting by Q2 of FY19-20.

The project uses a reliable and valid tool to capture the progress and performance of teachers in TIG meetings. Analysis of the data shows improvement in teachers’ performance over time in these meetings. For example, 75% of teachers were prepared for TIG facilitation, an increase of 34% was observed in comparison to previous year. Similarly, teacher participation also increased by 33% during the same period, as shown in the graph below.

1.1.2.25 SCHOOL SUPPORT VISITS School support visits (SSVs) for on -the -job support to teachers is another important aspect of the PRP - CPD model. Teachers in the project’s intervention schools receive on the job opportunities to

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discuss their progress, challenges and achievements with mentors and project staff (SSAs). Each project focused school is visited at least twice a quarter wherein the mentors and SSAs provide feedback and support to teachers regarding effective use of RLMs provided by the project and also regarding the effective implementation of activities that help children to learn component reading skills. During the reporting year, 82% of teachers received 5 or more visits. The table below provides details about school support visits conducted by mentors and the SSAs in Cohort-3 schools.

Table 5: Number of Cohort-3 schools receiving school support visits from mentors and SSAs Province/Region Mentors SSAs Cumulative Target Achievement Target Achievement Target Achievement Balochistan 2,408 3,287 2,460 2,959 4,868 6,246 GB (Gilgit only) 135 131 99 397 234 528 NMDs 1,121 0 1,229 0 2,350 0 ICT 392 374 371 445 763 819 KP 5,661 5,603 5,609 6,098 11,270 11,701 Sindh 2,800 5,166 2,900 5,456 5,700 10,622 Total 12,517 14,561 12,668 15,355 25,185 29,916

The project achieved more visits, especially in Sindh, due to the efforts of the district education department. Education officials instructed mentors to conduct additional visits to the assigned schools on a volunteer basis and to spend more time in providing on -the -job support to teachers (particularly the newly transferred/promoted teachers). Therefore, project staff in coordination with the mentors and district education department achieved more visits than planned. Similarly, in Balochistan the team made efforts to cover backlog from the previous year. However, school visits in NMDs could not be completed due to the NOC issue.

In Cohort 1 and 2, the project continued to provide need -based support to teachers up until the completion of interventions in March 2019. The table below provides details about the school support visits conducted by the project staff in districts during the reporting year.

Table 6: Number of schools visited in cohort 1&2 districts Province/Region Schools Visited in Teachers Schools Visited Teachers C-1 Supported in C-2 Supported AJK 171 195 139 154 Balochistan 184 202 299 475 GB 176 176 61 78 Sindh 41 48 1,081 1,638 Total 542 621 1,580 2,345

The project staff use a comprehensive tool to capture teachers’ performance during school support visits. The support provided during these visits helped the teachers to improve their performance. For example, as shown in the graphs below the use of read aloud, use of phonics, use of decodable text

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and conducting assessments at the end of a lesson increased among exemplary/proficient teachers by 16%, 6%, 14% and 16%, respectively.

1.1.2.28. QUARTERLY REVIEW MEETINGS (MENTORS AND ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS) As part of the PRP support for the CPD model, the project also arranges Quarterly Review Meetings (QRMs) for mentors and academic supervisors. These meetings help the district education department to review progress and district data, resolve issues/challenges and to plan well for the next quarter by making necessary revisions based on lessons learnt from the previous quarter.

During the reporting year, 24 (Balochistan -8, ICT-1, KP-6, Sindh-7, GB-2) meetings were held. Due to early closure in Sindh, remaining meetings could not be held. In NMDs, meetings could not be held due the NOC issue. Whereas, in Balochistan, the district education management rescheduled meetings due to engagement of mentor and academic supervisor in other assignments. 1.1.2.31 CLOSEOUT/EXIT PLANNING MEETING Close out/exit planning meetings are part of the project’s closeout strategy in a district. These meetings are held upon closure of the project intervention in a district. In these meetings, the project staff and district education officials review the cumulative progress of the project activities over time. In addition, an agreed sustainability plan is also developed to continue reading interventions in schools after the closeout of the project.

During the reporting year, PRP held 2 closeout/exit planning meeting in Thatta and Sujawal districts in Sindh province as part of the QRM meeting. Whereas, in NMDs these meetings could not be held due absence of NOC. 1.1.2.4-9 SUSTAINABILITY PHASE FOR COHORT 1 & 2 Although PRP’s regular intervention in cohort 1 and 2 districts concluded in 2017, a modified intervention continued in these schools till March 2019 to ensure sustainability of interventions in Cohort1 and 2 districts. This included support through quarterly TIG meetings, QRMs, and need -based support visits.

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The following activities were carried out in Cohort1 and 2 prior to early closure:

Quarterly TIG Meetings: After the completion of 17 monthly TIG meetings, teachers and mentors in Cohort 1 and 2 districts on a quarterly basis to discuss and revisit the content of the modules, which was specifically developed for these meetings. These quarterly TIG meetings provided teachers opportunities to further strengthen their abilities to teach reading and assess their students through classroom -based activities. They share expertise, learn from each other and become more confident in their ability to direct their professional learning.

During the reporting year all 855 TIG clusters conducted a 6th meeting in Cohort-1 and in Cohort-2 districts 1,066 TIG clusters conducted a 5th meeting. The attendance of teachers in C-1 was 73% whereas in C-2 the attendance was 77%. Lower attendance can be attributed due to early close-out.

Quarterly review meetings: In addition to quarterly TIG meetings, the project also organized QRMs for mentors and academic supervisors of Cohort 1 and 2. The last and final review meeting in each district also served to review closeout procedures. In these meetings, district education officials and the project staff deliberated on developing a sustainability plan for the improvement of reading in schools after the closeout of the project. The table below provides details of number of QRMs held in Cohort1 and 2. Table 7: Number of quarterly review meetings in cohort 1 & 2 districts Province/ Target Meetings held Region

AJK 6 6 Balochistan 11 11 GB 4 4 ICT 2 2 KP 21 21 Sindh 6 6 Total 47 47

1.1.3. TECHNOLOGY FOR IN-SERVICE CONTIUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

As part of its in-service CPD approach, PRP continues to explore a combination of technological tools and multimedia training materials with teachers, including tablets, memory cards, mentoring videos, and audio lessons through which content can be updated and transmitted to participating teachers, including the utilization of SMS through their mobile phones.

During the reporting year, the project handed over 2,585 tablets to teachers, mentors, academic supervisors and other stake holders in AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, NMD, KP, and Sindh. The table below provides details of the number of tablets distributed. In addition, 185 tablets were distributed in Balochistan, KP and Sindh in Cohort 1 and 2. The table below provides details of tablets distributed in Cohort -3.

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Table 8: Number of tablets distributed in Cohort -3 Province/ Tablet Distribution Remarks Region Target AJK 997 1,018 21 additional tablets handed over to KEACE. These tablets were used for formative assessment by the project staff. Balochistan 275 162 113 tablets will be handed over to relevant stake holders including BEAC, remaining district education officials, local language writers, and remaining teachers GB 292 261 Distribution is completed and MOVs are being verified. NMDs 1,955 343 On hold due to NOC issues. Project is working on the alternative strategy for effective utilization of these tablets. ICT 49 12 Distribution is completed and MOVs are being verified. KP 1,079 494 585 tablets will be handed over to PITE. Sindh 434 295 66 tablets are not in working conditions and 73 used tablets are proposed in disposition to be handed over to PEAS (Sindh) Total 5,081 2,585

1.1.5. REVISION OF GRADE 1 & 2 MATERIAL (URDU & SINDHI) FOR COHORT 3 PRP started review and revision of RLMs developed and implemented in cohort 1 and 2 districts. This process, which was initiated in 2017, based on observations, feedback, and comments by different stakeholders, including teachers, mentors, head teachers, students, and project staff. In FY 2017-18 the project completed revision of manuals for phase 1 face -to -face training and TIG modules 1-10. This revised and improved material is being used for intervention in cohort 3 districts.

During the reporting year, the project completed this process for the manuals of phase II training and TIG modules 11-17. These manuals and modules were later trans-adapted into Urdu, Sindhi, and Pashto for use in Cohort 3 schools. After review and approval of modules by material review committees (MRCs), these were printed and distributed to stakeholders in Cohort 3 schools. This revised and improved material is being used by teachers and other stakeholders of Cohort 3 to improve reading skills of early grade children in schools. 1.1.6. MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PILOT TESTING IN PASHTO LANGUAGE In addition to material development in Urdu and Sindhi, the project is also piloting reading intervention in Pashto language in selected schools in KP. The project, with the support from language and material development experts from provincial Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, and DCTE, has developed a complete package of grade 1 and 2 material. In the previous years, the project also arranged phase I face -to -face training for teachers, head teachers, and academic supervisors of these pilot schools to help them understand the use of grade 1 RLM. The project also started engaging them in monthly TIG meetings to help them develop their knowledge about component reading skills and to learn and practice effective use of RLM.

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During the reporting year, the project completed trans-adaptation of manuals for phase II training and training modules 11-17. The manuals were used during 3-day face-to-face training of 19 teachers (10 M, 9 F), 13 head teachers (8 M, 5 F) and 2 male academic supervisors from these Pashto pilot schools, to help them understand the use of grade 2 RLM. Similarly, the modules are being used in monthly TIG meetings. During the reporting year, the project held 10 monthly meetings to cover 10 modules. Analysis of the data shows that so far 80% teachers have attended 9 or more monthly TIG meetings in these schools. In addition, the project also provided need-based on -the -job support to these teachers. After the training of teachers, the project distributed grade 2 material packages to these schools. The package includes DRLP, Big Books, Leveled Readers, Flash Cards and the workbooks. The midline assessment conducted by the project shows significant decrease in zero scorer from baseline to midline in different tasks of early grade reading assessment in Pashto pilot schools of KP.

1.1.7 -FACILITATE BALOCHISTAN GOVERNMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PILOTING OF SUPPLEMENTARY READING RESOURCES IN 4 LOCAL LANGUAGES INCLUDING BALOCHI, BRAHVI, PASHTO AND SINDHI PRP is committed to supporting the government of Balochistan in developing RLM in local languages including Balochi, Brahui, Pashto, and Sindhi. Last year, PRP completed the process of material development for grade 1 in local languages with the support of relevant stakeholders in the Balochistan government, including University of Balochistan, University of Turbat, Balochi Academy, Brahui Academy, Pashto Academy, PITE, Text Book Board and Bureau of curriculum. During the last year, PRP completed content and illustrations of grade 1 packages in four local languages.

During the reporting year, PRP conducted a workshop to review and approve Grade1 RLM. Before the revision, the review committee members were oriented on the process of material development and the material review guidelines. During the workshop, 16 MRC members (11 M, 5 F) and 4 MDC members (4 M) participated. The MRC members reviewed each RLM by considering the theme, level of students, context and alignment of illustrations with text. The suggestions and feedback of the MRC members were incorporated during the meeting and final versions were shared. After a thorough analytical review, RLM of grade 1 in local languages was approved and certified by MRC members.

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PRP initiated the development process of Grade2 RLM in local languages of Balochistan (Balochi, Brahui, Sindhi and Pashto) during the reporting year. In this regard, 5 workshops were organized with MRC and Material Development Committee (MDC) members. This included the development of scope and sequence, workbook, scripted lesson plan, big books and leveled readers.

The first workshop was organized in January 2019 for the development of Scope and Sequence of Grade2. This 5-day workshop was attended by thirty-seven (37) MRC and MDC members (27 M; 10 F). The key objective of the workshop was to develop the scope and sequence of the content, decodable text, sight words and finalize the key linguistic features of the respective languages. The participants drafted the outline of the scope and sequence Group Discussion Activity during development of scope which was later finalized by PRP team.

The second workshop on workbook development was organized in March 2019. A total of 36 people (27 M, 9 F) participated in this workshop. The objective of this workshop was to refine and finalize the decodable text of the student workbooks and daily reading lesson plans according to the scope and sequence. This highly structured 35- minute lesson plan (often one period) for grade 2 helps teachers implement research-based reading and assessment strategies in the classroom. Teachers are given guidance on how to teach lessons focused on the key components of reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development fluency, and comprehension. Similarly, the workbook gives students the opportunity to apply skills that are being learned in the reading lesson. Participants reviewed the workbook’s content with the scripted lesson plan activities on the given guideline and finalized them.

The third workshop on Big Book development was held in April 2019. 22 MDC Members (17 M; 5 F) participated in this session. The MDC members developed the content of 12 Big Books in their respective languages. These are books Pair Work Activity in the development and alignment of Brahui with compelling text and images that teachers Workbook with the Lesson Plan use to engage a large group of students in corporate reading and enjoyment of stories. Reading aloud is a research-based strategy that helps new readers and multi-lingual learners make a word to print connection, build vocabulary, develop listening comprehension skills, better understand story structure, and learn to make meaning of the world.

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In continuation to developing Grade2 RLM in Balochistan Local Languages, PRP organized its fourth workshop titled “Material Review Committee Workshop for Grade2 Lesson Plan and Workbook” in July 2019. Fifteen MRC members (12 M; 3 F) participated in the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to review the content of the Lesson Plan and Workbook on the given guidelines. The MRC reviewed and approved the content.

The fifth workshop was organized to develop levelled Readers in Balochi, Brahui, Sindhi and Grade-2 Lesson Plan review by Brahui MRC Team Pashto languages in September 2019. A total of twenty-five MDC members (18 M; 7 F) participated in this workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to develop and finalize the content of 24 Leveled Readers consisting of 8 stories with three reading difficulty levels (on, approaching, and above).

In gratitude of the valuable contribution made by the government writers in developing RLM for Grade 1 and 2 in Balochi, Brahui, Sindhi and Pashto languages, the project awarded recognition certificates and a tablet as a symbol of appreciation to all MDC members.

Training of teachers: In addition, the project also arranged a 5-day training for 62 (32 M; 30 F) selected teachers from four districts (Gwadar, Kalat, Pishin, Naseerabad) in Balochistan during Q4 of the reporting year to help them understand the structure and use of the material developed in four local languages. After the training, the project delivered grade 1 RLM package to these schools for use in their classrooms. The table below provides details of MRC/MRD members for each language.

Languages Material developer/reviewers Total Female Male Balochi 12 4 8 Brahui 11 2 9 Pashto 10 2 8 Sindhi 4 2 2 Total 37 10 27

1.1.9-10. PARTNERSHIP WITH READ FOUNDATION IN AJK AND GB PRP has been working with READ foundation (RF) schools in AJK and GB, since 2017. The project completed the first phase of face-to-face training for teachers and other stakeholders of READ Foundation in AJK and GB. These teachers also attended TIG meetings and received support visits. However, based on the experience of program implementation during the initial phase, PRP and RF mutually agreed to realign and customize the approach to ensure smooth implementation of the

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reading program in RF context without impacting the program outcome. Subsequent to approval from USAID, the project concluded its intervention following this revised approached in RF schools during the reporting year.

