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USAID-FUNDED PAKISTAN READING PROJECT QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT: JULY 01 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Pakistan

Cooperative Agreement Number: AID-391-A-13-00005

Grantee: International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Date of Submission: October 31, 2017

THIS REPORT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) FUNDED PAKISTAN READING PROJECT. THE CONTENTS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC) AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF USAID OR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACRONYMS ...... 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 6

SNAPSHOT OF THE PROGRAM ...... 8

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES ...... 9

COMPONENT 1: IMPROVED CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR READING ...... 8

COMPONENT 2: IMPROVED POLICIES AND SYSTEMS FOR READING ...... 3492

COMPONENT 3: COMMUNITY BASED SUPPORT FOR READING ...... 517

GENDER ...... 48

COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTING ...... 49

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING ...... 54

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES ...... 60

OPERATIONS HIGHLIGHTS ...... 61

PRP INTERNATIONAL VISITORS/CONSULTANTS VISITS ...... 62

KEY MEETINGS ...... 63

ANNEXES ...... 68

ANNEX 1: PERFORMANCE AGAINST PROPOSED INDICATORS

ANNEX 2: SUCCESS STORIES

ACRONYMS

ADE Associate Degree in Education ASI Adam Smith International AAEO Assistant Agency Education Officer AEO Agency Education Officer AFAQ Association for Academic Quality AJK Azad Jammu & Kashmir AOR Agreement Office Representative B.Ed. (Hons) Bachelors of Education (Honors) BoC Bureau of Curriculum BECS Basic Education Community Schools BEAC Balochistan Examination and Assessment Commission CA&DD Capital Administration and Development Division CAII Creative Associates International Inc. CBCL Classroom Based Corner Library CU-CSR City University Consultancy Services and Research CMR Community Managed Reading C1 & C2 Component 1 & 2 CPD Continuous Professional Development CWG Communication Working Group CRP Complementary Reading Program CRC Curriculum Review Committee CA&DD Capital Administration & Development Division DCTE Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education DG Director General DCRD Directorate of Curriculum and Research Development DoE Directorate of Education DRLP Daily Reading Lesson Plan EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment ETOs Education Training Officers EEF Elementary Education Foundation FDE Federal Directorate of Education FGD Focus Group Discussion E&SE Elementary and Secondary Education FE&PT Federal Education & Professional Training FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas FJWU Fatima Jinnah Women University FDE Federal Directorate of Education FGD Focus Group Discussion HR Human Resources GB Gilgit Baltistan GGPS Government Girls Primary School HEC Higher Education Commission HoO Head of Office ICT Islamabad Capital Territory IRC International Rescue Committee IRM Institute of Rural Management IFO Islamabad Field Office ICP Islamabad Central Project ILF Islamabad Literature Festival KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IPEMC Inter-Provincial Education Ministers’ Conference IRC International Rescue Committee IRM Institute of Rural Management KEACE Kashmir Education Assessment Center KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MEL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning M&E-IS Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Information System MOU Memorandum of Understanding MBL Mobile Bus Library MT Master Trainer MRC Material Review Committee NACTE National Accreditation Council of Teacher Education NCC National Curriculum Council NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NEAS National Education Assessment System NGO Non-Government Organization NOC No Objection Certificate PAC Provincial Advisory Committee PEC Procurement Evaluation Committee PSC Provincial Steering Committee PEAS Provincial Education Assessment System PIRs Performance Indicators Reference Sheets PITE Provincial Institute for Teacher Education PMP Performance Monitoring Plan PPP Public Private Partnership PRP USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project PSC Provincial Steering Committee RIT Reading Instruction Time RFP Request for Proposal RFQ Request for Quotation RIS Reading Improvement Strategy RLM Reading Learning Material SMC School Management Committee STEDA Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority SoW Scope of Work SMT Senior Management Team SSA School Support Associate SSV School Support Visit SRP USAID Sindh Reading Program SBKU Sardar Bahadur Khan University SEF Sindh Education Foundation ToRs Terms of Reference TA Technical Assistant TAC Technical Advisory Committee TEP Teacher Education Project TCF The Citizens’ Foundation TIG Teacher Inquiry Group TTI Teacher Training Institute VMV Virtual Mentoring Video USAID United States Agency for International Development WL World Learning

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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 the quality of education with a focus on improving the reading skills of children at early grade level. PRP will achieve this goal through three objectives: teacher training, policy reform, and community support for reading in Pakistan.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016-17, PRP implemented the approved quarter 4 activities as per revised life of project work plan submitted to USAID. PRP field activities continued in focused districts across Pakistan, and in parallel, PRP after receiving approval of quarterly work plan (July to September 2017) by the FATA Secretariat, held multiple meetings with relevant education department officials and other stakeholders to brief them on the objectives of PRP interventions and their positive impact on the students and teachers of the region. Moreover, PRP received modification approval letter from USAID of project activities till 2020.

PRP’s component 1 successfully completed revision of year 1 TIG modules (1-10) in Urdu and Sindhi. The revised Urdu modules were reviewed and endorsed by provincial/regional MRCs. Similarly, the teachers in cohort 1 districts continued participating in quarterly TIG meetings and some teachers from cohort 2 districts started their first quarterly TIG meeting during the quarter. In addition, project also continued arranging quarterly review meetings with academic supervisors in cohort 1 and 2 districts. Project also continued collaboration with READ Foundation in AJK and GB through training teachers and head teachers. PRP’s scholarship program disbursed scholarship installments to 90 students enrolled in B.Ed. (Hons.) degree program.

Under material development, the designing and layout of grade 2 Urdu & Sindhi lesson plans and workbook was completed in this quarter. PRP has initiated printing of grade 1 Reading Learning Material (RLM) package for FATA schools. The layout, design and illustrations of Pashto reading & learning material for grade 1 were also finalized by the project. Moreover, the second session of first group of writers’ capacity building workshop was held at Islamabad. Total 24 (20 M; 4 F) writers of thirteen local languages from different regions of Pakistan participated in this session. As a result, participants developed and finalized 13 big books and 13 decodable stories in 13 local languages.

During the reporting quarter, component 2 key achievements entail approval of Pashto reading standards and revised scheme of studies by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Steering Committee. Likewise, the Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) framework for Balochistan, GB and KP were approved in respective provincial steering committee meetings. Another major achievement was the notification of Sindh Continuous Professional Development (CPD) strategic plan by School Education and Literacy Department. Thirteen consultative meetings were held to integrate reading standards/skills in language curriculum of Grades 1 - 5. The second meeting of National Reading Forum was also held in Islamabad. The meeting was chaired by the Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training.

Under Public Private Partnership (PPP), meetings were held with multiple potential private partners to identify support for sustainability of PRP interventions in different provinces/regions. A meeting was also held with the Secretary, Social Sector Development FATA and FATA Education Directorate officials to discuss the way forward for initiating PPP interventions in the public schools of FATA region.

The assessment team facilitated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provincial assessment centers' officials in building their capacity on Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) data set analysis. A 2-day Enumerators Training workshop was held in Directorate of Education Extension (DEE) Muzaffarabad, AJK in which participants were trained on the EGRA tool by PRP. Later on 320 students of grade 1 & 2 were assessed by these trained enumerators (DoE officials) using EGRA tool developed in Tangerine software.

PRP’s component 3 completed all Complementary Reading Project (CRP) grants during Q2 of FY 16- 17 and to evaluate the effectiveness of these grants PRP planned to conduct evaluation of these grants through a third party. In the last quarter the procurement process was initiated and during the reporting quarter the consultancy firm to conduct the evaluation was finalized and the work has been initiated.

Under communications and outreach, the project facilitated inauguration ceremony at Gilgit Baltistan where USAID-Mission Director, Jerry Bisson joined President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain for the inauguration of USAID-funded Faculty of Education building at the Karakoram International University, GB. PRP, in collaboration with department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, celebrated International Literacy Day and Enrollment Campaign in Peshawar, Charsadda and Lower Dir districts. Around 400 individuals, including Education Department officials, head teachers, teachers, I/NGO officials, community members, parents and students, attended the activities. PRP Mobile Bus Library (MBL) was also part of the activity in Peshawar which attracted a large number of visitors and was greatly appreciated by all.

Under Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, M&E-IS was modified according to the changes in data collection tools for capturing information during the lean years. New tools for school support visits, and READ Foundation users were developed and shared with regions for implementation. In FATA, M&E and program staff was oriented on M&E-IS system through detailed trainings at the agency level. User accounts have been created and access given to regional and agency staff members. PakInfo portal was updated on all PRP related indicators in August 2017 as per the guidelines provided by USAID. TraiNet related data entry has been completed till the second quarter of 2017.

During this quarter, student enrollment data for academic year 2017-18 was gathered from 763 summer schools in Balochistan region with the start of the new academic session. The two research studies reported in the last quarter have been finalized and final drafts are being submitted after review.

6 SNAPSHOT OF THE PROGRAM

The USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project (PRP), implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its partners (Creative Associates International, World Learning, and Institute of Rural Management), is supporting the provincial and regional education departments throughout Pakistan to improve the reading skills of children in grades one and two. The project will achieve this goal through three components: . Improved Classroom Learning Environment for Reading . Improved Policies and Systems for Reading . Community – Based Support for Reading

ANTICIPATED RESULTS . 1.3 million grade 1 and 2 students receiving reading interventions. . 23,800 teachers in public schools with improved skills in teaching reading and conducting classroom assessments. . Improved reading policies and systems for reading. . 111 Teacher Training Institutions (colleges and universities) offering ADE and B.Ed. (Hons.) degree programs with new reading curricula. . 3,161 scholarships for ADE and B.Ed. (Hons.) students. . 23,800 tablets provided to teachers. . 13,963 classroom libraries established. . Mobile Libraries reaching out to 300 communities. . Small grants to support community-based reading initiatives.

PRP is improving the quality of teaching and assessment of reading by supporting improvements to teachers’ pre-service education, providing a model for continuous professional development for in- service teachers, and making supplemental instructional materials more widely available to primary school teachers. The project’s strategy entails supporting efforts of the Government of Pakistan in each province and region to achieve these goals. PRP is promoting the adaptation and implementation of policies that promote quality teaching and will ensure the sustainability of its initiatives over time through permanent policy changes. The intervention will be improved reading instruction and assessment of 23,800 teachers and 1,300,000 grade 1 and 2 students across 7 provinces/regions of Pakistan.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

121,188 4,266,398 3,161 16,330 870,921 School Support Visits Reading Learning Scholarships Teachers Students Material

7 PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

This section presents key program activities during the reporting quarter under the three core components of the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project (PRP): 1. Improved Classroom Learning Environment for Reading 2. Improved Policies and Systems for Reading 3. Community-Based Support for Reading

COMPONENT 1: IMPROVED CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR READING

SUB-COMPONENT 1.1: TEACHER SKILLS IMPROVED THROUGH QUALITY EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 1.1.1.2 MATERIAL REVIEW/DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

The Material Review Committees (MRCs), notified by each provincial/regional government, take active part in developing and reviewing the Reading Learning Materials (RLM) for early grades. All material is printed and distributed to schools after approval from respective MRCs. PRP is in the process of revising and refining the material for cohort 3 based on the lessons learned and best practices gained during implementation of cohorts 1 and 2.

In this quarter, PRP arranged Urdu national MRC AJK Material Review Committee in progress meetings. To make it cost-effective and convenient for the government participants, two MRC workshops were conducted; the first was held in Karachi and attended by two provinces (6 male members; 3 Sindh; 3 Balochistan), while the second was held in Islamabad and attended by 13 members (7 M; 6 F) from AJK, GB, ICT and KP. Overall, the MRC members appreciated the revised version of content. After a thorough reviewing process, MRC approved grade 2 revised lesson plans and workbooks with few modifications. These revised versions will be printed and distributed to cohort 1-3 schools across PRP.

1.1.1.11 PROVINCIAL URDU MRC MEETINGS TO REVIEW MATERIAL

The TIG modules are a vital part of PRP’s professional development model. Teachers use these modules during TIG meetings. These modules provide detailed information about component skills of reading and other important pedagogical skills, including instructional and assessment activities that help teachers to improve student reading skills. PRP has developed a package of modules for use during 17 monthly TIG meetings over a period of two years. Teachers in cohort 1 and 2 districts benefited from these modules. During the course of this time, PRP regularly observed and analyzed the feedback from teachers and other stakeholders about these modules. Now based on these

8 findings, the project is in process of revising the modules for use during cohort 3. Key revisions include: streamlining module objectives to include teaching and assessment strategies; simplified structure of the module, greater connection to the actual TLMs; and referencing the pre-service teacher materials, where applicable.

In the reporting quarter, the project revised and finalized the content for 10 modules in English and Urdu with support from IRC technical unit and provincial/regional program staff. Below is the list of modules completed during the quarter.

1. Module 1 - Community of Practice 2. Module 2 - Print Concepts 3. Module 3 - Phonemic Awareness 4. Module 4 - Phonics 5. Module 5 – Vocabulary 6. Module 6 - Fluency 7. Module 7 - Comprehension 8. Module 8 - Learning to Write and Writing to Learn 9. Module 9 - Continuous Assessment 10. Module 10 – Student Well Being

As part of the material development process, these ten modules were presented to provincial/regional material review committees for review and endorsement. MRCs were held in all provinces/regions for this purpose. Committee members thoroughly reviewed the content, highlighted areas of improvement and allowed PRP to initiate designing process after addressing their suggestions. Overall, the MRC appreciated the quality of work done in this regard and expressed their greater satisfaction with the quality of materials, especially the revision and sequence of activities in modules. The table below provides details about MRC meetings held in each province/region:

Table 1: MRC Meetings Held in Each Province/Region. Province/Region No. of Participants Male Female Total AJK 3 1 4 Balochistan 3 1 4 GB 3 0 3 ICT 4 1 5 KP 2 2 4 Sindh 4 0 4 Total 19 5 24

1.1.1.13 REVIEW OF SINDHI MATERIAL BY MRC

In the reporting quarter, a material review committee meeting for Sindhi reading and learning material was held at PRP Regional Office, Karachi; total 3 MRC members participated (2 male and 1

9 female). The Sindhi MRC members reviewed and approved revised lesson plan and workbook for Grade-2.

MRC members shared that the content is interesting and relevant for grade 2 level and appreciated the alignment of formative assessment exercises with the reading standards.

1.1.1.22 - 1.1.1.67 MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION

PRP continued distributing Reading Learning Materials (RLM), including scripted lesson plans, workbooks, flash cards, vowel buddy charts, leveled readers, modules, and manuals to its focused schools, Teacher Training Institutes (TTIs) and research study schools. During the reporting quarter, project handed over 9,541 copies of modules for quarterly TIG meetings to teachers, mentors and academic supervisors of cohort 2 districts, as they started their first QTIG meeting during the quarter. In addition, the project also provided 29,513 copies of workbooks for grade 1 and 2 students to schools that could not receive workbooks during scheduled distribution as some schools were closed due to long vacations and some additional material was requested due to increase in enrollment. The table below provides details of materials distributed in this quarter and total distribution to date in PRP focused schools, other than the READ Foundation schools.1 Table 2: Quarterly and Cumulative Distribution of RLM

Reading Learning Material Cumulative Material distributed Cumulative (RLM) achievement as of July-Sept, 2017 achievement as of June 2017 September 2017 RLMs provided to reading 318 318 specialists RLMs provided to mentors 52,748 526 53,274 RLMs provided to academic 15,387 156 15,543 supervisors RLMs provided to head 4,015 0 4,015 teachers (READ Foundation) RLMs provided to teachers 2,745,487 8,859 2,754,346 RLMs provided to students 1,213,453 29,513 1,242,966 of grades 1 & 2 Material provided to MBL schools, research schools, 172,613 172,613 Grantees and TTIs Radio Shows 50 50 Total 4,204,021 39,054 4,243,125

1.1.2 TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – IN-SERVICE TRAINING

1 For READ Foundation schools distribution, please refer to table # 13

10 PRP has introduced a comprehensive professional development model across the country for the improvement of early grade students’ reading skills. This model has four main components. The process starts with the clustering of schools and continues for two years until the completion of 17 monthly teacher inquiry group (TIG) meetings by PRP trained teachers.

1.1.2.3 CLUSTERING OF SCHOOLS FOR TIGS – FOR FIRST PHASE OF FATA ONLY

The Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) is a form of collaborative professional development wherein a small group of teachers (4-8) from neighboring schools meets at least monthly to discuss their teaching experiences and share their successes and challenges with peers. In the TIGs, teachers learn about the component skills of reading and assessment techniques in more detail. This allows teachers to understand how the daily lessons were developed and why they are important for students’ learning. The teachers themselves lead their learning and are able to focus on challenges that are most relevant to their particular context. PRP’s highly structured approach to the TIGs is: the intervention is sustained over 2 academic years; meetings are held in areas located at or near a teacher’s school; model pedagogical techniques appropriate for the target content are used throughout; and teachers gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. This form of TIGs is considered to be among the most effective professional development approaches for teachers.

After obtaining NOC from the concerned authorities and a formal approval on the quarterly work plan (July – September 2017) from FATA Secretariat, a series of detailed meetings were held with the Secretary Social Sectors Development (SSD), Directorate of Projects (DoP) FATA, Directorate of Education (DoE) FATA, concerned political administrations and field level education officials of Mohmand and Bajaur Agencies. These officials were briefed on the objectives of proposed PRP interventions and TIG clustering process.

1.1.2.3.2 INITIAL CLUSTERING IN CONSULTATION WITH DISTRICT EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS

During the previous quarters, PRP initiated its intervention in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies of FATA and completed the initial clustering of schools for monthly teacher inquiry group (TIG) meetings on the basis of available EMIS data. During the reporting quarter, project staff worked in close collaboration with the education officials from both the agencies and refined the lists based on the updated data and their contextual knowledge. Latest available lists of government primary schools (boys and girls) along with other relevant information, including EMIS (Education Management Information System) codes, student’s enrolment and attendance and teachers’ and head teachers’ information was collected from the concerned agency education offices in July, 2017. Information of 972 Government Primary Schools (463 schools of Mohmand Agency and 509 schools of Bajaur Agency) was collected from agency education offices of both selected agencies. Based on this data and with the help of AEO and AAEO, the preliminary clustering of schools was updated.