The project supported the RF management in conducting remaining TIG meetings and providing on - the -job support to teachers. In addition, through condensed training, 43 teachers (3 M; 40F) were trained. Since PRP closed its operations in AJK and GB in July 2019, the partnership with RF also concluded, having trained 520 teachers from 315 schools benefiting 18,212 students of grades 1 and 2 through provision of 101,693 copies of RLM in both regions.

Teacher Trained through TIG Meetings: In AJK, teachers attended 8th and final TIG meetings before closeout of the intervention in these schools. Similarly, in GB, the teachers attended the 9th and final TIG meetings. Project monitoring data shows that teacher attendance in the last TIG meeting was only 60% mainly due to engagements in exams and winter holidays.

School support visits: In AJK by July 2019, head teachers, cluster heads of RF management and PRP staff conducted support visits to 291 schools and provided support to 372 teachers (25 M; 347 F). In GB, 13 school visits were carried out and provided support 20 female teachers. 1.1.12. CLASSROOM -BASED CORNER LIBRARIES PRP has provided a package of 50 contextually relevant and grade appropriate story books (Urdu/Sindhi) for classroom -based corner libraries to Cohort 1 and 2 schools and in two agencies of FATA in the previous years. These story books provide children access to quality reading material within their classrooms. During FY 18-19, the project repeated the same exercise for Cohort 3 schools including high priority schools of Sindh and provided sets of story books to each school.

Moreover, the project also provided a set of CBCL books to provincial/regional department of educations including PITEs, BOCs, Secretariats, Directorates etc. for their use as sample, in case if they are interested to provide same books to non-PRP schools.

The table below provides detail about number of classroom -based corner libraries established in each province/region.

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Table 9: Number of CBCL established in Cohort -3 Province/Region Number of CBCL Number of CBCL Remarks Target established AJK 485 485 Remaining set of libraries in Bal 874 858 Balochistan, ICT, KP and Sindh will GB 303 302 be handed over to concerned NMDs 1,130 889 authorities, high priority schools ICT 139 134 and to research study schools of KP KP 1,821 1,786 in next year. Libraries in NMDs will Sindh 1,608 1,596 be handed over upon approval of Total 6,268 6,050 NOC from the competent authorities.

1.2.4. PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 3,161 ADE AND B. ED. (HONS.) STUDENTS The project awarded 3,161 merit-based scholarships (1,642 PRP on-going and 1,519 TEP ongoing) to ADE and B. Ed (Hons.) students, with special focus on female and minorities’ participation. ADE students received 4 installments and B. Ed students received 8 instalments from the project upon successful completion of the program. In addition, they also received mentoring support from the project staff to help them complete their scholarship with pride and commitment. The project has held graduation ceremonies to applaud the efforts of high achieving scholarship recipients. These high achievers were awarded an appreciation certificate and a tablet in recognition of the hard work they did to achieve success in the program.

During the reporting year, 192 students completed ADE and B.Ed. scholarships. So far 2,853 (986 M, 1867 F, 90% total) have completed their degree programs. The results of 8 B.E.d. students from Karakorum International University Gilgit are pending and their installments will be processed after obtaining approval from USAID. 300 scholarships recipients (9%) discontinued their program for different reasons like admission to other field, marriages in case of girls, etc. 1.3. MOBILE BUS LIBRARIES

The Mobile Bus Library (MBL), which has sought to build a love of reading and foster a reading culture, has proved to be one of PRP’s most appreciated programs, hugely popular at schools, reading festivals, book fairs, summer and winter reading camps.

After successfully completion of this program in ICT and Sindh, PRP initiated this program in KP on the request of KP government for 50 schools in Peshawar. The objective of this initiative is to provide access of reading materials to the students. The MBL was formally inaugurated on International Women’s Day.

In this reporting year, MBL visited 27 public schools where the MBL team facilitated read aloud sessions, independent reading, word making and book issuance with early grade students. A total of 6,633 students (4,266 Boys, 2367 Girls) participated and 3,797 library books were issued to grade 1-5

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students. During these sessions, 437 community members, including parents/sisters/grandmothers from the nearby community, also participated in MBL activities

Student of Grade 4 reading story to Grade 1 Peer reading in GGPS students in group, GGPS Police colony, District Peshawar

MBL summer reading program in local communities and low -cost private school in KP During the reporting year, PRP initiated MBL activities in local communities and private schools of Peshawar during summer vacation. The project team visited 10 local communities and 1 private school and conducted different reading activities with 1,119 students (507 Boys, 612 Girls) and their parents. 652 library books were issued to grade 1-5 students. A total of 153 community members, including parents/sisters/grandmothers from the community and 13 teachers, participated in reading activities.

MBL Visits in ICT and Sindh: During FY 2017-18, 2 MBLs in Islamabad were handed over to Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and 2 MBLs were handed over to Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) for sustainability of this initiative.

During the reporting year, In Islamabad the MBL visited 94 schools. Likewise, 19 schools were visited in Sindh.

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1.5 STRENGTHENING HEAD TEACHER ROLE FOR READING IMPROVEMENT In previous years, the project arranged two phases of F2F trainings/orientation for all stakeholders except head teachers (HTs), first at the start of interventions, and next at the start of second year interventions. Initially, HTs in PRP -focused schools received only one 3-day orientation at the start of the intervention in any district. The orientation provided an overview of PRP’s reading components, the PRP CPD model, and RLMs developed by the project, and most importantly, the orientation taught HTs about their role in improving reading in the schools.

However, based on learning from cohort 1 and 2 interventions, it was realized that the one 3-day orientation did not equip HTs to play their role effectively for the improvement of reading in the schools. Therefore, the project arranged an additional 3-day orientation (phase II) at the start of second year of intervention in Cohort 3 districts. This orientation builds upon the initial orientation and focuses on the HTs main tasks, including: • Strengthening HT knowledge, skills, and strategies around each of their main tasks’ administration, monitoring, teacher support, community engagement. • Identifying strategies to sustain the intervention after the project ends.

Moreover, HTs in cohort 3 districts were also invited to QRMs along with mentors and academic supervisors as they reflected on PRP interventions, identified issues, and brainstormed solutions.

Initially, the additional 3-day orientation and participation in QRMs was proposed for HTs from all three Cohorts, but later it was curtailed to Cohort 3 districts only. As per the directive of USAID, the activities in Cohort 1 and 2 were closed in March 2019, therefore second phase HT orientation targets for Cohort 1 and 2 were revised in the June 2019 submission to USAID. The table below provides detail about number of HT oriented in second phase.

Table 10: HT oriented during phase-II Province/Region %age Remarks achievement Balochistan 78% In22% schools, HT positions were vacant. GB 100% NMDs 0% Due to NOC issue HT orientation could not be held and will no longer be held as this is not part of the approved expedited strategy. ICT 100% KP 100% Sindh 89% In 11% schools, HT positions were vacant.

Similarly, in Balochistan and GB, HTs were also invited to attend QRMs with mentors and academic supervisors, during which 1,032 HTs (Balochistan 975 and GB 57) participated. HTs in KP and ICT will be invited to a QRM next year.

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1.6. SUPPORT TO SELECTED HIGH PRIORITY (HP) SCHOOLS IN SINDH Following the conclusion of Sindh Reading Program (SRP), PRP was tasked by USAID to extend its technical support to high priority schools (HP) in northern districts of Sindh, thereby increasing the impact and sustainability of the reading interventions in these schools.

During the reporting year, the project completed the verification of 241 schools, but after the PRP modification in June 2019, the project in consultation with USAID reduced the target to 100 schools. However, actual work could be initiated with 94 schools only1.

The table below provides the detail about number of project focused high priority schools in Sindh. Table 11: Number of HPs in Sindh District High Priority Schools

Dadu 7 Khairpur 28 Larkana 10 Qambar Shahdadkot 9 Sukkur 27 Karachi 13 Grand Total 94

The project completed the following interventions in HP schools in Sindh during the reporting year:

Orientation of district education officials: The project arranged a 2-day orientation for 16 (all male) education officials against the target of 25, as the other 9 positions were vacant at the time of the orientation. District education officials were briefed about the essentials of an effective reading program in schools and their role to monitor such activities in the schools under their supervision.

Orientation of Teachers and Head Teachers: During the reporting year, the project arranged a four- day orientation for 140 (83M, 57F) teachers and 61 (41 M; 20 F) HTs from these schools. The participants were oriented about the project’s scope of work and the PRP-developed RLM for grades 1 and 2. They were also oriented about their role to sustain reading intervention in their schools after the closeout of SRP. Initially the project planned to orient one teacher and one HT from each school. However, the education management organization (EMOs) responsible for the overall management of these schools requested PRP to train additional teachers from schools instead of the head teachers. These additional teachers were hired by the EMOs to ensure quality intervention in schools. Therefore, in the best interest of the interventions the project trained 40 additional teachers against the target of 100 teachers and curtailed the head teacher number to 61 instead of 100.

1 Three (3) schools in Dadu were not handed over to the EMOs at the time of the training and the remaining 3 schools in Sukkur are notified as secondary schools.

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School Support visit: After the orientation of all stakeholders, the project staff started visiting HP schools to provide on -the -job support to the teachers in these schools. During the reporting year, SSAs visited 81 schools against the target of 100 schools and provided support to 111 (68 M; 43 F) teachers. Support visits to remaining schools will be completed in first quarter of the next year. 1.7. & 1.8. COHORT 3 INTERVENTIONS IN AJK AND TWO DISTRICTS OF GB (DIAMER AND GHANCHE) The project did not receive a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to implement reading interventions in the 4 districts of AJK including Poonch, Bagh, Haveli, and Sudhnoti, and in two districts of GB including Diamer and Ghanche. PRP made consistent efforts and worked closely with the Departments of Education and other relevant government agencies to explore different but contextually relevant options for reading interventions in Cohort 3 districts. The project proposed a revised and expedited implementation strategy to accomplish its program targets in these districts based on the timeline, geographical challenges, and sustainability aspects. This revised strategy was approved by USAID in Q1 of the reporting year and interventions were initiated accordingly in AJK and GB. The table below provides details trainings conducted in AJK and GB.

Table 12: Number of trainings/orientations completed in AJK & GB AJK GB Title Target Male Female Total Target Male Female Total Training of 64 59 27 86 18 20 1 21 Academic Supervisors Training of 60 34 22 56 10 7 3 10 Mentors/ Cluster Heads Training of Head 242 111 123 234 197 180 17 197 Teachers Training of 606 305 303 608 218 181 44 225 Teachers

Clustering of Schools: In AJK, 56 clusters were formed for 608 schools. Whereas in GB, 18 clusters were formed for 218 schools.

TIG Meetings: Following their face-to-face training, teachers attended TIG meetings and covered the modules on community of practice, print Concept, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and learning to write. Since PRP closed out interventions in July 2019, only 4 TIG meetings in AJK and 3 in two districts of GB could be held as planned until June 2019. The table below provides details of percentage teacher attendance in TIG meetings.

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Table 13: Teacher attendance in TIG meetings Region Teachers % of teachers % of % of % of attending 4 teachers teachers teachers meetings attending attending attending 3 2 1 meetings meetings meetings AJK 608 87% 10% 2% 1% GB 222 NA 91% 6% 3%

Review meetings: During the reporting year, in AJK, the project arranged 5 review meetings with 273 (127 M, 146 F) cluster heads, academic supervisors, head teachers, and DEE/GCET staff. In GB, 2 review meetings were attended by 176 stakeholders.

School support visits: AJK: project staff visited 566 schools and provided support 566 (275 M; 291 F). In addition, cluster heads, DEE/GCET Staff, mentors and head teachers conducted 513 visits and provided on the job support to 513 (252 M; 261 F) teachers.

GB: A total of 131 school support visits were carried out by PRP staff, who provided support to 165 (150 M; 15 F) teachers. In addition, cluster heads and mentors visited 75 schools and provided support to 110 (66 M; 44 F) teachers.

Training of Poonch division master trainers: the project also arranged a 4-day training for 117 master trainers (56 M; 61 F) from two districts of Poonch division. These master trainers will later serve as resource persons to train grade 1 and 2 teachers in reading under CPD program implemented by the government of AJK in these non-project areas.

Closeout/exit planning meeting: As per the guideline from USAID, the project concluded its intervention in AJK and GB in June 2019 and arranged closeout/review meetings to discuss a sustainability strategy with government stakeholders at district and regional levels.

In AJK, a regional level meeting was held in Muzaffarabad with 34 education officials (22 M; 12 F) from concerned departments. Moreover, 5 district -based closeout meetings were arranged, and these meetings were attended by 56 government education officials (41 M; 15 F), including DDSs, DEOs, and AEOs. During these meeting, efforts to sustain project interventions such as continuation of reading interventions in the districts including expansion to non PRP schools were deliberated upon.

Similarly, in GB, a regional level meeting was chaired by the Sectary Education of GB, where 15 (14 M; 1 F) representatives participated. The project team shared progress the project has made so far and presented a sustainability plan. Moreover, 2 review and closeout meetings were held in Diamer and Ghanche, where 13 male mentors and 13 male academic supervisors participated in the meeting.

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IMPROVED POLICIES AND SYSTEMS FOR READING

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COMPONENT 2: IMPROVED POLICIES AND SYSTEMS FOR READING Improving policies and systems at the provincial and district levels to better enable teachers and students to succeed are critical to reading achievement outcomes. By focusing on PRP’s policy work in two broad areas – what to teach and by whom it is taught – PRP is making efforts to guide provinces through the planning of reading policy reform in a manner that addresses both the content and the delivery mechanism. When these sides converge, student learning outcomes are likely to improve; but without policy support on both sides, reform efforts are likely to stall.

The overall objective of Component 2 is to promote integration and implementation of policies that promote quality teaching, materials and reading assessment, as well as to promote the sustainability of PRP initiatives through public policy changes in the public education system. As a result of PRP technical assistance, provincial/regional education departments were approving policies conducive to reading improvement at early grades level.

As shown in Table 16 below, PRP supported provincial/regional education departments to reform 55 policies related to reading over the life of the project. These policies include Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) elements such as reading instruction time, reading standards, reading enriched language curriculum and text books, in-service teacher professional development and reading assessment. The following sections present details of component 2 activities undertaken during this reporting year. 2.2.1 SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING OF READING IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES 2.2.1.6 FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RIS BY THE RELEVANT DOES The Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) were formulated to strengthen reading reforms in the provinces and regions. PRP is, therefore, supporting provincial/regional education departments to develop and implement their respective Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS). The strategies served as overall roadmaps for each province/region to achieve their self-identified goals for reading improvement.

During 2016-2018, based on the national framework, comprehensive RIS were developed and approved by AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP, and Sindh education departments. The approved RIS covered six key institutional and policy factors, i.e. reading performance standards integrated into the Urdu Language Curriculum, reading instruction time aligned with scheme of studies, Urdu Language Curriculum translated to textbooks and aligned with project learning materials, CPD, a sustainable continuous professional development approach, developing provincial capacities for reading assessment, and promotion of reading culture.

During the reporting year, provincial and regional education departments were persuaded by PRP to implement the various elements of the reading improvement strategies. A summary of selected activities is given below and the details are available under activities, 2.2.3.10, 2.6 & 2.9.