1.1.2.3.3 PHYSICAL VERIFICATION AND FINALIZATION OF TIG CLUSTERS

11 Due to a time constraint, physical verification had to be carried out at a time when all schools in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies were closed for summer vacation. In the given situation, the PRP FATA team had to think on their feet and come up with a quick solution. Coordinating with the government officials, teachers were called to the schools to verify their information and student count was estimated by referring to attendance registers present in schools. 12 staff members (including 1 APM, 10 male SSAs and 1 female SSA) School’s data verification process at Bajaur Agency, FATA took part in this activity in Bajaur Agency whereas, 6 staff members (including 1 APM, 4 male SSAs and 1 female SSA) physically verified schools in Mohmand Agency. 437 and 268 schools were visited in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies respectively. The process of physical verification actively started around the 15th of July and continued on till the 1st of September, 2017.

The data collected went through a week-long process of strict scrutiny. Minor mistakes made in the physical verification process were rectified. Moreover, schools were evaluated against the TIG formation criteria of PRP (mentioned above) for an optimal choice of schools. In addition, two senior staff members from PRP FATA regional office, the Regional Professional Coordinator and M&E Coordinator, made visits to some randomly selected schools under PRP intervention in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies for corroboration of data collected. 3 schools were randomly visited; 2 in Bajaur Agency and 1 in Mohmand Agency.

The table below provides details of clusters formed during this exercise. These clusters and numbers will be finalized during face-to-face trainings of teachers in the next quarters, after consultation with the concerned teachers.

Table 3: Detail of Clusters Formed

Province/Region Male Female Total Male %age Female %age Bajaur 52 30 82 63 37 Mohmand 20 12 32 63 38 Total 72 42 114 63 37

1.1.2.4 TRAINING OF READING SPECIALISTS

Reading Specialists, selected from Government Educational departments, including Provincial Institute for Teacher Education (PITE), Bureau of Curriculum (BOCs), Department of Education (DOE) and textbook boards, represent and support project activities at the provincial level in policy discussions. PRP invites these officials for different trainings, e.g. face-to-face trainings and mentors training to gain first-hand exposure to the PRP approach to reading instruction, that includes an introduction to the RLM, and teacher support. With this knowledge, Reading Specialists are better

12 equipped to engage in and advocate on behalf of PRP-related policy discussions at the provincial level.

During the reporting quarter, PRP organized 5-day training for 4 male Reading Specialists from FATA where they were trained about project scope of work, planned interventions and their role with respect to implementation in FATA.

1.1.2.7 TRAINING OF MENTORS

After the training of reading specialists, the next step was the training of mentors at agency level. PRP, in consultation with relevant agency education officials, identified required number of mentors from each agency. Project was about to start training of mentors during the quarter but due to delay in renewal of NOC to work in FATA, training of mentors along with other subsequent activities were postponed till the renewal of NOC. PRP applied for the renewal of NOC in July 20, 2017 – one month before termination of NOC on August 24, 2017.

1.1.2.8-10 ORIENTATION OF ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS - COHORT 1 & 2

District Academic Supervisors connect school “Our school’s enrollment has increased due to level activities to district level structures/policies. many reasons with the efforts of all stakeholders. I must give credit to the USAID-funded Pakistan They are responsible for carrying out periodic Reading Project for the improvement in our school visits throughout the school year, but are schools through a print rich environment and more focused on monitoring than on pedagogical trained teachers, which I believe, is one of the biggest reasons for the increase in enrollment support. Academic supervisors work with head rate this year.” teachers and teachers to help them improve learning outcomes on the basis of student Ms. Salma, Assistant Sub Divisional Education assessment data, and provide support on Officer/Academic Supervisor, Circle Takht Bahi (F), District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa challenges faced by teachers and head teachers such as teacher motivation (e.g. attendance at school, lesson preparation), accountability, and responsiveness to student needs.

Academic supervisors are oriented by the project staff on their support roles, including: how to monitor student reading progress; conduct classroom observations to ensure use of instructional practices and reading & learning material; and provide feedback to teachers and head teachers.

During the reporting quarter, a 3-day orientation session was organized for the academic supervisors from two agencies of FATA (field level education officials) including Area Education Officers (AEOs) and Assistant Area Education Officers (AAEOs) in Peshawar. The session was attended by 9 officials (6 M; 3 F). Project was also ready to start face-to-face training of mentors and teachers during the quarter but due to delay in renewal of NOC, it has shifted to the next quarter.

13 In addition, PRP Sindh and AJK teams also organized condensed orientation for newly joined academic supervisors to orient them about PRP interventions. The table below provides the number of participants:

Table 4: Participants Detail of Condensed Orientation District Male Female Total AJK 27 11 38 FATA 6 3 9 Sindh 15 8 23 Total 48 22 70

1.1.2.13 ORIENTATION OF HEAD TEACHERS (FATA PHASE 1 ONLY)

PRP planned to start orientation of head teachers during the quarter but due to delay in renewal of NOC, it is postponed to the next quarter.

1.1.2.14-15 TRAINING OF TEACHERS (FACE-TO-FACE) - COHORT 1 & 2

PRP is facing challenges due to transfer/promotion of trained teachers from project-focused schools to non-focused schools, resulting in involvement of untrained teachers to teach grade 1 and 2 in project focused schools. PRP is arranging condensed training for these newly inducted teachers to make sure that grade 1 and 2 are taught by PRP trained teachers. Region-wide details are given in the table below:

Table 5: Teachers Participating in Condensed Training Province / Region Teachers trained Male Female Total Sindh (cohort 2) 93 20 113 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (cohort 1 & 2) 58 26 84 Total 151 46 197

1.1.2.16 TRAINING OF TEACHERS (FACE-TO-FACE) - FATA PHASE 1 ONLY

PRP planned to start training of teachers during the quarter, but due to delay in the renewal of NOC, it is postponed to the next quarter.

1.1.2.19 ORIENTATION OF TIG FACILITATORS – FATA PHASE 1 ONLY

PRP planned to start orientation of TIG facilitators during the quarter, but due to delay in the renewal of NOC, it is postponed to next quarter.

1.1.2.22. TEACHERS TRAINED THROUGH TIG MEETINGS - FATA PHASE 1 ONLY

Could not be completed due to delay in NOC renewal

14 1.1.2.23. – 24. SCHOOL SUPPORT VISITS (COHORT 1 & 2)

School support visits during the normal phase of project implementation played an important role in the professional development of teachers. During cohorts 1 and 2, teachers received school support visits by SSAs and mentors on regular basis during each quarter. During the extended phase, staff limitations have resulted in fewer support visits. During the reporting quarter, project staff in cohort 1 and 2 districts conducted 1,158 school visits on need basis.

1.1.2.25. SCHOOL SUPPORT VISITS - FATA PHASE 1 ONLY

Could not be completed due to delay in NOC renewal

1.1.2.28. QUARTERLY REVIEW MEETINGS (MENTORS AND ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS) - COHORT 3 - FATA PHASE 1 ONLY

Could not be completed due to delay in NOC renewal

1.1.2.4.3 QUARTERLY TIG ORIENTATION TO DISTRICT STAFF

PRP is extending its presence in cohort 1 and 2 districts after the completion of its regular program in these districts with reduced interventions. Therefore, it organizes sessions to orient its district staff about the revised approach so that they are well prepared to support the intervention during this period.

During the quarter, PRP organized two-day orientation sessions in Balochistan and KP for the district staff of cohort 2 (it has already been completed in other provinces/regions). This orientation mainly focused on briefing them about the project activities during extended period and their role in proper implementation of these activities. During these two days, participants were given detailed orientation about the content of the quarterly TIG modules so that they are prepared to support the session during quarterly TIG meetings. One of the main differences between the TIG meetings and Quarterly TIG meetings is in facilitation. In quarterly TIGs, TIG members take responsibility for facilitating different parts of the TIG meetings. This not only strengthens TIG members’ understanding of the reading concepts and practices, but strengthens their ability to facilitate a TIG meeting on their own.

The session on ‘Student Progress Monitoring’ helped participants to understand the background, format, and implementation strategy during extended period. It also provided them an opportunity to practice some reading assessment tasks using Tangerine® software on the tablets using mock situation by assessing each other.

Other sessions focused on major work plan activities during extended period, use of revised Monitoring & Evaluation tools and Reading Learning Material, gender gaps identified by the gender study, and the role of district staff for sustaining project activities in the longer run. They worked in teams to prepare action plans for this purpose. The table below provides details of participants:

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Table 6: Participants Detail of Quarterly TIG Orientation Sessions Province/Region Male Female Total Balochistan 15 05 20 KP 10 11 21 Total 25 16 41

1.1.2.4.4 PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTON OF MODULES- COHORT 1

During the quarter, project distributed 61 quarterly TIG modules (1-9) to mentors, academic supervisors and teachers in cohort 1 districts of AJK, Balochistan, GB, KP and Sindh. These stake holders could not receive modules during mass distribution as they were not available on that day. 1.1.2.4.5 PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTON OF MODULES- COHORT 2

Teachers in cohort 2 districts of the project have started first quarterly TIG meetings during the quarter after completing complete package of 17 monthly TIG meetings in previous quarters. As the project has developed new TIG modules for these quarterly meetings, therefore project started distribution of quarterly TIG modules to mentors, academic supervisors and teachers from cohort 2 districts. During the quarter, project distributed 5,767 quarterly TIG modules (1-9) in AJK, Balochistan, GB, KP and Sindh.

1.1.2.4.6-7 QUARTERLY TIG MEETINGS OF MENTORS AND TEACHERS - COHORT 1& 2

PRP’s regular intervention in cohort 1 and 2 districts completed in previous quarters but it has extended its presence in the same districts and schools till March 2020. During this extended period, project will continue its intervention in the focused schools with reduced intensity. This mainly includes quarterly TIG meetings for teachers, quarterly review meetings for academic supervisors, need based school support visits and provision of reading learning materials. During the reporting quarter, PRP organized the second quarterly TIG meeting in all cohort 1 districts and first in some areas of cohort 2 (where schools opened after summer vacations). In these quarterly TIG meetings, TIG members are guided by modules to revisit and enhance their knowledge about the component skills of reading. This provides teachers the opportunity to strengthen their abilities to teach reading and assess their students through classroom based activities. In addition, TIG members take responsibility for facilitating parts of the TIG meetings, thus strengthening their ability to facilitate TIG meetings without project staff.

During the reporting quarter, teachers with support from mentors and project staff, discussed the first module, “Community of Practice” in cohort 2 districts and second module “Print Concepts” in cohort 1 districts. Through these modules, participants developed and deepened their understanding about the concepts and planned strategies to enhance implementation at classroom level. The table below provides details of quarterly TIG meetings held in each province/region:

16 Table 7: Quarterly TIG Meetings in Cohort 1 & 2 Districts Province/ Target Achieved Remarks Region Cohort 1 AJK 199 192 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted teachers from 7 TIGs into nearby TIGs due to transfer and security issues. Now total active TIGs in AJK are 192. Bal 152 152 NA GB 65 62 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted teachers from 3 TIGs into nearby TIGs due to transfer issues. Now total active TIGs in GB are 62. ICT 61 0 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted the schedule of the quarterly TIG meetings due to extended summer vacations on Eid and construction work in schools. Now all quarterly TIG meetings will be organized in next quarter. KP 362 401 39 TIGs planned in last quarter were not conducted in last quarter so PRP achieved this backlog with current quarter target. Lower Dir achieved target of male TIGs of previous quarter in the reporting quarter along with the quarter target. Sindh 26 25 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted teachers from 1 TIG into a nearby TIG due to transfer of teachers. Now total active TIGs in Sindh are 25. Cohort 1 Total 865 832 Cohort 2 AJK 151 149 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted teachers from one TIG into nearby TIGs due to transfer issues. Now total active TIGs in AJK are 149. Bal 161 - District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted the schedule of the quarterly TIG meetings due to extended summer vacations on Eid. Now all quarterly TIG meetings will be organized in next quarter. GB 31 31 NA KP 325 105 District Education department, in coordination with the project, adjusted the schedule of the quarterly TIG meetings due to extended summer vacations on Eid. Now the remaining quarterly TIG meetings will be organized in next quarter. Sindh 397 397 NA

17 Cohort 2 Total 1,065 682

Grand Total 1,930 1,514

The graph above shows that in 54% TIG meetings more than 75% teachers facilitated the sessions assigned to them, whereas in 54% TIGs, 51-75% teachers facilitated the assigned sessions. Similarly, only in 3% TIGs, 26-50% teachers facilitated the sessions.

The graph above shows that in 41% TIGs more than 75% teachers were well prepared to lead the session assigned to them, whereas in 47% TIGs 51-75% teachers were well prepared. Similarly, in 10% TIGs, 26-50% teachers were prepared and only in 3% TIGs less than 25% teachers were

18 prepared to lead the activities that were assigned to them. This demonstrates that TIG members have the capacity to lead meetings without project staff.

Quarterly Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) meetings at different locations

BALOCHISTAN GILGIT BALTISTAN

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA SINDH

1.1.2.4.8 -9 QUARTERLY REVIEW MEETINGS OF MENTORS AND ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS - COHORT 1&2

PRP works very closely with the district and provincial/regional governments to keep them engaged in the implementation of project activities. All the relevant stakeholders are involved at every step of the program implementation. The project arranges quarterly review meetings at district level with mentors and academic supervisors to discuss progress, achievements, lessons learned, and areas for improvement. This provides an opportunity to plan more realistically for the next quarter, based on lessons learnt from the previous quarter. Involvement of district education officials in these meetings helps the project to address any challenges faced in the field and identify areas where district support is needed to improve program quality at the school level.

During the quarter, PRP arranged quarterly review meetings in cohort 1 and 2 districts across PRP schools except cohort 2 districts in Balochistan and KP, where meetings were rescheduled by district

19 education departments for the next quarter due to extended summer vacations and Eid holidays. In the meetings, participants were briefed on project achievements, including quarterly TIG meetings held, teachers participation rate and challenges being faced in the schools, i.e. use of RLM in classrooms, less participation of teachers in QTIG meetings, frequent transfers of TIG teachers from TIG schools and lack of interest of some of the teachers in implementing PRP strategies while teaching Urdu in classrooms. Following is the summary of key points from different review meetings across the country. • Strong coordination among academic supervisors, mentors and PRP staff will be ensured for proper implementation of reading focused activities in schools. • Assessment of grade 1 and 2 students and maintenance of all students’ assessment record on format given in QTIG modules booklet will be ensured in schools. • Teachers will be instructed to use the reading learning material regularly during the reading period including daily reading lesson plan, student workbooks, big books, leveled readers, library books, fulfilment of interim tasks suggested in QTIG modules, display of Urdu alphabets and vowel buddy charts, daily practice of Urdu alphabet sounds by using tablets and daily practice of vowel buddy charts. • Head teachers will be encouraged to focus on improvement of reading in schools by analyzing assessment results of students and day to day teacher progress regarding teaching reading in their classrooms.

Table 8: Quarterly Review Meetings in Cohort 1 and 2 Districts

Province/Region Target Achieved Male Female Total Cohort 1 AJK 3 3 77 49 126 Balochistan 5 5 63 28 91 GB 2 2 39 6 45 ICT 1 - - - - KP 5 5 108 78 186 Sindh 1 1 8 5 13 Cohort 1 Total 17 16 295 166 461 Cohort 2 AJK 3 3 79 9 88 Balochistan 6 - - - - GB 2 2 24 2 26 KP 5 - - - - Sindh 5 5 151 39 190 Cohort 2 Total 21 10 254 50 304 Grand Total 38 26 549 219 765

1.1.3 TECHNOLOGY FOR IN-SERVICE CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) Under this sub-component, PRP is using technology for professional development of teachers. The project has provided teachers Virtual Mentoring Videos (VMVs), audio lessons in Urdu and Sindhi, and e-books for the materials produced by the project. These digital resources are uploaded on tablets that are provided to teachers by the project.

20 1.1.3.5-7 DISTRIBUTION OF TABLETS

During the reporting quarter, PRP distributed a total of 67 tablets among MRC members, Reading Specialists and government officials, including PEACE staff in Balochistan, ICT and KP (12 in Balochistan, 20 in ICT and 35 in KP).

Additional Secretary, E&SE Department, GoKP receiving tablet 1.1.5 REVISION OF GRADE 1 & 2 MATERIAL (URDU & SINDHI) FOR COHORT 3 PRP is in the process of revising and refining the “I’ve been teaching for almost 3 decades now and I’m happy to say that PRP’s RLM is material based on the lessons learned and best the most effective supplementary material, practices gained during implementation of cohorts 1 which has an impact on every aspect of and 2. These revisions are based on feedback received reading, such as phonemic awareness, from the grade 1 process evaluation, technical review fluency and comprehension, simultaneously.” of materials, PRP’s internal cohort 1 and 2 EGRA mid- line assessment, grade 2 material pilot data, field Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Jan, Mentor and Head based assessments, and lessons learned during the Teacher, GPS Sheikhabad, District Peshawar. first material development process. Urdu and Sindhi grade 1 material revision is completed and approved by the relevant MRCs. PRP is working on the grade 2 Urdu and Sindhi material.

1.1.5.6 REVISION OF CONTENT FOR GRADE 2

In quarter 3, material development teams initiated technical review of grade 2 material and on the basis of the teachers’ feedback, the lesson plans and workbook of grade 2 have been revised in the current quarter. The revised workbook and lesson plans included reading assessment and refined decodable text as per the reading standards. In addition to these, the linguistic features of the target language were carefully added.