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AJK: In order to review the implementation status of different components of RIS, the Additional Secretary of E&SE and the Deputy Secretary of E&SE held a detailed discussion with PRP officials. The updated status of in-service teacher training (CPD), training of non-PRP teachers, and the textbook development process and assessment were discussed in detail to implement the program effectively. In addition, the Additional Secretary directed department officials and other stakeholders to work more closely with PRP during the remaining project period to scale up and sustain PRP reading related initiatives i.e. reading time allocation, continuous professional development, textbook development and reading assessment.

Balochistan: In accordance with the RIS, Urdu language curriculum was translated to textbooks (Grades 1 -5) through a number of consultative meetings. These books are being taught in classrooms, As per PSC recommendations, and PITE is working with PRP to adopt/adapt the PRP CPD model to initiate Urdu language training in all districts of Balochistan. At the request of the Balochistan DoE, PRP provided technical support to develop test items for grade 1-2 for teachers, approved by the PSC.

ICT: A series of meetings were held with the Director of Training and the Federal Directorate of Education to discuss RIS implementation in ICT. The following were the key meeting outcomes: o Reading integrated sessions will be included in all FDE training schedules/manuals. o FDE nominated officials to work on the development of an assessment test items bank based on the student learning outcomes available in the revised language Curriculum 2017 and revised textbooks. o FDE has decided to implement the CPD related training during summer vacations. reading session will be incorporated in the training schedule. o FDE will review and approve reading related training manual for integration in subject based trainings. PRP trained mentors are also identified as qualified master trainers for these sessions.

GB: A meeting was held to discuss the possible adoption/adaption of Grade 1 and Grade 2 Urdu language textbooks that are currently being used in the ICT region. Six officials (M 05; F 01) participated in the meeting. The team reviewed the Urdu language textbooks of Grade 1 and 2 from various perspectives, e.g. reading skills, contextual relevance, and cultural acceptance in the context of GB. The committee also made comparisons of the books with the textbooks of Punjab Textbook Board and forwarded their recommendations to the Provincial Steering Committee for further consideration. The Provincial Steering Committee decided to take up the case with the Cabinet.

KP: A number of consultative meetings were held to translate approved Urdu language curriculum into textbooks. Revised Grade 1 Textbooks are being taught in schools while Grade 2 and 3 textbooks will be revised by next year. PRP provided technical support to DoE/PITE on adopting/adapting the PRP materials that are now institutionalized in the system. PITE is also using the adapted materials/training manuals and conducting trainings for teachers.

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Sindh: PRP team worked with the DOE to translate the Urdu Language Curriculum to textbooks. The textbook board reviewed the Urdu and Sindhi textbooks (Grade 1 -5) that will be taught in 2020 in all public schools of Sindh. Requisite preparations were made to hold the standard review workshop. 2.2.2 DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP The scarcity of resources on the part of governments and inefficient use of available resources are considered major impediments in the provision of quality education to children. This has resulted in a growing realization on the parts of governments to involve communities as well as private partners to ensure provision of much needed resources to the public education sector. Keeping this in view, PRP formed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) unit under its Policy Component to facilitate PPPs in the education sector to compliment and sustain its reading initiatives. With the efforts of the PPP unit, a number of PPPs involving provincial governments, private sector entities, and USAID were matured during the life of project.

From the onset of the project, PPP unit made dedicated efforts to execute and accomplish the set targets outlined in its project plan. The project carried out a situation analysis on existing PPP interventions in the education sector and developed a PPP Guide and Toolkit for Development of PPP in Education Sector. It facilitated the provincial education departments to constitute five task forces in AJK, Balochistan, GB, KP and NMDS and convened meetings of these task forces to coordinate PPP- related activities. As a result of these efforts, 08 partnerships were established i.e. Rotary, HUBCO, Paramount Books Ltd, Ferozesons, Serena Hotel, Alpha Pipes, City University and Intel Pakistan. The partnerships mobilized resources in the form of books, learning materials, and provision of school facilities. It also organized observational study tour of NMDS PPP task force members in Sindh.

During FY 2018-19, three PPP Task Force meetings were held with ICT, Balochistan, and KP regions where progress made under PPP and the role of the innovative PPP model “Education Management Organizations (EMO)” being practiced in Sindh came under discussion. In line with discussions held in these meetings, future courses of action were devised.

In pursuance to the decision of a Task Force meeting, an observational study tour of Balochistan PPP task force members to Sindh was undertaken by PRP. Five members of the Department of Education and Directorate of Schools visited Sukkur and Karachi to observe the successful PPP models introduced by the Education Department of the Sindh government.

Balochistan PPP task force members on study tour to Sindh

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The overall focus of the PPP component remained on developing partnerships between the public and private sector to complement reading interventions introduced under the project and ensure the sustainability of its initiatives. In the reporting period, 29 citizen and corporate sector organizations were targeted to look into the possibility of developing partnership for sustaining PRP interventions. Partnerships were developed with 08 organizations and companies to secure their support for distribution of plastic-matts and printing and utilization of PRP Teaching Learning Material. During initial phase of the MOUs were signed with citizen sector organizations. With these MOUs 133 teachers and 2,359 (boys: 1,271, Girls: 1,088) Grade 1 and 2 students from 30 schools are benefitting. In addition, HDF has also provided printed copies of RLM to its 23 schools during this initial phase. Under the MOU signed with Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), SEF has also trained 808 schoolteachers and 290 HTs in Sindh. SEF distributed 61,543 copies of RLM to its targeted schools. SEF undertook both the activities with a cost of 258,693 USD (IRC cost share).

In continuation to the signed tripartite MOU between PRP, Ferozesons Pvt Ltd and Department Group photo of USAID, PRP and TCF members at MoU signing of Education of GB, the Directorate of Education of ceremony GB received 3,000 books donated by Ferozesons Private Ltd. These books were distributed in 70 public schools of 7 districts of GB for strengthening of school/classroom libraries to promote a reading culture at the school level. An introductory PPP flyer/briefer was also designed and shared with American Business Council (ABC) for further circulation among its members for possible partnerships in support of PRP reading initiatives. 2.2.3 APEX INSTITUTIONS CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 2.2.3.9 FINALIZATION AND APPROVAL OF THE STRATEGIC PLANS 2.2.3.10 FACILITATE PROVINCIAL / REGIONAL GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC PLAN The absence of structured in-service teacher training programs has been posing serious challenges to any reform agenda aiming to bring improvements in delivery of quality education, though each province has an institutional body responsible for in-service teacher training programs. The situation stimulated PRP to conduct a situation analysis of the concerned provincial apex institutions to assess their needs and to identify challenges for developing CPD models.

In previous years, PRP provided technical assistance to Balochistan, NMDs, GB, ICT and Sindh to assist apex institutions in developing draft strategic plans. These draft plans were discussed in consultative provincial/regional workshops in which each the documents were reviewed, received feedback and finalized. After incorporating feedback, the draft plans were submitted to provincial/regional steering committees to seek approval. Subsequently, 5 CPD strategic plans were approved by the provincial/regional PSC in AJK, Balochistan, ICT, GB and Sindh. In KP E&SE Department notified the

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inclusion of Urdu Language subject into KP CPD Plan. In FATA, work was reinitiated to finalize the draft CPD plan.

In the reporting year, necessary follow up on the implementation of the CPD strategic plans was made and the following progress was noted at the provincial level:

AJK: New modules were developed to orient master trainers on the revised Urdu Language Curriculum and Scheme of Studies. Master trainers were also oriented on the textbook development process by the department with PRP support. The Directorate of Education Extension (DEE) incorporated the PRP training manual, which 7 reading components/skills and aligned with revised Urdu Language Curriculum, in the CPD model of in-service teacher training of AJK.

Balochistan: A committee was established to review all existing CPD models in Balochistan, which will come up with concrete suggestions for integration of all models into one CPD model to be implemented in Balochistan. The committee will submit its comparative analysis and suggestions to the Secretary Education for further necessary action.

GB: The Education Department initiated the required administrative steps for the establishment of a Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) for implementation of a CPD plan in the region. KP: After inclusion of Urdu language into Professional Development Day (PDD), PITE added an orientation session ‘Introduction to Urdu Curriculum 2018 (Grade I-V)’ for its master trainers. Master trainers then conducted PDD at districts level. Meetings were also held with PITE officials to support ongoing efforts to integrate and align CPD interventions with government priorities and policies. Following key developments were noted: o Reading modules developed by PRP and approved by DCTE were integrated into CPD sessions are being piloted in 16 districts of KP. This will be further scaled up to all districts including NMDs of KP after fine-tuning and alignment. o A summary has been moved to the Chief Minister Office for upgrading PITE to Directorate of Professional Development (DPD) and placing 11 RITEs and 02 GECTs under its administrative control. The DPD will be responsible for implementation of CPD model and induction programs for in-service and pre-service teacher training, respectively.

It is worth mentioning that after the integration of Urdu language into CPD program with the technical assistance of PRP, coverage of Professional Development Days has been extended to 16 districts and the PITE planned to train around 56,000 primary school teachers on reading skills by the end of December 2019. The activity will further be extended to all districts of KP, including NMDs.

Sindh: in light of earlier PSC decisions, the PITE submitted a proposal to the Secretary School Education Department for rolling out the CPD plan in six division-based clusters.

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“The Continuous Professional Development Model of PRP is undoubtedly essential and constructive for us. The two-way feedback by the PRP staff and mentors of our own department ensures improved teaching practices grounded in the desired output. It builds our confidence in PRP more than the other professional development programs we have attended, so far.” Uris, Teacher, Government Boys Primary School Udero Lal, District Thatta

2.3.2 PROVINCIAL STUDY TOURS – NATIONAL The overall objective of the study tours was to expose participants to successful reading initiatives in schools across Pakistan, explore implementation challenges and solutions, and to highlight policies and practices that promote reading. Previously, one such study tour was organized by PRP for government officials in collaboration with the AJK Education Department. During the study tour, participants closely observed management of reading reforms by their AJK colleagues and participated in interactive activities such as classroom observations, mentoring sessions, formative assessments, community support etc. The study tour also provided participants with a platform to reflect on learning experiences and AJK study tour reflection session at PRP office Islamabad contextualize them in their regional contexts.

During the reporting year, PRP organized a reflection session for key participants from the study tour to AJK. The meeting was aimed to provide participants an opportunity for cross learning and to share their experiences with PRP Senior Management. A total of 6 government officials (4 M, 2 F) from AJK, Balochistan, Islamabad and Sindh participated in the de-briefing session.

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2.4 PROVISION OF LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT TO THE PROGRAMS Provincial Steering Committees (PSCs) were formed by the provincial/regional education departments to engage all stakeholders in dialogue and decision making around key reading policy reforms. Given the decentralized nature of Pakistan’s education sector, PSCs proved to be crucial policy-making bodies in PRP addressing reading policy challenges. In addition to the PSCs, each province has its own advisory committee for technical input into policy discussions/decisions.

During the reporting year, 11 Steering Special Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education Committee meetings were held (AJK: 02, Department chaired the PSC meeting at PRP office Islamabad Balochistan: 03, GB: 03, KP: 02 and Sindh: 01). In addition to PSC meetings, 13 advisory committee meetings were held (Balochistan: 03, GB: 01, ICT: 04, KP: 04 and Sindh: 01). These meetings proved beneficial in addressing challenges, sharing project updates and getting 05 policy initiatives approved during the reporting year.

Table 15: Policies endorsed/approved by the Provincial Steering Committees during FY 2018-19 Policy Type Target Achievement

Revised Scheme of Studies – GB 01 01

Revised Urdu Language Curriculum – Sindh 01 01

Test Item Bank Developed – AJK, Bal & ICT 03 03

Total 05 05

A summary of the important deliberations and outcomes of the provincial/regional PSC meetings of the reporting year has been placed below. It is worth mentioning that some decisions taken during the PSC meetings were implemented in the reporting year while others were in progress.

AJK – PSCs • PRP formally closed its activities in Cohort 1 and 2 schools from December 2018. • DOE directed its officials to develop strategies for sustainability of interventions and ensure continuation of reading related activities in the schools as per sustainability plan to be developed by DCRD. • PRP and senior officials of DOE signed MOU for replication of PRP CPD model in the schools of Poonch division.

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• All concerned educational managers directed by the Secretary E&SE to cooperate with PRP regarding assigning of Grade 2 Urdu classes to PRP trained teachers, allow the teachers and cluster heads to participates in the monthly TIG meetings, conduct support visits, allocate desired time for teaching reading in time table of all schools and exercise restraint in transfer of PRP trained teachers from their existing schools. • PRP handed over copies of Urdu language curriculum documents to E&SE secretariat for distribution to all schools and other concerned institutions. DOE officials directed to implement the revised curriculum in educational institutions in term of achieving the given objectives in the document and update the house about progress in the next meeting. • Regarding developing new textbook for grades 4 and5, chairmen of AJK Text Book Board was given the responsibility to expedite the process of review and NOC in order to ensure the availability of the text books in the market before start of the new academic session in 2020. • DCRD and KEACE finalized the model assessment papers and directed to disseminate to head teachers well before the start of the annual examinations of 2019.

Balochistan - PSC Meetings • It was agreed to add Urdu as a subject in the CPD program for teachers. • PITE was directed to look into the CPD model developed by PRP and submit a report on its operationalization. • The modules developed by PRP for capacity building of teachers and mentors shared with PITE for the purpose of its utility in the CPD program • Mentors profiles prepared by PRP to be shared with PITE for the utilization of their services in the CPD program. • Revised Urdu Language Curriculum first time disseminated at school level by the BoC&EC. • A committee led by Director BoC & EC with representation from Directorate of Education (School) and BAEC will oversee implementation of reading standards in Balochistan. • ToRs and members of District Education Group (DEG) to be reviewed for better educational outcomes at the district level. • Reading Instruction Time as per revised scheme of studies for Balochistan will be applied in all schools of the province. • BEAC to conduct assessment activities on regular basis for improved reading learning outcomes of students in Balochistan • BEAC will carry out student assessment and to first start with the Quetta district • A committee to be constituted by the Secretary Education to review of all existing CPD models and to present concrete suggestions for integration of all models into one logical CPD model to be implemented in Balochistan. • The committee to submit its comparative analysis and suggestions to Secretary’s Office by 14the October 2019 positively • The forum unanimously approved the test item bank to be employed for assessment of student learning outcomes of Grade 1 & 2. • BEAC to develop test items for other grades 3 and 5 to be made part of item bank. • BEAC no work on EGRA tool as to how teachers of early grades can use it as assessment tool for improvement of reading skills of early grades in Balochistan 37

• Director Gender, PRP, to transform the presentation given during PSC meeting into a document and shared with Government of Balochistan, Secondary Education Department for implementation of its findings and recommendations in textbooks of Balochistan. • PRP Balochistan office to organize a seminar for dissemination of the findings/recommendations of the study conducted on gender review and analysis of textbooks of grade 1 and 2 of Balochistan with key stakeholders.

GB - PSC Meetings • The PSC approved the modified PRP work plan to implement project interventions in Diamer and Ghanche districts. • The material review committee l reviewed the Urdu Text Books of ICT and presented its recommendations to the PSC. The PSC to decide about next level for further deliberation and necessary decision-making. • Annual Urdu paper exams to include reading, speaking and listening from 2019 onwards. The decision was obligatory for PRP intervened schools and optional for non PRP schools. After training of non PRP schools it will be compulsory part of exams in all schools. • The committee decided to develop a summary for the Cabinet for implementation of the CPD plan. • The DOE to further follow up with the Ministry of Finance for approval of necessary budget for GBEAC. • The Secretary Education directed all the Directors to make their regional and district sustainability plans for PRP project initiatives. • The Secretary of Education noted the results of the PRP interventions and the decision to replicate the model in all schools by ensuring the training of non PRP teachers even within the regional and DDE level budget. • Secretary to divert Annual Development Plan allocation for training to Non PRP Schools teachers.

KP - PSC Meetings • In the monthly review meeting of DEOs in April 2019 and in consultation with PRP management, the Secretary of Education disseminated/distributed printed copies of the revised curriculum along with the revised scheme of studies. • The Secretary asked PITE and DCTE to ensure that the curriculum, developed with support of PRP, is properly reflected in the textbooks of 2019. • PRP will provide orientation to PITE officials on revised curriculum and reading learning materials. This session will help the PITE officials to better understand and effectively implement reading related component of CPD through teacher training. • PRP provided 30 sets (hardcopies) of RLMs to PITE for the development of different professional development and training sessions. • The Special Secretary stated the importance of accurate assessment of students, which must be standardized by the department as well. He asked DCTE to present a summary to forum of assessment of PRP -supported schools through the pool of staff from DCTE, who have been trained by PRP on EGRA tool administration.

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• The Secretary asked to merge NMDs PSC in PRP KP PSC to work with the same forums of provincial advisory and steering committees and previous Director of FATA and Head of office IRM FATA will be added to the membership, where required and notified. The previous FATA PRP-supported developed documents i.e. RIS, CPD strategic plan, scheme of studies etc. will be null and void from that date on and KP documents will be used for institutions reforms. • The Secretary directed an Additional Director, E&SE Department, GoKP to extend departmental support to PRP in closure of the project in Cohort 1 and 2 districts by issuing a letter to concerned DEOs. • PRP and District Education Offices developed sustainability plans during close out meetings with DEOs, SDEOs and ASDEOs in both Cohort 1 and 2 districts. The plans were endorsed by the district education offices and communicated to the schools. The Secretary E&SE Department, GoKP directed PRP to share the plans with Directorate and develop a monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure the implementation of these plans. • The Secretary directed the department to investigate the possibilities of replicating the reading intervention in non PRP supported schools and all districts of KP lead by the education department.

Sindh - PSC Meetings • The Secretary directed PRP to conduct meeting with head of biometric section at the office of Secretary SELD and provide the list of PRP trained teachers so that PRP trained teachers the issue of teacher transfers could be controlled. • At the request of PRP, the Secretary directed PD-SBEP to arrange a meeting of the “Standing Committee”. PRP shall prepare detailed working paper for proposed SC meeting and share with PMIU. PMIU shall then request Secretary for allocation of time and date for the said meeting.

2.5.2 REVIEW POLICIES AT THE PROVINCIAL LEVEL AND INTRODUCE NEW POLICIES TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE LEARNING AND CPD OF TEACHERS PRP during the life of the project facilitated the provincial and regional governments to revise and introduce 55 new reading related policy initiatives. The PRP technical assistance proved instrumental in implementing and sustaining policy initiatives. The table below illustrates the status of policy initiatives:

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Table 16: Cumulative progress of policies initiative S. Policy Initiative AJK Balochistan GB ICT KP/NMDs Sindh National Total No. .1. Reading Improvement 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 Strategies (RIS) 2. Reading Instruction Time 1 1 1 1 2 1 7 -RIS 3. Reading Standards 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 10

4. Scheme of Studies -- RIS 1 1 1 1 1 1 6

5. Language Curriculum- RIS 1 1 1 1 1 5

6. Continuous Professional 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 Development (CPD) - RIS 7. Reading Assessment-RIS 1 1 1 1 2 6

8. Teacher Recruitment 1 1 1 1 4 Rules 9. Teacher Licensing & 1 1 1 3 Certification 10. Public Private Partnership 1 1 (PPP)

Total 55

Implemented 38

Being implemented 12

Not implemented 5

2.5.2.3 FINALIZATION AND APPROVAL OF THE TIG STRUCTURE BY THE APEX INSTITUTION PRP has worked with the provincial/regional government education departments to ensure that the reading reforms initiated by PRP are integrated in the mainstream public education system. PRP also shared the TIG model with all apex institutions responsible for teacher training in the respective provinces/regions. As a result, the AJK Government has adapted elements of the PRP TIG Model and is also trying to introduce the model in non-PRP schools. Likewise, Balochistan, GB, ICT and Sindh have approved the strategic plans for in-service teachers within the framework of the TIG model. The TIG structure was also discussed with the CPD Integration Committee of KP Education Department for its integration in the existing CPD plan. After series of deliberations, the E&SE Department included TIG elements into the KP CPD Plan for the next academic session.

During the reporting year, an orientation workshop was organized for key government officials on the integration of key TIG elements into the CPD plan of KP. A Number of meetings were also held by the

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CPD team of PITE to ensure that TIG elements are fully imbedded in the PDD sessions, Head Teacher Training Manuals and Teachers Induction Program.

2.5.6 ACCREDITATION OF TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Accreditation is an evaluation process that determines the quality of institutions or programs using predetermined standards. The accreditation process provides an opportunity to training institutions to manage and improve academic performance and physical facilities as per given rankings. In Pakistan, teacher education programs are accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE). In the accreditation process, NACTE looks at areas such as facilities, institutional performance, discipline-specific staffing, and course content.

PRP targeted 111 Teacher Training Institutes (TTIs) to receive their accreditation from NACTE. Out of these, 85 TTIs participated in the initial accreditation process and 83 TTIs completed the accreditation tools. A total of 28 TTIs were not able to complete the accreditation process, the largest chunk in KP (20 TTIs). These TTI dropped off after the introduction of ‘Induction Model’ for teacher training in the province. In previous years, 55 TTIs were issued accreditation ranks by the NACTE.

During the reporting year, as a result of necessary coordination and continuous follow-up, 24 more TTIs completed accreditation with NACTE. As a result of the accreditation process, a total of 79 TTIs were accredited and received ranks from National Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (NACTE). In NMDs, visiting NACTE evaluators were informed that after merger with KP, its 04 TTIs will serve as induction centers and hence their accreditation is not required. The table below provides details of accreditation status.

Table 17: Number of TTIS accredited by NACTE

Province/Region No. of No. of No. of TTIs Accreditation Ranks issued by TTIs TTIs participated in the tools completed NACTE (Sep target declined process 2018)

AJK 12 0 12 08 08 Balochistan 19 1 18 19 19 FATA 04 0 04 04 - GB 04 0 04 04 04 ICT 02 1 01 – university only 02 02 KP 26 20 06 - universities only 06 06 Punjab 08 1 07 - universities only 07 07 Sindh 36 3 33 33 33 Total 111 26 85 83 79

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2.5.9 TEACHER INCENTIVE AND RECOGNITION PROGRAMS The time teachers need to spend on their professional development over the course of the two-year PRP intervention cycle is considerable. While the project offered stipends for travel expenses and miscellaneous expenses to teachers who travel long distances, PRP looks for additional measures to keep up teacher morale. PRP, therefore decided to recognize high-performing teachers who demonstrated expertise and consistently achieved strong student learning outcomes by organizing annual teacher award ceremony. Group photo of the teachers received best teacher award

In the previous year, necessary preparations were made to organize the best teacher’s award ceremony at the national level in connection with World Teachers’ Day. PRP, in collaboration with provincial education departments, worked out a criterion for selection of best teachers from PRP intervention schools. Subsequently, provincial education authorities nominated 28 best teachers for receiving recognition.

During the reporting year, the best teacher award ceremony was held to commemorate World Teachers Day. A total of 28 (8M; 20F) selected best teachers from across PRP regions received best teachers’ awards, performance certificates and cash prizes. The event was honored by the Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training. The event was attended by Mission Director USAID, PRP Chief of Party and other relevant stakeholders.

“I want to congratulate all the teachers who have received the best teacher award today. This is a great honor and your accomplishment is a source of pride for all of us. I also want to take this opportunity to thank USAID. For a very long time USAID has been helping us in the field of education and we are very grateful for that. Our first priority is to enroll 20 million out of school children into schools. Another priority is quality of education and that is where the role of the Pakistan Reading Project is critical.”

Shafqat Mahmood (Federal Minister, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training)

2.6 SUSTAINABILITY OF PRP POLICY INITIATIVES IN THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM Sustainability of PRP initiatives is largely dependent on effective engagement of the public education institutions and the commitment of key personnel and allocation of necessary budget by the governments. It was also critical for key stakeholders to champion the program’s initiatives in their

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respective areas of influence. PRP, under its sustainability drive, integrated reading related initiatives well within the existing government structures and public education system. As a result of these efforts, reading instruction time, reading standards, and RLMs were successfully integrated into governments schemes of studies, language curriculum and language textbooks, respectively.

Reading Instruction Time (RIT) in schools provided allocated time for systematic reading instruction, which has led to improvement in reading skills among children. PRP invested considerable time and effort into the notification of RIT in all provinces/regions in order to allow children the opportunity to develop reading skills. To sustain this initiative, PRP facilitated the regional governments in reviewing and revising the Scheme of Studies at the primary school level to include reading instruction time in the weekly school timetable. Curriculum is meant to clearly outline learning standards and benchmarks. Reading standards were not developed when language curriculum for early grades were last revised in 2006. Keeping the shortcoming in view, PRP provided technical assistance to provincial/regional education departments for formulating reading standards and eventually their incorporation in Urdu language curriculum of primary grades. Similarly, textbooks are reflective of curriculum and PRP facilitated the respective curriculum bureaus and textbook boards in their efforts to translate the revised language curriculum into new language textbooks.

Previously, the governments of AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP/NMDs, and Sindh approved the revised scheme of studies after incorporating specific reading time within the normal school timings. PRP facilitated the relevant government bodies in revision of scheme of studies for primary classes. The revised scheme was equally applicable to PRP and non-PRP intervention schools and will be instrumental in improving reading skills of early grade students. Similarly, governments in AJK, Balochistan, ICT, KP and Sindh completed the curriculum revision process with the technical assistance of PRP and approved the revised Urdu Language Curriculum for early grades. The revision process involved 31 consultative meetings organised in AJK – 10, Balochistan – 06, ICT - 1, KP – 09 and Sindh – 05 by the DCTE, BOC, PITE, DCRD and DCAR with the technical facilitation of PRP. Likewise, governments in AJK, Balochistan, ICT, KP and Sindh started the process of integration of revised language curriculum and PRP RLM into textbooks of primary classes. PRP facilitated 21 consultative meetings of provincial/regional DOEs, curriculum bureaus and TTBs officials to achieve the important milestone

During the reporting year, progress towards sustainability measures is as follows:

In AJK, earlier approved scheme of studies was formally notified by the Elementary & Secondary Education Department of AJK. As per notification, 35% time of Urdu period was allocated for reading in Grade 1 and 2 and 25% time in Grade 3 to 5. Similarly, in annual examination, 35% marks was allocated for assessing reading in Grade 1 and 2, and 25% marks in Grades 3 and 5. In addition, there specific time allocation in the school timetable was designated for reading library books. In addition, Urdu language textbooks (Qaida, Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5) were approved by the Government of AJ&K and subsequently published by the AJK Textbook Board. These reading skills enriched textbooks are aligned with the revised Urdu Language Curriculum 2018, and PRP RLMs and are being taught in public sector primary schools.

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In Balochistan, Education Department disseminated copies of the approved revised Urdu Language Curriculum to district education authorities and schools with the technical assistance of PRP. Meantime, new Urdu language textbooks enriched with reading instructional activities for all primary grades (Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5) were published by the Balochistan Textbook Board. Furthermore, the Balochistan Textbook Board also developed the Urdu Language Qaida for pre-nursery with the technical support of PRP and submitted to BOC for issuance of an NOC.

In ICT, Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) disseminated copies of the approved Urdu Language Curriculum to schools along with revised scheme of studies with the technical assistance of PRP. FDE also provided new Urdu language textbooks enriched with reading instructional activities to all primary grades students in the public sector.

In KP, the Education Department disseminated copies of the approved Urdu Language Curriculum to district education authorities and schools and also provided necessary orientation to district managers on the revised language curriculum. In addition, Urdu language textbook for Grade 1 (including Qaida) was printed and disseminated by the Education Department to all public primary schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the Newly Merged Districts. The Provincial Textbook Review Committee (PTRC) completed the review of grade 2 and 3 manuscripts of the Urdu language textbook and recommendations were made by the PTRC to the Select Committee for final selection.

In Sindh, the School Education and Literacy Department approved the revised language Curriculum of Sindhi and Urdu languages for Grade 1 to 5. PRP provided technical support to Sindh Textbook Board to review and revise the Grade 1- reader in Sindhi and Urdu languages. After detailed review by the Internal Review Committee, these readers were submitted for external review. During the reporting year, PRP facilitated BOC/PITE/DCRD/Textbook Boards and Directorates of Education (DOEs) in AJK, Balochistan, KP and Sindh for developing new textbooks based on the revised Urdu language curriculum and PRP RLMs through convening 14 consultative meetings. The process entailed total 35 meetings of BOC/PITE/DCRD/Textbook Boards and DOEs officials (National 01, AJK 06, Balochistan 09, ICT 05, KP 08 and Sindh 06) to complete the integration process.

2.9: BUILDING TEACHER ASSESSMENT SKILLS THROUGH SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF URDU/SINDHI LANGUAGE CURRICULUM COMPETENCIES At the request of provincial/regional government departments, PRP provided technical assistance to interested education departments and assessment bodies to develop a bank of assessment subtasks that can be used by teachers to measure student progress towards grade 1 & 2 in Urdu language curriculum domains of speaking, listening, writing and reading. As teachers identify learning needs among students through regular assessment, they will be able to improve instructional practice, and move towards strategic teaching techniques that lead to improved learning achievements. This process followed the introduction of the revised Urdu/Sindhi language curriculum and SLOs based textbooks for grade 1-2.

During the reporting year, following progress was made at provincial/regional level:

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In AJK, a roadmap for development of assessment test items bank was finalized. Subsequently, KEACE along with the technical assistance of PRP organized 2 meetings of assessment experts to identify SLOs from curriculum and textbooks to develop test item bank for Urdu language assessment. After development of draft test items, these were piloted in 2 primary schools in Muzaffarabad. The draft test items were also shared with stakeholders (DOE, DCRD, TBB etc.) for wider consultation. Test items were finalized after incorporating necessary changes in the light of feedback received from stakeholders.