The big books and leveled readers of grade 1 will be reviewed in the next quarter. Grade 2 students working on their workbooks 1.1.5.8 DESIGN OF REVISED MATERIAL GRADE-2

The designing and layout of Grade 2 Urdu and Sindhi lesson plans and workbooks was completed in this quarter.

21

Grade 2 Urdu & Sindhi lesson plan and workbook

1.1.5.9 PRINTING OF REVISED MATERIAL OF GRADE 1 & 2 FOR BATCH 3, 4 AND COHORT 3 ONLY

PRP printed and distributed the material before the beginning of academic session 2017 in all regions, except FATA. In this quarter, PRP has initiated printing of grade 1 Reading Learning Material (RLM) package for FATA schools which will be distributed in the next quarter. In addition to this, PRP began the process of next academic year’s printing for cohorts 1, 2 and 3.

1.1.5.10 REVIEW COACHING MATERIAL FOR COHORT 3

Based on findings and lessons learned from cohorts 1 and 2, PRP has initiated a review and revision process to improve the reading learning material developed by the project for the professional development of teachers and improvement of children’s reading skills in early grades. In addition to all other material, the project also intends to review and refine the content used by the project during face-to-face trainings to prepare mentors and school support associates for their assignment as coaches. This revised content will be used during cohort 3 trainings in 2018. During the reporting quarter, the project initiated the review process of currently used material and identified areas for improvement. This will be finalized in the next quarter and will be incorporated into training manuals for mentors and SSAs. 1.1.5.11 REVISION OF TIG MODULES 1-10 - URDU & SINDHI

TIG modules are significant in providing support to teachers in developing understanding and skills in teaching reading in early grades. These modules are an integral part of PRP’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD) model where teachers practice strategies and classroom assessments that are part of the reading learning materials. During the reporting quarter, the project completed the revision of TIG modules 1-10, both in Urdu and Sindhi. Based on feedback from the field, the structure of the TIG modules was strengthened to include the following sections:

22 • Review and Reflection. This section “Assessment process defined in QTIG module is provided TIG members an opportunity to very good for identifying learning gaps and sharing their experiences and learning learning needs of students. It is also important for from classroom practices, success and developing correlation in teaching learning process as well as helping teachers to develop strategies to challenges emerged while using RLM, cope with the identified challenges and mold concepts and activities from TIG Modules teaching strategies according to the students • Introduction to Module. In this section, learning needs.”

modules under discussion in current Ms. Abida, Government Girls Primary School, meeting will be introduced. Sheikhabad, District Mansehra - Khyber • Core Concept. This is a critical part of TIG Pakhtunkhwa

Modules where TIG members learn about

a basic reading concept, facilitator demonstrates teaching and assessment activities from the RLMs, and TIG members practice these activities. • Planning for Interim Activities. This section enables TIG members to select at least two activities/tasks for the interim period which they can implement in their classroom with students and reflect on these activities/tasks based on their given guidelines. • Summary and Reflection. The section summarizes key points of the core concept to remind TIG members about the significant point of the component of reading under discussion. • Planning for Next Meetings. This section creates opportunity for members to preview the upcoming module, and select TIG member facilitators. • Reference Section. This section enlists additional information for TIG members who are interested to read more about the reading components and core concepts. Where applicable, this section includes materials from the pre-service reading course.

As part of the process, PRP gender team reviewed 10 revised TIG modules to ensure that content and language of the module is gender sensitive and free from any potential biases. Later on, these modules were reviewed and approved by provincial MRCs during the quarter, whereas Sindhi modules will be presented to Sindhi MRC in the next quarter.

1.1.6 MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PILOT TESTING IN PASHTO LANGUAGE

1.1.6.3-6 DEVELOPMENT OF PASHTO MATERIAL

In the last quarter, the Pashto RLM of grade 1 was pilot tested in schools and after incorporating the findings and observations, it was shared with the MRC. In the current quarter, the layout, design and illustrations of Pashto reading learning material, including lesson plan, workbook, syllable chart, 24 big books and flash cards for 24 weeks were finalized by the project.

23

Grade-1 Pashto lesson plan and workbook

1.1.6.11 DEVELOPMENT OF PASHTO SCRIPTED LESSON PLANS FOR GRADE 2

Project has started working on developing Pashto scripted lesson plans for the first 9 weeks. The lesson plans for 24 weeks will be completed by the next quarter.

1.1.6.12 DEVELOPMENT OF PASHTO WORK BOOK FOR GRADE 2

In the reporting quarter, a material development workshop to draft decodable text for grade 2 workbook was held in Peshawar. A total of 4 participants (3 M; 1 F) attended, reviewed the Pashto vocabulary for grade 2 and the frequency of words shared by Synphony and developed decodable texts for 24 weeks.

1.1.8 CAPACITY BUILDING OF WRITERS TO DEVELOP READING MATERIAL

PRP aims to build the capacity of local writers in developing reading material in local languages. The objective of this activity is to enable local writers to develop research-based, developmentally appropriate reading materials to provide for more availability of materials in local languages in the literary market. 1.1.8.1 LOCAL WRITERS CAPACITY BUILDING TO DEVELOP READING MATERIAL

PRP identified local publishers’ writers through a transparent selection process. In total, 62 writers attended the first series of workshops in two groups in the last quarters. During the reporting quarter, the second session of the first group of writers’ capacity building workshop was held in Islamabad. Total 24 (20 M; 4 F) writers of thirteen local languages from different regions of Pakistan. Participant detail is given below:

24 Table 9: Details of Writers’ Workshop Participants

Province/Region Languages Number of Writers Group-1 Session 2 Male Female Total AJK Urdu, Gojri, Pahari, 4 0 4 Balochistan Brahvi, Balochi, Pashto, Darri 3 2 5 GB Wakhi, Burushaski, Shina, Balti, Khuwar 5 0 5 KP Urdu, Pashto, Hindko, Saraiki 5 0 5 ICT Urdu, Punjabi 1 1 2 Punjab Urdu, Punjabi 2 1 3 Total 20 4 24

Another workshop is planned in Karachi in the next quarter and Sindhi language writers will participate in that workshop along with other local language writers.

Story demonstration during Writers' Workshop Writers developed material in local languages

These writers were oriented about, linguistic analysis, developing a scope and sequence, creating decodable texts, fundamentals aspects of reading, differences between shared reading text and decodable text, social emotional learning concepts, etc. The writers also wrote shared reading and developmentally appropriate student stories in their local/regional languages.

The workshop resulted in training of 24 local writers in 13 languages on international standards of level reader/ decodable writing for early grades. They developed and finalized 13 Big Books and 13 student stories in 13 local languages.

25

Shared Reading text in Urdu language Student Text in Urdu language

Shared Reading text in Wakhi language Student Text in Wakhi language

After the workshop writes have been tasked to review, refine and finalize one Big Book and one student reader by following text complexity level guidance for grade 1. Furthermore, they will pilot their reading package with students aged between 6-9 years in their nearest schools preferably in public schools to analyze the difficulty level. They will also share videos and experiences through email and social media.

Gender integration of PRP materials: An orientation session on “gender integration of PRP materials” was specifically conducted for 24 writers (20 M; 4 F) from all over Pakistan gathered in

PRP’s writers’ workshop held in Islamabad. The Gender Advisor - PRP explained to the participants about gender integration of materials, what it means and how PRP has developed gender sensitive reading and learning materials.

1.1.9.2 & 1.1.10.2 TRAINING OF TEACHERS (READ FOUNDATION AJK AND GB)

During the reporting quarter, a 4-day face-to-face training was held in AJK and GB for grade 1 teachers of READ Foundation schools. READ Foundation requested PRP to reduce the training days

26 as the teachers couldn’t be spared for 5 days. Project in consultation with the management of foundation adjusted 5-day training content into 4 days by increasing daily working hours of the training, to align the training with the available time for the READ Foundation teachers. Trained Master Trainers and Education Training Officers of the foundation imparted this training at 8 district headquarters. Total 385 grade 1 teachers (26 M; 359 F) attended this 4-day training in AJK and 20 female teachers from 13 schools participated in this training in GB and completed all the topics of 5- day training during these 4 days. The training themes were: • Introduction to PRP and its stakeholders • CPD model • Components of reading, scope and sequence • Mock TIG meetings • Introduction to RLM, demo and practice on Daily reading lesson plan and read-aloud, • Students’ reading assessment • Preparation of low cost/no cost materials • Use of tablets • Gender discrimination in Education; and • An introduction to SABAQ Digital Learning.