In Balochistan, after finalization of a roadmap for development of assessment test items bank, a workshop was organized by the BAEC to develop conceptual understanding on a test items bank for Urdu language. BAEC experts then identified SLOs and developed draft test items. Draft test items were piloted in 9 primary schools of Quetta and shared with stakeholders (PPIU, BOC, PITE, TBB) for necessary inputs. Based on the feedback received from pilot testing and stakeholders, a test items bank was finalized in Balochistan.

In ICT, after approval of a test items bank development roadmap by the FDE, a consultative meeting was held for identifying SLO's from the language curriculum and Urdu textbooks. Based on identified SLOs, draft test items were developed with the technical assistance of PRP and pilot tested in 08 primary schools of ICT. The same were shared with selected teachers and area education officers for further review and feedback. Before approval, draft test items were further refined by the Federal Directorate of Education.

In KP, an initial meeting was held with Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE) officials to discuss development of a test items bank for grade 1 and 2 students. It was agreed that PRP would provide the necessary technical assistance for the development of assessment test items. The Grade 1 textbook assessment items are now available and Grade 2 textbook is awaiting approval from the Select Committee.

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IMPROVED COMMUNITY -BASED SUPPORT FOR READING

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COMPONENT 3: IMPROVED COMMUNITY -BASED SUPPORT FOR READING

Component 3 focuses on the importance of community-based support to reinforce children’s learning and reading skill acquisition through its grants program that includes large Complementary Reading Project (CRP) grants for Civil Society Organizations and small Community Managed Reading (CMR) grants for the Community Based School Governance Structures such as School Management Committees, Parent Teacher Councils. This component also focuses on the sensitization of Community Based School Governance Structures (CBSGS) about their crucial role in the improvement of student reading skills and development of the culture of reading in schools. Moreover, the project also provided support in organizing community events such as reading fairs, reading competitions to sensitize and engage parents and community members on the importance of reading and eventually in education of their children.

During the reporting year a total of 131 CMR grants were approved in two phases by the Grants Review Committee (GRC) of which 62 were successfully awarded and the remaining 69 will be awarded in FY 19-20. Moreover, family/community events and CBSGS engagement activities were also made part of the work plan and activities were initiated.

The following sections present detail of component 3 activities undertaken during this reporting year. SUB-COMPONENT 3.1: COMPLEMENTARY READING PROJECT (CRP) GRANTS PRP has awarded and concluded 9 out of 25 Complementary Reading Program (CRP) grants. In consultation with USAID, PRP planned to allocate funding for CRP grants to support the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) to promote early grade reading in schools administered by PEF. The proposed budget of $445,000 for PEF was to be made available by allocating $205,000 from the WL savings and $ 240,000 from three CRP grants. It was also decided that in case these efforts were not successful, PRP would utilize $240,000 for the already approved CRP grants and WL’s $205,000 saving would be used for Reading Network activities in consultation with USAID. In the reporting year, PRP held a meeting with the PEF management and it was concluded that PEF will not be in a position to initiate the reading program mainly due to transition within the organization.

Due to funding reductions as conveyed by USAID in January 2019, and to ensure PRP’s focus on completing core program activities, 15 out of 25 grants were eliminated and funds were diverted to complete core program activities in Cohort 3 districts. At the request of Special Secretary Education KP, PRP requested USAID to convert one CRP grant into Community Managed Reading (CMR) grants. PRP secured USAID’s approval on conversion of one CRP grant into CMR grants. Subsequently, PRP initiated the implementation of 131 CMR grants in KP.

SUB-COMPONENT 3.2: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 3.2.2 COMMUNITY-MANAGED READING (CMR) GRANTS FOR KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

PRP developed school selection criteria for 131 CMR grants in consultation with KP Education Department.

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In the reporting year, PRP shared the Community Managed Reading (CMR) grants package with the Elementary & Secondary Education Department (E&SED), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and secured approval on the school selection criteria and school list.

The documentation collection process continued in Cohort 3 districts Haripur, D.I. Khan, and Upper Dir and a comprehensive review of the collected documents was carried out to ensure compliance. These grant documents entails CMR application forms; government notified lists of PTC members, copies of national identity cards, signed PTC meeting minutes for the last one year and written consent of PTCs to apply for CMR grants.

The 131 USAID approved CMR grants were distributed in two phases. Phase 1 included 62 CMR grants under which two Grants Review Committee (GRC) meetings were conducted in Islamabad. The GRC members evaluated, and scored CMR grant applications based on the established evaluation criteria for awarding CMR grants. Based on GRC approval, 62 CMR grants were awarded to Haripur (24), D.I. Khan (28) and Upper Dir (10) and implementation of grant activities was initiated by PTCs.

In the second phase, after completion of the documentation process a GRC meeting was conducted to evaluate the remaining received applications. After securing GRC approval, the remaining 69 CMR grants were approved for the applicants of districts Karak (19), Kohat (25), D.I. Khan (10) and Upper Dir (15). These grants will be awarded to the approved applicants in the upcoming year.

During the reporting year, implementation of 62 CMR grants in Haripur, D.I. Khan and Upper Dir was initiated by PTCs and the following illustrates the summary of activities:

Following CMR program description all the CMR grantees of Haripur, Upper Dir and D.I. Khan successfully conducted Parents Sensitization Sessions. The objective of these sessions was to sensitize parents on the various techniques they can use to improve their children’s reading habits and how they can provide a conducive literacy environment for children.

Similarly, Parent Teacher Meetings (PTMs) were conducted by all grantees of Upper Dir, 22 of 28 grantees of D.I. Khan and 17 of 24 grantees of Haripur. In the PTMs, parents shared the effect of strategies and tools learnt in previously held Parents Sensitization Sessions and discussed their children’s performance in reading and learning activities at school and at home.

The grantees also conducted various Children Reading Activities and Volunteer Storytelling Activities in their schools. Volunteers from different walks of life participated in volunteer story telling activities in which they shared different indigenous/success stories to motivate the children and highlighted the importance of reading and learning in their lives.

Initially CMR activities were planned to end in D.I. Khan before the start of summer vacations (Jun- Aug 2019); however, due to unforeseen delays, these could not be completed and no cost extensions were issued to the 28 CMR grantees. Grant activities will be completed in D.I. Khan in the FY 19-20.

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Likewise, grant activities in Haripur district were put on-hold due to closure of district project office on the instructions of District Education Officer (DEO) and to obtain clearance from the district administration and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and due to this reason no cost extensions were issued to all 24 CMR grantees. Efforts will be made to complete the grants in Haripur district in the upcoming year.

Table 18: District-wise CMR activities participant number District Parent Sensitization Session Parent Teacher Meeting Success Celebration (PTM) Ceremony

No. of Male Female No. of Male Female No. of Male Female Events Events Events Upper Dir 10 243 244 10 127 209 10 237 288 D.I. Khan 28 434 513 06 109 123 - - - Haripur 24 501 514 17 231 351 - - -

Table 19: CMR Children Reading Activities Participant Number District CMR Classroom Reading Morning Assembly Story Volunteer Storytelling Grants Activity Sharing Activity

Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Male Female Total Upper Dir 10 314 458 772 46 74 120 23 16 39 D.I. Khan 28 333 403 736 218 182 400 163 105 268 Haripur 24 446 404 850 153 166 319 122 99 221

Parents observing their children are feeling happy Tableau by Students during Success Celebration on students’ performing on Poems from CMR Event at GPS Gamseer Jabbar, District Upper Dir Storybook “Nazmain” during Success Celebration Event at GGPS Chapper, District Upper

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3.4. ENGAGING FAMILY/COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PROMOTE EARLY GRADE READING The target number of events to engage family and community members was 390 events. Due to early closure of Cohort 1 and 2 at the request of USAID, the target for this activity was modified and Cohort 3 district target was retained, i.e. 166 events.

During the reporting year, PRP identified 111 communities (AJK-25, Balochistan -10, GB-1, ICT-2,KP- 48, Sindh 25) to conduct reading related events and conducted various community events to engage families and communities to promote reading at the school and community levels. These events included poster drawing competitions, story reading/telling activities, read aloud, role play, reading games, solving reading puzzles, coloring pictures and making words and sentences. The events were attended by parents, students, teachers, PTC/SMC/PTSMC members and respective education officials. In total 55 out of 166 in NMDs was earmarked for FY 19-20. The table below provides the details of the 98 events conducted during the reporting year as per the FY 18-19 target:

Table 20: Community Events and Participants Number Region Target # of Events No. of Participants Male Female Total AJK 25 27 948 860 1808 Balochistan 10 10 425 627 1052 GB 1 1 6 55 61 ICT 2 2 32 203 235 KP 35 33 2,125 1398 3523 Sindh 25 25 2,854 1,862 4,716 Total 98 98 6,390 5,005 11,395 *in AJK two additional events were held and in KP 2 events in Haripur could not be held due to suspension of activities.

Word making activity between schools during a community event for IInternational Literacy Da) at GPS Chokara, District Karak

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Students at Community Engagement Event to Group photo of participants during Community Promote Reading at IMCG Margalla Town Engagement Event to Promote Reading at IMCG Margalla Town

3.5 ENGAGING COMMUNITY BASED SCHOOL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES (CBSGS) TO IMPROVE READING IN SCHOOLS PRP closed activities in AJK, GB and Cohort 1 and 2 districts earlier than originally planned due to earlier closeout at the request of USAID. Originally, PRP target for this activity was 1,595. The target was revised in light of the earlier Cohort 1 and 2 and AJK and GB closeout to 1,041 for the completion of this activity in Cohort 3 districts. At the time of target revision, PRP was at different stages for the below mentioned steps to complete this activity. Therefore, the target for below mentioned steps were frozen to the achievements at the time of target revision. Please see below the summary of achievements at the time of target revision. • Identification of active CBSGS o 1,295 CBGS were identified including Cohort 1 and 2, AJK and GB • Orientation of head teacher and teachers o 1,148 CBSGS head teachers and teachers oriented Cohort 1 and 2, AJK and GB • First orientation meeting of CBSGS o 787 CBSGS orientation meetings conducted Cohort 1 and 2, AJK and GB • CBSGS event/meeting o 452 CBSGS events/meetings conducted Cohort 1 and 2, AJK and GB

During the reporting year, active community-based school governance structures (CBSGSs) were identified and the head teachers and teachers were oriented by the project staff to engage communities through activities such as, telling stories to children at home on regular basis, reading quizzes, parents reflections on reading initiatives, word building games, exhibition of student creations and labelling of household items.

Moreover, PRP organized first orientation meetings of CBSGS in 787 PRP intervention schools against the target of 803. A total of 6,562 PTC members (4,123 Male; 2,439 Female) participated in these meetings. Head teachers and teachers explained the reading interventions being implemented and

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the RLM provided by the project. The primary purpose of these meetings was to involve the CBSGSs and parents in promoting a reading culture inside and outside of school.

The CBSGSs conducted second meetings in 452 schools, in which a total of 13,638 (7,887 Male; 5,751 Female) SMC members, teachers, and parents participated. The table below describes the completion status of this activity:

Table 21: Region-wise number of SMC events and participant number: Region Target (FY # of Events No. of Participants 18-19) Male Female Total AJK 10 10 40 37 77 Balochistan 83 90 922 804 1726 GB - - - - ICT 14 14 48 338 386 KP 324 291 5176 3792 8968 Sindh 46 47 1701 780 2481 NMDs - - - - Total 477 452 7,887 5,751 13,638

Student reads story from PRP provided books PRP staff presenting RLMs to PTC member in during CBSGS Meeting, District Karak CBSGS Meeting at GGPS Tootaki Banda, District Karak

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GENDER

GENDER

In FY 2018-19, PRP made efforts to complete all gender related work plan targets including initiating some additional activities as part of the sustainable and long-term efforts. Major activities carried out at various levels included distribution of gender promotional materials especially in Cohort 3 schools, capacity building of staff and stakeholders, technical support to federal and provincial government education departments, developing short videos, and celebrating the 16 days of activism and International Women’s Day. One of the most significant impacts was to observe changes in textbooks. PRP completed a comparative gender review and analysis of the old versus revised textbooks in AJK,

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ICT, and Balochistan and shared findings with government stakeholders. PRP observed significant positive changes in the textbooks with regard to gender sensitivity and inclusivity. 4.2.3 DISTRIBUTION OF BROCHURE AND POSTERS ON GIRL FRIENDLY APPROACH (COHORT 3) Girl friendly posters carry various awareness messages supporting gender equality, friendly and equitable learning environment and teachers’ positive role to promote learners’ reading skills. The purpose of providing such material is to raise teachers’ awareness with regard to equal rights of girls and boys, as well as to introduce gender friendly teaching practices in schools.

During reporting year, PRP completed distribution of gender brochures and posters to PRP trained teachers of Cohort 3 to use them in classrooms/school in all regions and provinces. A total of 2,894 PRP trained teachers received gender brochures and posters. In NMDs Cohort 1 and 2 teachers received these gender materials before the close-out in March 2019.

4.4. TRAINING OF GENDER AND CONFLICT SENSITIVITY During the reporting year, PRP conducted 3 gender orientation sessions one each in Balochistan, ICT and KP in which 43 (M 29, F 14) participants trained and sensitized. Among the participants were PRP staff, teachers, mentors, academic supervisors, and writers, members of curriculum board / Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and provincial steering/advisory committees. The purpose of these sessions was to sensitize and support PRP staff and stakeholders in developing basic understanding about basic gender concepts and the relevance and importance to PRP and classroom instruction.

Orientation sessions on gender in Balochistan and KP

4.6.1 Production of short Video messages on Gender Mainstreaming and sensitization for Capacity Building of PRP stakeholders During the reporting year, PRP initiated the work on two short gender videos. One video highlights the struggle of female teachers to be a part of mix TIGs and efforts of our staff in mobilizing the teacher community in transforming socio-cultural barriers. Another video focuses on PRP’s outstanding work of developing inclusive reading and learning materials. The purpose of this resource is to promote PRP’s work and share with stakeholders the sustainable ways to promote gender equality in education in future. These videos will be finalized in the upcoming year.

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4.7 TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO GENDER UNIT (GU), SELD GOVERNMENT OF SINDH During the reporting year, PRP’s gender consultant working in Sindh finalized the Strategic Plan for Gender Unit at School Education and Literacy Department (SE&LD) and submitted it to Gender Working Group and competent authority for approval. The plan includes goals, objectives, activities, strategies, and work plan to support and guide the gender unit for greater gender equality efforts in the province. It is expected that the gender unit will provide technical support to the Sindh education department in responding to major gender gaps and enhancing gender sensitivity in all policies and programs.

As part of the strategic plan development process, PRP supported the consultative workshop held on 6th of August in Karachi for the Gender Unit at the Sindh Education and Literacy Department. The workshop was led and facilitated by a PRP gender consultant and attended by 24 participants (9 M; 15 F) including the Secretary of Education, Additional Secretary of HR/Academics and the Training Wing, the Chief Advisor of the Curriculum Wing, Gender Working Group members and other representatives of government and civil society organizations. While addressing participants Chief Advisor to the SE&LD emphasized that a practical approach is needed to attain gender equality in education. She applauded PRP for supporting the Gender Unit and stated that her hopes are that the consultative workshop will contribute and shed some light on the way forward for gender equality. Based on the strategic plan developed the GEU will formulate the follow up steps for roll-out of the strategy recommendations.