PRP staff also supported the trainers to impart training at each training venue. The table below presents the number of teachers who attended training in each region:

Table 10: Participants of Face-to-Face Trainings Province/Region District Male Female Total Muzaffarabad 10 54 64 Hattain 01 27 28 Bhimber 07 80 87 AJK Bagh 04 69 73 Mirpur 00 27 27 Kotli 04 61 65 Poonch 00 27 27 Sudhnuti 00 14 14 GB Gilgit 00 20 20 Total 26 379 405

1.1.9.3, & 1.1.10.3 ORIENTATION OF HEAD TEACHERS/PRINCIPALS (READ FOUNDATION AJK AND GB)

27 During the reporting quarter, the project also arranged a 2-day orientation for head teachers/ principals of READ Foundation schools in AJK and GB. Upon the request of the READ Foundation, project, in consultation with the management of the foundation, adjusted 3-day orientation content into 2 days by increasing daily working hours of the orientation, to align it with the available time for the READ foundation head teachers/principals. The themes of the training were: introduction to PRP and its stakeholders, Continuous Professional READ Foundation Head Teachers are busy during the training session in AJK Development model, components of reading, scope and sequence, introduction to RLM, demo lessons on Daily Reading Lesson Plans (DRLP) and read-aloud, students’ reading assessment, coaching, giving constructive feedback, and gender discrimination in education.

Principals acknowledged that this training was very helpful for them to get equipped with knowledge and skills to support the early grade teachers “The training contents are quite in line with our in their respective schools. They appreciated teachers’ and children’s requirements. I am happy the PRP approach in teaching and assessment that all principals are satisfied, they actively participated in the training and showed their high of reading, which they said could identify the level of motivation and commitment to implement reading needs of individual students, thus these methodologies in schools to improve Urdu enabling teachers to provide need-based reading skills of their students. I am thankful to PRP support to each student in the class. The team and READ Foundation trainers who conducted this orientation very effectively.” Components of Reading were also new for almost all the principals, and they felt that Sabir Hussain Sabir, Regional Manager, READ teaching reading systematically, consciously Foundation, Bhimber, Azad Jammu & Kashmir focusing on the components of reading, will enable students to learn to read at their grade level. The table below provides details about the participants:

Table 11: Participation Details of Orientation in AJK & GB Province/Region District Male Female Total Muzaffarabad 25 19 44 Hattian 12 11 23 Bhimber 55 13 68 Bagh 46 24 70 AJK Mirpur 9 11 20 Kotli 39 10 49 Poonch 9 5 14 Sudhnuti 7 5 12 GB Gilgit 08 02 10

Total 210 100 310

1.1.9.5, & 1.1.10.5 TEACHERS TRAINED THROUGH TIG MEETINGS (READ FOUNDATION AJK AND GB)

28 After attending the face-to-face training, READ Foundation teachers initiated work on the second component of their CPD, i.e. participation in TIG meetings. During the quarter, TIG Meeting #1 was held in 4 districts (Bhimber, Bagh, Mirpur and Poonch) of AJK and two districts (Gilgit and Astore) of GB. During the meeting, teachers discussed first three modules: Introduction of PRP, Introduction of TIG, & Print Concepts. Similarly, TIG Meeting #2 was held in Bhimber district of AJK, where teachers discussed module 4 – Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Officials from READ Foundation schools are practicing during TIG meeting in AJK

The TIG meeting experience for foundation school teachers was an entirely new one. During these meetings, the teachers learned to identify the interim tasks of these modules and the completion of these tasks before the next meeting. Teachers also learned how to assess different aspects of their students’ reading ability, to know their level of achievement at the beginning of the training. Mostly teachers liked this mode of training in which they can share their own views, ideas, difficulties, successes and problems and can get support from colleagues for their professional development, without any hesitation. The detail of teachers who participated in TIG meetings 1 and 2 is as follows:

Table 12: Teacher Inquiry Group Participants Detail

Province/R District Number of TIG Male Female Total egion meetings attended AJK Bhimber 2 6 75 81 Bagh 1 2 38 40 Mirpur 1 0 25 25 Poonch 1 0 41 41 GB Gilgit 2 0 14 14 Astore 1 0 06 06 Total 8 8 199 207

1.1.9.6 & 1.1.10.6 MONTHLY SUPERVISORY VISIT OF THE SCHOOLS BY EDUCATION & TRAINING OFFICERS

As part of the professional development package, READ Foundation teachers will receive monthly supervisory visits by education and training officer (ETOS) of the foundation. These visits will help teachers to learn or discuss with their ETOs any potential area for improvement of reading in their classes. Project was expecting to start these visits during the quarter but due to exams in schools these could not be initiated and will be completed in next quarter.

1.1.9.7-13 & 1.1.10.7-13 DISTRIBUTION OF TIG MODULES, MANUALS, SCRIPTED LESSON PLANS, FLASH CARD SETS AND BIG BOOKS

29 During the reporting quarter, project handed over 23, 273 copies of RLM to ETOs, academic supervisors, head teachers, teachers and students of grade 1. Table below provides detail about material received by different stake holders of READ Foundation:

Table 13: Material distributed to READ Foundations Reading Learning Material (RLM) Material distributed Jul - Sep 2017 RLMs provided to mentors/ETOs 598 RLMs provided to academic supervisors 470 RLMs provided to head teachers 300 RLMs provided to teachers 12,118 RLMs provided to students of grades 1 & 2 9,787 Total 23,273

1.1.11 PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER FOUNDATIONS

PRP has successfully developed partnerships with Balochistan Education Foundation (BEF), Elementary Education Foundation (EEF) and Sindh Education Foundation (SEF). This partnership is low cost – no cost and is limited to provision of soft copy of reading learning materials and PRP human resource for training of selected number of master trainers on reading skills. Under this partnership, PRP has trained master from these three organization during the previous quarters. Table below provide detail about number of master trainers trained;

Table 14: Teacher Inquiry Group Participants Detail Foundation Male Female Total BEF 32 4 36 EEF 0 24 24 SEF 11 22 33 Total 43 50 93

During the reporting quarter, PRP continued follow up with these organizations to ensure that training and material provided to the master trainer of these organizations reaches to the teachers in schools. As result, SEF trained 273 teachers and printed RLM for teachers and students using its own financial resources. Table below provide detail about training of SEF teachers.

Table 15: No of Teachers Trained District No. of Teachers Trained by Master Trainers (Grade 1 & 2)

Male Female Total

Matairi 15 64 79

Jamshoro - Hyderabad 11 32 43

Jamshoro -Sehwan 5 38 43

Naushero Feroz 17 63 80

30 Tando Muhammed Khan 11 17 28

Total 59 214 273

However, BEF and EEF management are still striving to find resources for training of teachers and printing of material. PRP is following up with the managements of these foundations on regular basis and hopes to see more concrete steps at their end in coming quarters.

1.1.12.3 DISTRIBUTION OF CLASSROOM BASED CORNER LIBRARY BOOKS - COHORT 3

In this quarter, the purchase requests have been submitted and procurement is in process for classroom corner library books for FATA phase-1 schools. The distribution shall be completed in the next quarter.

1.2.4. PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 3,161 ADE AND B. ED. (HONS.) STUDENTS

During the reporting quarter, project continued distributing installments to B. Ed. (Hons.) scholarship Students are using books from Corner Library in a school recipients. In addition, PRP also handed over the final installments to 2 ADE (1 M; 1 F) scholarship recipients from Balochistan. The table below provides details of scholarships installments disbursed during the quarter: Table 16: No of Scholarships Distributed During the Quarter Target Male Female Total Remarks B.Ed. (Hons.)- On going GB 0 3 3 6 Left over from the previous quarters. KP 28 2 5 7 Installment to 21 students could not be delivered due to delay in results from the concerned universities. It will be delivered in next quarter after receiving results from the authorities. Punjab 1 0 0 0 Installment could not be delivered due to delay in results from the concerned university. It will be delivered in next quarter after receiving results from the authorities.

Sindh 0 3 13 16 Left over from the previous quarters. Total 29 8 21 29 B.Ed. (Hons)-new GB 0 11 9 20 Left over from the previous quarters. KP 100 4 0 4 Installment to 96 students could not be delivered due to delay in results from the concerned universities. It will be delivered in next quarter after receiving results from the authorities. Punjab 78 9 26 35 Installment to 43 students could not be delivered due to delay in results from the concerned

31 universities. It will be delivered in next quarter after receiving results from the authorities. Total 178 24 35 59 ADE ( new) Balochistan 8 1 1 2 Installment to 21 students could not be delivered due to delay in results from the concerned institution. It will be delivered in next quarter after receiving results from the authorities. Total 8 1 1 2

In addition, PRP also handed over the last installments to 15 (12 M; 3 F) scholarship recipients from Sindh and 11 male recipients from FATA that had been on hold due to delay in their final results.

1.3: MOBILE BUS LIBRARIES

1.3.8 ACTIVE MOBILE LIBRARY PROGRAM IN AT LEAST 200 SCHOOLS/COMMUNITIES The Mobile Bus Library (MBL) has proved to be one of PRP’s most successful programs, which has not only contributed to an increased interest in reading but has also been hugely popular and in heavy demand at schools, festivals and book fairs. With its colorful appearance, selection of easy-to- read books, fun activities and constant encouragement and support of active facilitators, the MBL has left its impact everywhere it has been. Many teachers claim that the children in their classes became interested in reading as a result of the MBL visit in their schools. With the books it leaves behind after a school visit, PRP has endeavored to ensure that this love of reading continues to grow and flourish.