TEXTBOOKS INTEGRATION AND GENDER ANALYSIS During reporting year, PRP lobbied and technically supported government education departments to bring about changes, while integrating reading and gender aspects into curriculum and textbooks. PRP also supported government partners in performing gender reviews and analyses of textbooks proposing changes and recommendations.

As a result of PRP’s technical support and with the engagement of the PRP technical team, the governments of AJK, ICT, and Balochistan all revised their Grade 1 and 2 Urdu language textbooks, which are now being used in schools. KP has revised the Grade 1 textbook only, which is now available in schools. Sindh province’s textbooks are in the process of review and approval. PRP’s technical support to regions/province proved to be highly increasing equitable gender representation in texts.

PRP also completed a comparative gender review and analysis of the old versus revised textbooks in AJK, ICT, and Balochistan during the year. The gender team observed significant positive changes in textbooks with regard to gender sensitivity and inclusivity. Findings were also shared with relevant provincial/regional governments. • In AJK textbooks, women representation in text has gone up from 39% to 41%, in illustration from 34% to 45% and significantly improved from 0% to 28% percent in representation in physical activities. However, AJK books still follow traditional approach in terms in challenging stereotypes i.e. providing limited space to women in variety of roles they perform in society.

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• In ICT’s textbooks, the overall representation of men and women in textbooks in various roles, illustrations and others has improved considerably. In particular, women’s representation increased in text from 33% to 44%, in illustrations from 20% to 42%, and in leading roles from 31% to 41% in Grade 1 and 2. The new ICT textbooks also contain positive changes, now providing information to children about life and protection skills, how to assert themselves in safe and unsafe situations and how to build their overall self-protection skills. ICT textbooks also provide representation of minorities and persons with disabilities in textbooks. Conflict sensitivity and resolution, consensus building, and team work are also new concepts in the revised textbooks. • In Balochistan’s textbooks, women’s representation has increased from 24% to 47%, in illustrations from 21% to 43%; in leading roles from 13% to 38%; and in physical activities from 19 to 39%. In addition, more women are shown in the public sphere (parks, markets, streets, etc.) performing various roles in revised books.

Overall the former textbooks mainly portrayed women in private spheres such as the homes and predominantly performing household chores, while men were often portrayed outdoors or engaged in technical professions. The new textbooks, now portray women in fields such as politics, technology, and sports, which were previously portrayed as men’s domain. For instance, the Balochistan Urdu textbook for Grade 2 now dedicates a chapter to the famous national cricket player Ms. Naheeda Khan. This provides an encouraging example to girls about participating in sports and outdoor activities.

One of the main reasons, for the increased representation of women and emerging concepts of inclusion in the revised government textbooks is due to the integration and incorporation of PRP materials in the textbooks. PRP has developed strong and inclusive RLMs that fully integrate women and girls into all powerful spheres of social and economic development. Along with women’s leadership, the PRP materials also emphasize personal health and hygiene, environment, life skills, protection, and supporting others. 56

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2019 Each year PRP celebrates International Women’s Day across Pakistan. PRP’s senior management paid tribute to women fellows and stakeholders and shared its vision by highlighting PRP’s incredible efforts for girls’ education in Pakistan. On Women’s Day, PRP celebrated the work of supporting governments in developing gender inclusive text books. PRP arranged numerous activities across all the provinces/regions under the theme: “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.” Participants created painting competitions, speeches, and presentations about gender equality in education. These activities were attended by PRP staff members, government officials, teachers, students, parents, and others. 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GIRL BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) One of the major events PRP observed during the 16 Days of Activism against GBV reporting year was the 16 Days of Activism against ئ آﺋ� یﺳﻮﭼں! یﮐﮩں ہﻤﺎر�ﺳﮑﻮل یﻣں ﮐﻮئ بﭽﮧ ی ّ Gender Based Violence (GBV) at various levels; engaging اﻣﺘ�ﺎزی ﺳﻠﻮک �ﺎ نذہی و ﺟﺴﻤﺎ نی �ﺸﺪد کﺎ ﺷکﺎر staff, students, government functionaries, parents, ﺗﻮ ﻧﮩ ین ؟ communities and others. Several activities such as a students’ walk, seminars, awareness SMSs, raise یآﺋں! ﻣﺨﺼﻮص ﺻﻼﺣﯿﺘﻮں وا� بﭽﻮں ﮐﻮ ﺳﮑﻮل � ﺗﻤﺎم �ﮔﺮﻣﯿﻮں یﻣں ﺑﮭ��ﻮرﺷﻤﻮﻟ�ﺖ ,concerns campaign, display of information materials کﺎ ﻣﻮﻗﻊ دے ﮐﺮ ان ﮐﻮ ﭘﺮاﻋﺘﻤﺎد ﺑﻨﺎﺋ ین۔ surveys were arranged by regions/provinces and partners to raise awareness regarding GBV. In particular violence against children and the important role teachers and education systems play in in preventing violence in schools. PRP sent informative messages to all PRP teachers regarding violence against children in schools. The “Raise Concerns” campaign was also initiated across PRP with the following goals: o Increase understanding of what constitutes inappropriate action or behavior. o Raise awareness of the various ways to report a concern, and how the reporting process works. o Increase trust and confidence that the process is effective, fair and confidential, and that there will be no retaliation for raising a concern. o Encourage staff members for immediate reporting of any harassment, assault or misuse of resources. PRP regional offices in AJK, Balochistan, FATA, GB, ICT, KP and Sindh arranged different events in office in solidarity with the cause in which 689 PRP staff (499 M, 190 F) participated.

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PHOTOS

Head office, 16 days of activism AJK 16 days of activism

Balochistan 16 days of activism-stage Karachi Sindh 16 days of activism program

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COMMUNICATIONS

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COMMUNICATIONS 5.1 BRANDING AND MARKING PRP Communications oversees the branding and marking of all material developed by project components and implementing partners, as well as material developed for program activities and events, to ensure conformity to USAID guidelines as per the approved Branding and Marking Plan. The Communications department ensures that all material produced by PRP, its implementing partners, grantees or vendors meets the USAID guidelines for branding and marking.

Branding and marking of venues: Branding and marking of venues was ensured in all programmatic and public events, such as trainings, meetings, orientation sessions, festivals, international days and workshops. Backdrops, banners, standees, podium jackets, participation certificates, plaques and promotional material were branded, as requested by the project components. Necessary approvals were sought from the USAID DOCs office whenever required.

Branding and marking of reports and publications: Branding and marking of various reports was carried out during the reporting year.

5.2 MEDIA/EVENTS/SOCIAL MEDIA

5.2.1.1- 5.2.1.2 PROGRAMMATIC AND PUBLIC EVENTS During the reporting year, PRP organized 10 public events; details of which are given below:

1. Universal Children’s Day: On November 20, to promote awareness among children and improve children’s welfare, PRP, in close collaboration with relevant Education Departments, celebrated Universal Children’s Day at its focused schools in AJK, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, KP, and Sindh. A large number of participants, including education department officials, teachers, parents and students attended the events and appreciated PRP’s efforts for creating awareness on child rights. 2. Hyderabad Literature Festival: PRP participated in the Hyderabad Literature Festival (HLF) held from January 11-13, 2019 at the Hyderabad Club. This year, PRP’s district teams from Jamshoro, Matiari and Tando Allah Yar organized a stall at the festival. The PRP RLMs were displayed at the stall. Visitors took a great interest in reading related activities arranged by PRP. These visitors included students, teachers, parents, district education officials, publishers and community members.

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3. Mother Languages Literature Festival: PRP participated in the 4th Mother Tongue Languages Literature Festival from February 16-17 held at Lok Virsa in Islamabad.

4. Karachi Literature Festival: PRP participated in the 10th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) from March 1-3, 2019 at Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi. The PRP stall showcased the RLMs. A significant number of children were engaged through a variety of activities. Visitors from the publishing industry and academia expressed interest in collaborating with the project for their schools. Many of them requested to obtain RLM for their children and schools. PRP held giveaways and distributed mini storybooks in Urdu, Sindhi and Pashto languages and stationery amongst children.

5. Participation in Enrollment Campaign: During the reporting period, PRP actively participated in enrollment campaign in multiple districts of Balochistan province to promote the awareness about education. 6. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Enrollment Campaign: During the reporting period, PRP actively participated in enrollment campaigns in multiple districts of KP in collaboration with the local

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International Literacy Day celebration in Sindh and KP government to create awareness about education and encourage parents to send their children to school. 7. Islamabad Literature Festival: PRP participated in the 6th Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF). The PRP stall showcased the RLM, which appealed to a large number of visitors. PRP distributed mini story books in Urdu, Sindhi, and Pashto languages as well as stationery to children at the stall.

8. International Literacy Day: International Literacy Day was celebrated across PRP to raise awareness on literacy and promote a reading culture in schools and communities. PRP partner schools in various districts organized different activities, including speeches, walks, and reading games in collaboration with District Education Officials. Events were held in ICT, KP, and Sindh.

9. Lyari Literature Festival: The first Lyari Literature Festival was held in Karachi on September 21 and 22 at the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University in Lyari, Karachi. The PRP Sindh team organized a reading corner at the festival that featured various reading games. The RLMs were also displayed. PRP activities at the festival attracted a huge crowd of children and parents, as well as scores of other visitors.

10. Children’s Literature Festival: The 60th Children’s Literature Festival was celebrated on August 7 and 8 in Karachi. PRP participated to strengthen children’s interest in reading, writing, and critical thinking, while making learning more interactive. PRP ensured active participation in the festival 62

where a large crowd of children was kept entertained through a variety of reading activities. PRP distributed giveaways of mini storybooks in Urdu and Sindhi languages to children who took a keen interest in the activities and the RLM.

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5.2.2 PRINT AND ELECTRONIC PROMOTION AND MEDIA COVERAGE OF PROJECT INITIATIVES In the reporting period, PRP ensured media coverage wherever needed. A total of 43 media mentions were recorded (36 print media) and 7 (4 radio and 3 TV) electronic media mentions were made for different events.

PRP On Air: • As part of Education Week celebrations, PRP participated in a weekly radio show FM 96.6 on November 6, 2018. During the show, Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Mallah, Deputy Director of Schools and District Program Manager-Pakistan Reading Project, Jamshoro, Sindh participated in a discussion on raising awareness regarding education, its importance and role of libraries in schools. • On May 9, 2019, PRP KP team participated in a weekly radio (FM 101) to highlight the PRP intervention in KP. • On June 13, 2019, the PRP Sindh team participated in a panel discussion for an hour on FM 101. The radio show was organized by USAID and highlighted the significance of reading in early grades. It also gave details of USAID’s assistance to reading programs implemented in public schools in 11 districts of Sindh and 17 districts of Balochistan. • As part of International Literacy Day, PRP participated in a weekly radio show on FM 101 on September 20, 2019. During the show, PRP AOR Daman Bozdar, Technical Director Teacher Training, Zulfiqar Ali and Reading Improvement Strategy Specialist, Atique-ur- Rehman spoke at length about reading and its importance in early grade learning. Print Media Mentions: • A total of 6 print media mentions were recorded for the Best Teacher Award Ceremony. • A total of 30 print media mentions were recorded on Community Engagement Events in multiple districts of Sindh in different local and regional newspapers. 5.2.3 SOCIAL MEDIA PACKAGES FOR USAID / PARTNERS In the reporting year, PRP shared posts/updates on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) through USAID/Pakistan, IRC and Creative. As a result, PRP was promoted on social media for its different initiatives and interventions. Details are given below: • 12 Social media posts were featured by USAID Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, and Creative Associates for the event titled "Teacher's Award Ceremony, 2018" in Islamabad during the month of October 2018. • 2 Social media posts were featured by USAID Pakistan and Creative Associates for the event titled "International Women's Day, 2019" in Islamabad during the month of March 2019. • 3 social media posts were shared by Creative Associates on promoting gender equality in Pakistan through gender inclusive textbooks. • 1 social media post was featured in a video on USAID Facebook page regarding the story of Jamayeti a PRP teacher.

5.2.4 PRP WEBSITE Regular content updates continued during the year. The revised RLMs for Grades 1 and 2 were updated on the website. In addition, PRP started the process of updating the website in light of achievements and changes in the program over the years. 64

5.3.1 POSTERS TO PROMOTE READING: Draft posters were developed and will be finalized and disseminated in Q1 of FY-2019-20 to all Cohort 3 schools in project implementation regions. 5.3.2 PRP INFORMATION AND PROMOTIONAL BROCHURES One leaflet for Public Private Partnership component was developed. 5.3 COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS 5.3.3 PROJECT VIDEOS During the reporting year, a short video was developed and submitted to USAID. The video illustrates the story of Rafia Kiran, a PRP -trained teacher in district Tando Allayar who persuaded parents in her community to send their children in school and in increased enrolment. 5.3.4 SUCCESS STORIES 12 success stories were developed and submitted with QPRs. The stories represented all PRP implementation regions and highlighted teachers and students who have benefitted from PRP’s interventions and the changes brought forth in their lives. Submitted stories also included themes of sustainability, with one on the MBL program in KP and another on an ICT teacher who ran a summer reading program for children and parents in her neighborhood. 5.3.5 NEWSLETTERS (WEEKLY UPDATES) PRP circulated weekly e-newsletters to USAID, project staff in all provinces/regions, partners and senior provincial/regional government officials. The newsletters contain weekly updates from all the regions, along with photographs of any events, trainings, etc., held, as well as a brief listing of upcoming events. Weekly updates, in the form of pertinent bullet points, were shared regularly every week with the USAID AOR for PRP. 5.3.6 PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES In the reporting year, the department continued photographing programmatic and public events. A total of 60 photographs (programmatic and thematic) were submitted to USAID during the year. 5.3.7 BEST PRACTICE GUIDE During the reporting year, a draft Best Practices Guide was developed and will be finalized in the next year. It was decided that Best Practices were those that: demonstrate evidence of success; affect important goals or outcomes; have potential to be replicated and sustained; and, are widely agreed upon as effective. The selected Best Practices are grounded in research and the following guiding principles: Strong partnerships with the government to ensure alignment with national/provincial priorities; continuous engagement with a range of stakeholders; commitment to gender equity; and, commitment to quality, accountability, and results. After evaluation, which included desk research, interviews and focus group discussions, and collaboration with government counterparts, five best practices were identified. Two promising practices have also been included, which although did not meet the criteria for best practices, contributed positively to project outcomes. The draft report will be shared in the first quarter of the next year.

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5.4 REPORTING AND DOCUMENTATION During the reporting year, PRP submitted 1 annual report and 4 quarterly reports. 5.4.2 EVENTS CALENDAR 4 quarterly events calendars were submitted to USAID for each quarter of the year, highlighting programmatic and public outreach events planned for the next quarter. 5.5 OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY In light of the modification and budget reduction, it was decided that a modest outreach and advocacy strategy was needed that would be simple, manageable, and yet effective in promoting the good work of the project. The Outreach and Advocacy Strategy 2019-2020 was finalized in the reporting year. The strategy highlights low cost opportunities that PRP can use to promote its initiatives as well as reading. The strategy also links in the implementing partners, i.e. IRC and Creative, by sharing resources with them, such as photographs, videos, and write-ups, as needed, to utilize their outreach through their social media platforms and other sources to promote PRP’s achievements. PRP will follow this strategy during the last project year to fulfill the promotional needs of the project.