In the reporting quarter, the Mobile Bus Libraries (MBLs) visited 13 schools in Sindh benefitting 2,093 students (1,275 boys; 818 girls) and completed the target of 200 school visits that started in January 2016. Moreover, in keeping with the role of parents in building their children’s interest in reading, a session on reading activities was conducted for parents. A total of 356 parents (311 M; 45 F) participated in 11 meetings. The major activities which have been regularly conducted with students of grades 1 to 5 were: storytelling session, audio story listening, word wall, word chain for letter recognition, books issuance for home, independent reading, group reading in school, story writing and prize distribution among the good readers and writers on the last day of the visit.

Table 17: Total No of Schools Visited by MBL in Sindh from July 2017 - September 2017 S. No Schools Total Girl’s Schools Boy’s Schools Total no. of beneficiaries in all schools schools

1 Sindh 13 3 10 2,093

Table 18: Total No of Schools Visited by MBL in Sindh from January 2016 - September 2017 S. No Schools Total Girl’s Boy’s Combined Total no. of Schools Schools Schools Schools beneficiaries in all schools 1 Sindh 201 56 142 3 37,462

32

Independent reading activities during MBL visit in Sindh Independent reading activities during MBL visit in Sindh

A total of 37,462 (15,172 boys and 22,290 girls) students were facilitated through the MBL program in Sindh. Out of these, the ratio of boys was higher with 56% boys and 44% girls out of the total number of children who participated in the MBL program in Sindh region.

1.3.9 PROVISION OF MBL TO INTERESTED PROVINCES/REGIONS THROUGH PPP

MBL in KP: The mobile bus library concept - piloted by PRP in Islamabad and selected districts of Sindh - has been well received by different stakeholders. Success of the pilot has increased the interest of other provincial/regional governments. KP government also showed its willingness to run a similar project in selected districts of the province. Due to resource limitations, the project has been working with other donors including Embassy of Japan since last year to explore resources for this purpose but it is yet to be streamlined. However, during KP Steering Committee meeting on September 22, 2017, the KP Secretary Education insisted that PRP provide at least one bus at the earliest. Therefore, in consultation with USAID, the project agreed to provide one vehicle to the KP government using currently available resources for this purpose. PRP is now developing a concept note for this purpose and will launch the MBL program in selected districts of KP after formal approval from USAID.

Mobile Library Units by Architect Cab/Rotary: Architect’s Cab Mobile Library Units are cost effective library units, developed by the students of NUST. PRP provided a platform for coordination between Architect’s Cab / NUST students and Rotary for highlighting their product at different Rotary events. Rotary Literacy Mission Pakistan has shown an interest in providing these library cabs in different regions. In the reporting quarter, Architect’s Cab displayed their mobile library units at an event organized by Rotary Literacy Mission in Islamabad, where PRP Islamabad region also participated. Rotary appreciated the initiative of mobile library units and showed interest in acquiring a few units in PRP intervention districts of Quetta and Gwadar in Balochistan.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

. Teachers supported by mentors through voluntary schools visits: Mentors from cohort 1 & 2 districts voluntarily conducted 57 school support visits in 57 schools in 5 districts (Muzaffarabad, Bhimber, Mirpur, Hattian and Kotli) of AJK and provided support to 94

33 teachers (53 M; 41 F) regarding Daily Reading Lesson Plan (DRLP) implementation and also motivated the teachers for the upcoming grade 2 children’s assessment. These mentors also met with head teachers and requested that they encourage the TIG teachers to complete DRLPs as well as assessment of grade 2 children. Similarly, mentors from cohort 1 & 2 districts voluntarily visited 39 schools in 4 districts (Astore, Skardu, Ghizer and Hunza-Nagar of GB and provided support to 41 teachers (18 M; 23 F)

. Community Engagement Activities - Summer Reading Camps: In AJK, all public and private schools remain closed in the month of July due to summer vacations. Consequently, students get disconnected with books, resulting in learning loss for them. Therefore, PRP decided to make effective use of summer vacations by holding Summer Reading Camps for children. PRP organized three Summer Reading Camps in district Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir which benefited 38 parents (16 M; 22 F) and 275 students (95 boys; 180 girls). During the 2-day summer camp in each school, different activities including storytelling, playing reading related games and preparation of Low Cost/No Cost material, etc. were arranged. All the participants really appreciated this initiative.

. 7th Education Technical Working Group Meeting: PRP participated in the 7th Education Technical Working Group meeting organized by the FATA Secretariat. The meeting was also attended by representatives of different organizations (GIZ, UNDP, and WFP) as well as by the senior management of DoE FATA. The meeting included a presentation by IRM on implementation of USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project in FATA and presentation by the Reconstruction Rehabilitation Unit (RRU) FATA on in-depth food security, livelihoods and education in FATA.

. International Literacy Day: PRP in collaboration with department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa celebrated International Literacy Day and Enrollment Campaign in Peshawar, Charsadda and Lower Dir districts. Around 400 individuals, including Education Department officials, head teachers, teachers, I/NGO officials, community members, parents and students, attended the activities. PRP had a stall where the Reading Learning Material (RLM) was displayed and visitors were given brief orientation on the various interventions of the project for reading skills improvement. In district Charsadda, an educational walk was also arranged to create awareness among students, teachers and general community on the importance of literacy and education. The PRP Mobile Bus Library (MBL) was also part of the activity in Peshawar. It attracted a large number of visitors and was well received.

COMPONENT 2: IMPROVED POLICIES AND SYSTEMS FOR READING

The overall objective of component 2 is to promote adaptation and implementation of policies that promote quality teaching, materials and assessment of reading, as well as to promote the sustainability of PRP initiatives through policy changes. As a result of PRP’s assistance, provincial/regional governments will develop approved frameworks and policies conducive to improving reading and reading assessment in their respective regions.

34 The following section presents details of component 2 activities undertaken during this reporting quarter.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.1: IMPROVED INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING RELEVANT TO READING PROGRAMS

2.1.1 SUPPORT TO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE PROVINCIAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (PEAS)

PRP is supporting the strengthening of Provincial Education Assessment System (PEAS) with a focus on conducting reading assessments. This includes capacity building of National/Provincial/Regional Education Assessment Systems (NEAS/PEAS) to develop, implement and institutionalize reading assessments at grade 1 and 2 levels.

2.1.1.6 ORIENTATION WORKSHOP FOR ENUMERATORS ON FINAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS

In AJK, a two-day enumerators training workshop was held in Directorate of Education Extension (DEE) Muzaffarabad where 9 (4 M; 5 F) enumerators (Department of Education Officials) participated. The participants were trained on the EGRA tool developed with the technical support of PRP. The Director DEE also participated and appreciated this initiative which will help government officials to carry out assessment of reading in future. The participants were explained the core ethics of EGRA and practiced the administration of tool during the training. They were also trained on the use of tablet and Tangerine software which is specifically designed for reading assessment.

2.1.1.7 CONDUCT STUDENT ASSESSMENT ON READING THROUGH DEVELOPED TOOLS

Through this activity, PRP aims to facilitate provincial assessment centers in provinces/regions to administer student assessment using regionally developed EGRA tools to measure the reading foundation skills of students, followed by analysis and finalization of assessment reports. This activity was completed in Balochistan, GB and KP. In AJK, government officials started student assessment in schools of Muzaffarabad. Assessment was carried out in 20 (10 M; 10 F) schools where 320 (160 boys,

160 girls) students of grades 2 & 3 were assessed Student assessment on reading by trained enumerators (DoE officials) using Tangerine software. KEACE representative and PRP assessment team remained available to provide facilitation to enumerators during the assessment. Daily debriefing and feedback sessions were also conducted after the assessment, queries were responded to and data were uploaded on the server.

In ICT, PRP is following up with government counterparts to initiate this activity in ICT, which is expected to start in next quarter. In FATA, assessment activities have not started yet due to NoC issue.

35 2.1.1.8 FACILITATE PROVINCIAL ASSESSMENT CENTERS IN ANALYSIS AND FINALIZATION OF ASSESSMENT REPORTS

• In Balochistan, a 3-day long data analysis workshop was conducted in Quetta. In total, 6 participants (5 M, 1 F) of Balochistan Examination & Assessment Commission (BEAC) participated and were oriented on data analysis of 20 schools of district Jafferabad, Balochistan. BEAC will take a lead in consultation with PRP assessment team to prepare report which will be submitted to Department of Education for further action and progression.

• In KP, a workshop on data analysis and report development for Provincial Assessment Center was held in KP. A total of 5 male participants (Director Curriculum and Teacher Education, Deputy Director, 2 Subject Specialists and Data Analyst from Assessment & Evaluation Wing) attended the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to build the capacity of these officials on Data Analysis using Excel and SPSS software.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.2: IMPROVED PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MONITORING OF READING PROGRAMS

Sub-component 2.2 aims at facilitating the development and approval of Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) and establishing a system to strengthen reading reforms in the provinces and regions by implementing these strategies. The sub-component also focuses on strengthening provincial apex institutions dealing with the continuous professional development of teachers and devising strategies and plans for public-private partnerships to mobilize private sectors to generate resources and support governments in their efforts to improve reading in early grades.