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MONITORING & EVALUATION

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MONITORING & EVALUATION

6.1 REVIEW, REVISE MEL PLAN AND FINALIZED IT WITH USAID During FY18-19, based on PRP award modification # 15, PRP started revising MEL Plan. The revised document will be submitted in Q1 of FY19-20 for approval. 6.2 DEVELOPMENT OF PERFORMANCE INDICATOR REFERENCE SHEET (PIRS) FOR CUSTOM INDICATORS PRP started reviewing and revising PIRS of custom indicators in accordance to changes made in the MEL plan. These PIRS will be submitted along with MEL Plan in Q1 of FY19-20. 6.3 ESTABLISHMENT & IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MONITORING SYSTEMS (SYSTEMATIC MONITORING) To support project staff in tracking progress against work plan activities during the reporting year, the M&E-IS team developed planning modules for districts based on quarterly targets and aligned district -level dashboards to these targets with existing graphical interfaces. Functionality for monthly progress review by district management was also provided. Necessary modules were also developed on M&E-IS to track community events, community -managed grants, and progress on policies. Excel - based data export was also added in M&E-IS for CMRs. Furthermore, SSV Form A and B were modified as per revised tools for collection of newly required data for project needs. For reliable and valid data on M&E-IS, data was reviewed by the M&E-IS team to fix data discrepancies.

In the previous year, the MEL team completed its regional target for orientation meetings for M&E. During the reporting year, AJK, ICT, KP and Sindh M&E team organized 12 more provincial/regional (AJK=3, ICT=2, KP=4, Sindh=3) need-based orientation sessions in their respective regions/provinces. During the meetings, PRP staff members were oriented on project close out requirements and consolidation of activities data. Furthermore, 1 M&E national Progress review meeting was held in the PRP Islamabad office by the National M&E team in Q3 (Apr-June 2019) to collect and review MOVs for cohort 1 and cohort 2 from regional M&E teams. Along with this, the cohort 3 close out process was discussed. The meeting was attended by 16 (10M, 6F) PRP staff from central and regional M&E teams. In the upcoming year, 3 more workshops will be organized by national team for close out.

Central and regional M&E teams assisted project staff in tracking progress against work plan activities and MEL plans by ensuring data availability on the M&E-IS at each tier. In this regard, support was provided each quarter for reporting, as well as for annual reporting. Furthermore, the central M&E team consolidated data for district-based reporting on PakInfo against MEL plan indicators for each quarter (Q1-FY 17-18) and three Quarters of FY 18-19. PRP also uploaded quarterly data on TrainNet.

To strengthen monitoring processes at the district/provincial level, M&E teams conducted 719 school monitoring visits (AJK=25, Balochistan =283, NMD=6, GB=6, ICT=39, KP=139, Sindh=221) to evaluate

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PRP’s on-going activities in the field. M&E teams shared their observations with respective program staff for course correction, when necessary.

6.4 Design and conduct surveys/studies depending on nature of activities During reporting year, PRP completed following surveys: SCHOLARSHIP GRADUATE SURVEY The scholarship graduate survey was initiated in all regions. A total of 370 Scholarship graduates’ who completed their ADE and B.Ed (Hons.) program a year earlier were selected to seek feedback for following questions; 1) Scholarship recipients’ current status with respect to their transition from education into employment or into further degree programs. 2) The perception of employers about relevance of knowledge and skills taught in these programs with regard to their organizational needs.

A total of 186 graduates (82 M; 104 F) out of 370 scholarship graduates responded during this survey. The following is a brief summary of key findings: • The employment figure shows 41% of respondents are employed one year after completing their degree programs. • 21% of surveyed graduates are either pursuing or applying for a higher degree program, while 29% of surveyed graduates are looking for jobs. • Employment figures show higher male than female employment, 57% and 43%, respectively, in doing any type of job. • Out of employed graduates, 71% adopted teaching as a profession, which seems promising since the primary objective of providing these scholarships is to bring more qualified teachers into the workforce. • The private sector had overtaken the public sector as the most important source of employment for graduates. Out of these graduates who adopted teaching profession, 42% are teaching in private schools compared to 29% teaching in public schools. • Among unemployed graduates, female graduates are more inclined (67%) towards pursuing higher degree programs compared to their male counterparts. • The data shows that all (n=20) employers agreed that in their opinion, a PRP graduate has the right skill set and education needed for the job.

TTI ENROLMENT AND GRADUATION SURVEY: Student enrollment and graduation data for academic year 2018-19 was collected from 78 TTIs during the reporting year from all regions. A total of 3,502 numbers of students were enrolled in ADE and B.Ed. (Hons) and 1,154 students’ graduated from these programs during the reporting year

STUDENT ENROLMENT SURVEY: The annual census -based survey is conducted in all PRP focused regions except NMDS (due to NOC issue) in PRP schools. The Survey shows that 141,349 new students (M 80,967; F 60,382) are enrolled in these regions in grade 1 (FY 2019-20) who will benefit from 4,810 PRP interventions schools.

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Table 22: Number of Grade-1 students enrolled during FY 2019-20 Province/ Regions # of Schools where PRP trained Grade 01 Grade 01 Total teacher teaching G1 Boys Girls

AJK 569 1,905 1,912 3,817 Balochistan 712 8,631 7,636 16,267 ICT 117 2,353 2,473 4,826 GB 270 4,878 1,893 6,771 KP 1,816 31,982 29,932 61,914 Sindh 1,326 31,218 16,536 47,754 Grand Total 4,810 80,967 60,382 141,349 SURVEY ON READING FOCUSED COURSES (2 SURVEYS) PRP conducted a sample base survey to examine the implementation of reading -focused courses offered by partner Teacher Training Institutes (TTIs). The survey was completed to report 3 following custom indicators. As part of the survey, details of pre-service trainees who opted into reading focused courses in B.Ed. (Hons.) during Jan 17 - Dec 2018 and those who had passed these subjects were collected from 72 TTIs located in Cohorts 1, 2 and 3 districts across 6 regions.

1.1.3-f Percentage of TTIs that integrate reading courses into the pre-service training of ADE and/or B. Ed (Hons.) program 1.1.3-g Percentage of TTIs offering specialized reading courses in B.Ed. (honors) program 1.1.3-h Number of pre-service trainees opting into new reading specialized courses offered by TTIs.

Key findings of the survey were as follow: • Out of 72 TTIs surveyed, 18 TTIs are not offering any ADE or B.Ed. (Hons.) programs. 17 of these TTIs are in KP, where PITE has started its own induction program. The remaining one is in AJK. • Out of 72 TTIs, 53% of TTIs integrated reading courses into pre-services training of ADE and/or B.Ed. (Hons.) program • Out of 72 TTIs, 25% of TTIs (18 TTIs total) offered specialized reading courses developed by PRP in collaboration with HEC. • 544 students have opted in for specialized reading courses in their B.Ed. (Hons.) program till December 2018.

PRP also worked on following two research studies during the reporting year.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CLASSROOM -BASED LIBRARIES ON STUDENTS’ READING OUTCOMES The study aims to answer the following questions: 1. The cost-effectiveness of providing classroom library on students reading scores? 2. Is the use of the classroom based library related to students’ love and habit for reading?

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3. How do students’ reading practices and use of the school library vary according to their gender, home literacy, and the match/mismatch between their home language and the language of instruction at school?

During reporting year, quantitative and qualitative data was collected from schools with no corner libraries and full treatment schools with corner libraries during variation study. This data will be compared at end line with these schools to examine any change for above mentioned questions. IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH FOR COHORTS 1 AND 2 Project monitoring data for Cohort 1 and 2 was shared with the PRP Technical Unit (TU) from the M&E- IS dashboard to find out how differences in teacher characteristics and the quality, fidelity of the implementation affect student outcomes. The report will be shared in the next reporting year. 6.5 IMPACT EVALUATION (STUDENT ASSESSMENT) Numbers of impact evaluations and reading assessments initiated during the reporting year 2018-19 by PRP. These included the Pashto midline, READ Foundation (Low fee) end line, Variation baseline and midline studies. 6.5.7 ASSESSMENT MIDLINE INCLUDING REVIEW OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS, FINALIZATION OF REPORTS AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS FOR PASHTO During the reporting year, 4-day enumerators’ training was organized in Peshawar to train 9 enumerators (6 M, 3 F) to conduct student reading assessments along with training them on teacher’s questionnaires and classroom observation tools. The data collection was carried out in 32 schools (16 M, 16 F). A total of 961 students (431 Boys, 530 Girls) were assessed in both grades 1 and 2. Furthermore, classroom observations of 55 teachers (28 M; 27 F) were carried out. Following are the key findings of the studies. 1. Significant improvement in the mean scores of intervention schools’ students was observed, whereas the performance of the control group students showed a declining trend from baseline to midline. 2. Significant decrease of zero scorers for interventions schools’ students was observed in all assessed tasks except for orientation to print. Whereas in a control group, a significant increase for zero scorers was observed in orientation to print, letter-sound knowledge, and familiar word reading. 3. In terms of teacher practices, a large effect size was evidenced for “teaching reading and writing” competency, medium effect size of “reading lesson preparation with lesson plan objective”, “teaching methods and resources” and low effect size in “student participation and wellbeing” and use of formative and summative assessments”.

The table shows the change in zero scores from baseline to midline. Table 22: Percentage of students against reading performance standards for Pashto Midline Percentage of G1- Intervention Student against PS Compliance level Task Name % change in Zero Scorer % change in Meet & Exceed Standards BL BL ML (N=245) Change ML (N=245) Change (N=239) (N=239) Orientation to Print (OP)(08) 3.3 4.1 0.8 12.6 28.2 15.6 Phonemic Awareness (PA)(10) 21.8 9.4 -12.4 7.5 23.7 16.2 Letter Name Recognition (LN) 6.3 2.0 -4.3 22.6 31.0 8.4 Letter Sound Knowledge (LS) 62.8 13.9 -48.9 4.6 14.3 9.7 71

Familiar Word Reading (FWR) 59.8 32.7 -27.1 12.1 33.5 21.4 Non-word Reading (NWR) 68.6 44.5 -24.1 9.6 26.5 16.9 Passage Reading (CWPM) 62.3 44.1 -18.2 13.0 31.0 18.0 Reading Comprehension (05) 86.2 62.0 -24.2 2.5 9.4 6.9 Listening Comprehension (03) 31.8 26.9 -4.9 17.2 26.1 8.9 *Negative changes in zero scorer shows reduction of zero scorers in each task from baseline to midline; positive changes in meet and exceed standards shows increase in student’s percentages who meet and exceed standards.

6.5.9 CONDUCT STUDENT ASSESSMENT END-LINE FOR BATCH 2 (GRADE 2) AND FINALIZE REPORT AND DISSEMINATE ITS FINDINGS FOR URDU ONLY During the reporting year, the narrative report for the Batch 2 end line study was drafted. The purpose of the study was to look at the impact of PRP on academic year 2015-2017 cycle (Endline-1) and observe whether those impacts lasted in the academic year 2016-2018 cycle (Endline-2) where teacher support was reduced considerably. Overall, it was found that:

• The positive impact for second grade students at Endline-1 were not only sustained but increased at Endline-2. The study noted that even with reduced support, teachers had accumulated one additional year of experience with the program. The teachers also used a revised set of teaching and learning materials provided by PRP during the extended period.

• In terms of impact on PRP on teachers’ instructional practices, the results showed that, with the exception of reading lesson preparation for which the intervention impact increased at endline-2, the impacts for all other instructional practices remained positive at endline-2, but decreased in magnitude from the impacts observed at endline-1.

The following table shows significant increase in percentage of students who meet the national reading standards at batch-II end line (2018) in comparison to endline-1 (2017) and baseline (2015). It also shows significant decrease in percentage of students who meet standards in oral reading fluency and reading comprehension in control groups.

Table 23: Change in percentage of students meet national reading standards Treatment Control Metric Baseline Endline- Endline- Endline-1 Endline-2 Baseline Endline- Endline- Endline-1 Endline-2 1 2 Change Change 1 2 Change Change Orientation to Print 17.3 33.4 40.4 16.13*** 23.17*** 16.3 16.0 18.3 -0.22 2.03 Phonemic Awareness 4.4 14.7 15.0 10.33*** 10.62*** 3.8 3.5 5.5 -0.29 1.76 Letter Sound Knowledge 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.21 0.16 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Familiar Word Reading 19.4 25.3 31.6 5.89** 12.23*** 14.3 11.7 12.6 -2.67 -1.76 Oral Reading Fluency 18.4 20.4 30.9 2.02 12.50*** 14.8 9.1 10.6 -5.69** -4.23 Reading Comprehension 16.7 21 33.9 4.24* 17.17*** 12.7 8.0 11.2 -4.77* -1.49

Significant at *p<0.05 **p<0.01 *** <.001

Figure 1 shows that the teachers in the treatment group improved their teaching competencies in positive and statistically significant ways, which are in the range of medium to large effect sizes at endline-1 and small-to-large effect sizes at endline-2. Specifically, we observed that at endline-1 and endline-2, teachers’ increased their preparation for delivering the reading lesson (effect sizes went from 0.75 standard deviation to 1.22 standard deviation), but decreased the quality of their teaching

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methods and resources, promotion of student participation and wellbeing, use of formative and summative assessments and teaching and writing practices. Figure 1: Change in Teacher Competency Level Effects of PRP on Teacher's Instructional Practices at Endline_1 and Endline_2

0.9 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.9 0.6 1.2 0.9 0.8 1.2

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50

Endline_1 Endline_2

6.5.11 ESTABLISHMENT OF BASELINE OF RESEARCH ON EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT ARMS OF PRP CPD MODEL PILOTING OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS, FINALIZATION OF REPORTS AND DSSEMINATION OF FINDINGS FOR C3 (KP REGION ONLY) During the reporting year, a 4-day training was conducted for 12 enumerators (6M; 6F) to orient them on process and contents for conducting FGDs with students, teachers and RQAs.

FGDs were conducted in districts Haripur and Dir Upper to evaluate experiences related to reading in the home, schools and community. In total, 458 students (230 Boys, 228 Girls) and 32 teachers (16 M, 16 F) participated in 87 FGD sessions. In addition, 3 FGDs sessions were conducted for 13 RQAs (8 M, 5 F).

PRP conducted SSVs and TIG process monitoring in the above-mentioned districts in sample schools. For this exercise, 16 enumerators (8 M; 8 F) were trained on the SSV and TIG observation tools during February 27 - March 2, 2019 in Peshawar. Data collection was carried out from March 4 - March 19, 2019. In total, 21 TIGs (10 M; 11 F) and 58 SSVs (32 M; 26 F) were observed by these trained enumerators. The following results shows quality of SSA and Mentor support for TIGs and SSV.

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Figure 2: Quality of School Support Visits Figure 3: Quality of TIG Meetings

Level of Quality of School Support Visits Quality of TIG Meeting by SSAs 3 100 17.2 15.5 80 37.9 43.1 37.9 2 60 60.3 40 56.9 55.2 1 2.00 2.03 20 43.1 1.82 22.4 0 5.7 3.45 1.7 Pre-visit Post-visit Pre-visit Post-visit 0 conversation conversation conversation conversation TIG members' Mentors' SSAs' behavior with HT with HT with Teacher with Teacher behavior behavior Average Score Proficient Level Not Yet Started Emerging Proficient Exemplary

Note: Each indicator takes values between 0 and 3 where 0 denotes “Not Yet Started”, 1 “Emerging”, 2 “Proficient” and 3 “Exemplary”. If the average value is below 2, it means that the competency is below proficient level and if it is above 2 it means that it is above proficient level.

The figure 2 shows that most SSAs are at meeting proficient levels for school support visits. It is also observed that SSAs and Mentors are at meeting proficient levels during TIG meeting and members are near to a proficient level.

TIG members are considered proficient when most of them come on time in TIG meeting, prepared to lead TIG module activities, have completed their interim activities, follow TIG module structure, understand and explain most of modules’ content, demonstrate and practice using instructions and assessment strategies, feel safe giving/receiving feedback by acting respectfully.

Mentors/SSAs are considered proficient when most of them support TIG members to lead sessions, monitor and redirect members to follow TIG module structure, display understanding of module contents, make connection to classroom, answers members’ questions, model instructional/assessment strategies, allow TIG members to talk most of the time, redirect unwanted behaviors, and give respectful feedback. The quantitative variation-baseline report was prepared and disseminated. The qualitative baseline report will be shared in the upcoming year.

6.5.12 MIDLINE RESEARCH ON EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT ARMS OF PRP CPD MODEL PILOTING OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS, FINALIZATION OF REPORTS AND DSSEMINATION OF FINDINGS FOR C3 (KP REGION ONLY) In Quarter 3 of the reporting year, a training workshop was held where 42 data collectors (21M; 21F) were trained in 5 days on quantitative data collection. Further data collection activity was also initiated in the same quarter. In total, 229 schools (B119, G110) were visited and 3,813 (Boys1,983, Girls1,830) Grade 2 students’ reading performance was measured using EGRA for this longitudinal study. The trained data collectors also observed classroom teachings of 244 (123 M; 121 F) Grade 2 teachers.

The Assessment team conducted a training of 9 enumerators (3 M; 6 F) for collection of variation qualitative midline data in KP selected sample schools during quarter 4. These enumerators were 74

trained on the content and process of conducting interviews with students, teachers, head teachers, mentors, and RQAs. They were also briefed how to transcribe these interviews using intelligent verbatim in English language for rapid analysis. Practical sessions in the schools were also organized to ensure effective use of tools and quality data collection.

6.5.14 STUDENT ASSESSMENT ENDLINE FOR LOW FEE FOUNDATION SCHOOLS (READ FOUNDATION) FINALIZATION OF REPORT AND DISSEMINATION OF ITS FINDINGS 14 data collectors (9 M, 3 F) were trained in a 5-day training workshop in Muzaffarabad. Data was collected from 37 schools, where 535 students (272 Boys, 263 Girls) were assessed. Forty-nine teachers (7 M; 42 F) were observed. The READ foundation End-line assessment report was finalized during the reporting year.

Key findings indicate an overall improvement in the average fluency score of passage reading in the end-line study. For Grade 1 students, the average fluency score increased by 10 point from 26.6 cwpm of baseline to 36.6 cwpm. Similarly, for grade 2, an increase of 13.7 points was recorded between the baseline (51.7 cwpm) and end-line (65.4 cwpm).

Figure 4: Change in percentage of zero scores in ORF for Read Foundation Figure 5: Change in Teacher Instructional Behaviors for Read Foundation

READ Foundation grade 1 & 2 Oral Reading READ Foundations Teacher Instructional Behaviors Fluency 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 100% 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.5 80% 33.0% 40.7% 1.4 53.0% 56.6% 1.5 1.2 60% 1.0 0.5 40% 54.4% 56.1% 0.0

% of readers 34.4% 20% 40.0% AJK GB AJK GB AJK GB AJK GB AJK GB 12.6% 12.6% Reading Lesson Teaching Student Use of Teaching 0% 3.3% 3.4% Preparation Methods and Participation Formative and Reading and Baseline Endline Baseline Endline with Lesson Resources and Well being Summative Writing Plan Objective Assessments Grade 1 Grade 2

Non Readers Does not meet PS Meets & Exceeds PS Baseline

Note: Non-reader cannot read single word. *1: Not yet started, 2: Emerging, 3: Proficient, 4: Exemplary Does not meet PS: 1-29 CWPM for grade 1 and 1-59 CWPM for grade 2. Meeting and Exceeding PS: 30+CWPM for grade 1and 60+CWPM for grade 2.

The figure 4 shows an increase of 20% students in grade 1 and 16% students in grade 2 who are now meeting national performance standards for oral reading fluency. While figure 5 also shows improvement in all teaching competencies of the observed teachers during the end-line study.

6.6 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS- PERFORMANCE TRACKING Student Performance Tracking Assessment also continued during the reporting year. Sections of the narrative reports from the conducted studies were also finalized. In total, 8 assessments were conducted, including 5 for Urdu language and 3 for Sindhi language.

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6.6.4 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT/STUDENT PEFORMANCE TRACKING (SPT) CARRIED OUT

During the reporting year, student performance tracking was carried out in two rounds in 4 provinces/regions (Balochistan, GB, ICT, and KP) in Cohort 3 districts for Grade 1. During SPT1, administered from October 1, 2018 to November 15, 2018, a total of 801 schools (322 Host, 479 Member) were visited and 4,810 students (2,478 Boys, 2,332 Girls) were assessed. During SPT-2, administered November 16, 2018 to December 31, 2018, 2,912 students (1,415 Boys; 1,497 Girls) from 478 schools (189 Host, 289 Members) were assessed.

The SPT-2 tool was administered in Sindh region during the Quarter 1. A total of 243 Sindhi medium schools were visited, where 1,439 Grade 1 students (926 Boys, 513 Girls) were assessed.

In Quarter 2 of the reporting year, PRP conducted SPT3 assessment for both grade students in Cohort 3 districts in Urdu and Sindhi languages. For Grade 1, a total of 564 schools, including 361 host and 203 member schools, were assessed where, 3,286 students were tested on reading skills. for Grade 2, executed in Cohort 1 and 2, a total of 659 schools and 3,579 students were assessed.

The 2018-2019 academic year began during the quarter 3 round 1 assessment. PRP administrated SPT1 tool for grade 2 students in Cohort 3 districts for Urdu language and assessed 4,784 students (Boys2,439, Girls2345) from 959 schools.

Raw mean scores for Grade 2 students in Urdu language were assessed during SPT1 for the 2018-19 academic session and are shown in the below table.

Table 24: Mean score for assessed tasks for Grade II students (SPT1 2018-19) Number of Orientation to Letter Sound Oral Reading Reading Region observed Print Knowledge Fluency Comprehension Students (N) (6 Questions) (LS-100 letters ) (ORF- 60 words) (5 Questions) AJK 1,441 3.36 27.75 25.26 1.82 BALOCHISTAN 1,401 3.41 27.48 27.48 1.81 GB 133 4.97 44.94 46.93 3.44 ICT 350 4.10 22.63 40.42 2.71 KP 1,459 4.30 51.61 35.00 2.23

Performance of students in ORF and RC (mean ORF score and number of correct responses to comprehension questions) were measured at different points of time to show progression. Students were randomly selected from the same population taught by PRP trained teachers. The Following graph shows progression made by students from grade 1 quarter 3 to grade 2 quarter 1.

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Figure 6: Progression in ORF from G1_Q3 to G2-Q1 Figure 7: Progression in RC from G1_Q3 to G2-Q1

Progression in G1-Q3 to G2-Q1 Students in ORF Progression in G1-Q3 to G2-Q1 Students 60.0 5.0 in RC

46.9 50.0 4.0 3.4 38.5 40.4 40.0 35.0 32.1 3.0 2.7 27.5 27.7 2.2 30.0 1.8 CWPM 21.8 2.0 20.0 Mean Score 1.3 1.2 1.2 12.7 8.4 1.0 0.5 2.1 10.0 5.7 1.5 2.9 1.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 BALOCHISTAN GB ICT KP

ORF (CWPM) G1-Q3 (61) ORF (CWPM) G2-Q1 (60) ORF (CWPM) Change RC G1-Q3 (5) RC G2-Q1 (5) RC Change

* G1-Q3 was not carried out in AJK region

In Quarter 4, SPT2 for grade 2 in Urdu language was carried out in all PRP Cohort 3 districts of Balochistan, ICT, and KP provinces. During the assessment, a total number of 3,025 students (1,575 M; 1,450 F) from 551 schools were assessed.

The Mean scores for all assessed reading tasks is given in below table.

Table 25: Mean percentage correct score results G2_Q2 for Urdu by Region Phonemic Passage Reading Awareness Familiar Word* Reading Comprehension (% Region (% correct) (cwpm) correct) BALOCHISTAN 74.3 39.9 43.5 55.4 ICT 85.6 45.8 42.4 65.6 KP 76.0 43.4 50.5 65.6 *This is raw mean correct word per minute for assessed students

The following graph shows progress of students in ORF and Reading Comprehension (RC) from last quarter to this quarter.

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Figure 8: Grade 2 Progression in ORF from Q1 to Q2 Urdu by Region Figure 9: Grade 2 Progression in ORF from Q1 to Q2 Urdu by Region

Progression in G2-Q1 to G2-Q2 Students in 60 ORF

50 50.50 40 43.56 40.4242.41 30 35 CWPM 20 27.48

10 16.08 15.5 1.99 0 BALOCHISTAN ICT KP

Grade 2 Q-1 (ORF) Grade 2 Q-2 (ORF) ORF Change

In Sindh, SPT1 was carried out in all Cohort 3 target districts for grade 2 students for round 1. A total of 1,500 students, 484 girls (32%) and 1,016 boys (68%) in grade 2 were assessed in 261 schools for Sindhi language. Additionally, a total of 1,453 students, 472 girls (32%) and 981 boys (68 %) were also assessed for grade 1 (Sindhi) in all Cohort 3 districts from 255 schools during same period.

The following graph shows the progress of students from grade 1 round 3 to grade 2 round 1 between last quarter and this quarter.

Figure 10: Progression in ORF Sindhi from G1_Q3 to G2_Q1

Progression of ORF (Sindhi) Mean form G1-Q3 to G2-Q1 50 40 26.9 28.4 30 20 CWPM 10 1.5 0 G1_Q3 (2018) G2_Q1 (2019) Difference

6.6.5 DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS WITH STAKEHOLDERS Students Performance tracking results have been shared with government officials in Provincial/ Advisory Committee meetings in Balochistan, GB and ICT regions. District -based results were shared with government officials of Kharan, Noshki district government officials, the Balochistan team, and with mentors and teacher in TIG meetings in district Gilgit.

Furthermore, the SPT detailed analysis was shared with the project implementation team at national, reginal, and district levels on a quarterly basis to measure the progress of student reading skills by showing trends at district level for necessary course correction. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY: SURVEY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS AND UTILIZATION OF TABLETS IN PRP SCHOOLS PRP conducted a small evaluation study on PRP provided tablets to obtain information about the effectiveness and utilization of Tablets by PRP trained teachers. Data was collected on the functioning

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and usage of tablets in schools by the teachers in Cohort 1 and cohort 2 and to identify gaps and explore improvement opportunities. The study was conducted in ICT, KP and Sindh regions and a total of 393 teachers were interviewed.

The findings of the study conclude that the use of technology in in-service teacher’s capacity building was one of the successful elements of the CPD (Teacher Training) model. These tablets had enabled teachers to enhance their knowledge and acquired hands on practice on PRP material before using it in their classrooms. For instance, the majority of the teachers (more than 95%) who responded to questions on the Impact of use of Tablets acknowledged their effectiveness in following ways: • It has detailed orientation material for teachers, which we can exercise repeatedly and then apply in classrooms with students. • It has significantly helped in enhancing the vocabulary of teachers. • Teachers can use its content for higher classes as well. • It has improved teachers’ sounds knowledge, teaching methods and implementation practices in classrooms. • The tablet also helps in implementation of other classroom activities.

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ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN FY2018-19

CHALLENGES RESOLUTION/MITIGATION STRATIGIES 1. NOC issues to implement program activities in NMDs, AJK, GB and Haripur. Following is the description of the issue and strategies PRP followed to resolve/mitigate the issue: • NMDs: the government authorities issue With no progress on the NOC, despite NOC for different durations such as continuous efforts, PRP developed and got monthly, quarterly or bi-annual. PRP’s approved an alternate strategy to deliver PRP’s last NOC for NMD was granted only for in-service training model in NMDs. Under the one month in June 2018. PRP applied for alternate strategy, PRP plan to bring 1,526 the NOC renewal instantly. Despite NMDs teachers to the adjacent KP districts and rigorous follow-ups, the NOC could not conducted face-to-face training. be renewed in the reporting year.

• AJK: interventions in cohort 3 districts PRP developed and implemented an alternate were put on hold due to delay in signing strategy in AJK and shifted Cohort 3 targets to of MOU by AJK government at the start Cohort 1 and 2 districts after the approval of of FY2018-19. USAID. • GB: interventions in Ghanche and To account for time lapse, PRP developed and Diamer districts remained on hold due to implemented an alternate strategy approved by delays in signing of MOU by the GB USAID. government. 2. Suspension of PRP activities in Haripur: PRP held meetings with all senior district District Education Office (DEO) in Haripur management and LEA officials, including the advised PRP to obtain clearance from the education officials and Deputy Commissioner. district administration and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to continue project activities in district. The project office in the district has remained closed since and activities have been kept on a low key. This situation has affected activities related to CMR grants, community engagement and TIG meetings. 3. Pre-scheduled closure of project The management held a series of meetings with interventions in Cohort 1 and 2: Early Cohort 1 and 2 staff to brief them on USAID’s closure of the project interventions in Cohort support during this extended period beyond 1 and 2 and uncertainty about future funding year five and Mission’s geographic priorities created unrest and anxiety among the staff. under the new country strategy. Where possible, PRP has made efforts to prioritize hiring of staff laid off from Cohort 1 and 2 against vacant positions in Cohort 3 districts. 4. Frequent transfer and promotion of PRP Transfer of PRP trained teachers has been a long trained teachers more particularly in KP, standing problem, which the project has tried to continuously added more to the work of address by working with the education district staff. department on one hand, while on the other, PRP has minimized the adverse impact by providing condensed training to newly transferred/inducted teachers.

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ANNEXURES:

Annex 1: Work Plan (WP) Matrix FY 2018-19

Annex 2: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan Matrix

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