2.2.1 SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING OF READING IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES (RIS)

The project is supporting provincial/regional education departments to develop and implement their respective Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS). These strategies, once developed, will serve as overall roadmaps for each province/region to achieve their self-identified goals for reading improvement. The RIS aims to strengthen the capacity of provinces, districts, and schools to formulate, implement, and monitor successful reading programs in public schools.

2.2.1.3 SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF DETAILED READING IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY FOR PRIMARY LEVEL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

In the previous quarters, initial RIS drafts for AJK, Balochistan, Sindh GB, ICT and KP were developed in consultation with provincial/regional teams. The same were reviewed by the National Policy Team and necessary input/feedback was provided to these provinces/regions.

In the reporting quarter, 06 reading improvement strategies of AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP and Sindh were finalized. In Sindh, SRP activities were also made part of the RIS as per the signed MOU

36 between PRP and SRP. The work on RIS development for FATA was recommenced and is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

RIS gender review analysis: PRP gender and policy teams closely worked together to integrate gender into RIS in order to respond to gender gaps and challenges, especially at policy level. Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) ensure inclusiveness so that vulnerable groups are given specific support to improve their reading skills. In addition, the need for policy forums to be gender balanced has been re-emphasized in the RIS.

2.2.1.5 SEEK APPROVAL OF PROVINCIAL STEERING COMMITTEES FOR THE USE OF THE STRATEGY

In the previous quarters, AJK RIS framework was approved by the PSC.

During the reporting quarter, the status of the provincial/regional RIS frameworks is as follows:

• In Balochistan, the RIS was unanimously approved by the Provincial Steering Committee for further execution and implementation. • In KP, the RIS was approved by the Provincial Steering Committee. • In GB, the RIS framework was approved by the PSC with the suggestion to add local language and formative assessment as additional strategies. • In ICT, the RIS framework was endorsed by the PSC and submitted to Secretary CA&DD for formal approval. • In Sindh, the RIS framework was updated in the light of feedback received from RIS review committee and submitted to the Sindh Education and Literacy Department for approval. • In Sindh and FATA, the approval is still awaited.

2.2.1.6 FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RIS BY THE RELEVANT DOES

PRP is working with the provincial /regional governments to ensure the elements of the RIS framework are implemented so as to ensure the sustainability of the reading policy initiatives. For example, scheme of studies, revision of language subject curriculum within the framework of PRP reading standards, continuous professional development of teachers, inclusion of reading learning materials in the lower primary language textbooks, and formative assessment strategy to assess the student reading skills are being pursued with the government counterparts for making these elements an integral part of the public primary education system.

2.2.2 DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PPP)

Under this component, PRP examined various models of Public Private Partnership (PPP) and provided training and technical assistance to implement strategies and plans, including innovations and pilots, for PPPs throughout the country.

37 2.2.2.3 CONSTITUTE AND CONDUCT MEETINGS OF PPP TASKFORCE/ COORDINATION COMMITTEE ON NEED-BASIS IN PROVINCES/REGIONS

PRP has constituted four public private partnership (PPP) task forces in AJK, Balochistan, GB and KP. In ICT, the government holds the point-of-view that a task force is not needed and PRP focal person will be the focal point for PPP activities. In Sindh, a separate PPP node is already operational in the education department. During the last quarter, two task force / coordination committee meetings were held in Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan for review of books donated by Rotary Literacy Mission and Paramount Books (Private) Limited.

In the reporting quarter, a meeting was held with the Secretary, Social Sector Development FATA and FATA Education Directorate officials to discuss the way forward for initiating PPP interventions in the public schools of FATA region. Detailed orientation on the scope of PPP and its approach under PRP was given to the participants. It was agreed that as a first step, FATA Education Directorate would notify PPP task force and develop recommendations on areas where future collaboration under PPP is required. Further, the need of an exposure visits of FATA officials to Education Management Organization (EMO) Model developed in Sindh was also discussed.

2.2.2.5 SELECTION OF POTENTIAL PRIVATE SECTOR PLAYERS TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS FOR INVESTMENT IN THE PROGRAMS OF PRP WITHOUT COST-SHARING

PRP has already selected 8 private partners and is currently working with them for supporting PRP schools in different provinces and regions. These partners include the following: HUBCO, Rotary, Paramount Books, Ferozsons Books, City University, Intel, Alpha Pipes and Serena Hotels.

In the reporting quarter, when follow-up was done with the companies which were contacted earlier for partnership, it was noticed that a few companies had not shown further interest including Adamjee Insurance Ltd, Byco Petroleum, Faysal Bank Ltd., English Biscuits Manufacturers, National Foods Ltd., Iqra National University-Peshawar and National College of Sciences, Peshawar. For the remaining organizations, negotiations are still on-going for potential partnerships. Moreover, meetings and discussions were held with following companies during the reporting quarter:

Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI): Meeting was held with the Secretary ICCI and member head of education committee, to discuss the way forward for initiating PPP interventions in the public schools of ICT region. Detailed orientation on the scope of PPP and its approach under PRP was given to the participants. Following was agreed with ICCI: - ICCI will discuss our program with some key ICCI business members who are serious in contributing towards the education sector in ICT region and also try to arrange a meeting with them. - ICCI showed interest in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between USAID/PRP, ICCI and ICT Government Education Department after the due process of approvals. MOU will be signed once concrete deliverables are acceptable to all parties.

UNDP: A meeting was held with UNDP representative in Quetta to discuss the possibility of collaboration in one of their projects “Disaster Risk Manager Support”. Under the project, UNDP

38 plans to distribute school supplies, including furniture and stationery items, in 200 public schools affected by floods in district Jafferabad and Naseerabad, Balochistan. As an outcome of the meeting, UNDP showed an interest to collaborate under an MoU with PRP to support flood affected PRP focused schools in both districts.

City University Consultancy Services and Research (CU-CSR): A meeting was held with City University Consultancy Services and Research (CU-CSR) Pvt. Ltd, Islamabad to identify support for sustainability of PRP interventions. CU-CSR showed interest in a long term partnership with regional governments in education, health and hygiene areas. CU-CSR is currently reviewing the proposal/concept notes submitted by PRP and hopes to soon coordinate further for possible partnership development.

R-Sheen, Iqra National University and National College of Science: Meetings were held with these companies in KP province for developing potential partnership for the improvement of schools focused under PRP. Different proposals/concept notes were discussed for their consideration.

Rotary Literacy Mission/Distribution of Books: Following the book review completion by the notified committee, PRP Balochistan team distributed 5,000 books donated by Rotary Pakistan Literacy Mission in targeted public institutions of Pishin, Jafferabad and Lasbela districts. In addition to the above, 5,000 more books are donated by Rotary Literacy Mission for strengthening school /classroom libraries in public institutions of Balochistan. Out of these, 2,400 were handed over to Sardar Bahadur Khan University (SBKU) Nushki Campus for strengthening of the university library. The remaining 2,600 books will be distributed, following the approval of a provincial book review committee meeting during the next quarter, to elementary colleges in Quetta district. So far, 12,550 books have been donated by Rotary in which 9,950 books have been distributed to Public Private Partnership meeting public institutions of Balochistan.

HUBCO: During an advisory committee meeting held in Quetta, Balochistan, Policy and Planning Implementation Unit (PPIU) appreciated the efforts of HUBCO for their support in Lasbela district. It was decided that the department would dispatch a letter to HUBCO requesting further support in compliance with the terms of the MOU signed earlier for the improvement of schools in Lasbela district, Balochistan.

Sindh: In Sindh, PRP will further make strong concerted efforts for developing public private partnership in the province. PRP team will initiate the process by engaging the sectoral associations for private sector such as for textiles, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and so on. Besides, area specific trade and industrial bodies such as Korangi, FB Area will also be taken into confidence for their contribution in promoting PPPs in education. PRP will share the PPP proposals and the needs of the

39 Sindh education department with these associations for their consideration. These associations / trade and industrial bodies may directly develop partnership with the Sindh education department or empower their individual member organizations to contribute in social development upon their agreement. PPP team has developed a plan for scheduling meetings in Karachi starting from October 2017 onwards with the associations / trade bodies, depending on their availability and consent, to find out the possibility of developing public private partnerships in Sindh province.

2.2.3 APEX INSTITUTIONS CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The need assessment of the apex institutions responsible for continuous professional development (CPD) was completed in all provinces/regions in year 2014-15. Based on the situation analysis, PRP is providing technical assistance to each province to support the apex institution to develop a strategic plan, that: (1) identifies PRP in-service or other CPD approaches it is willing to adopt; and/or (2) identifies other intervention areas supportive of CPD (i.e. teacher motivational framework) that are feasible, cost-effective, and could be introduced directly into their system. In FY2015-16, the consultants were hired in AJK, Balochistan, FATA, GB and Sindh for development of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) strategic plans. However, in KP, with the support of DFID, the Department of Education has developed CPD for the province and technical assistance is not required in KP. In 2016 – 2017, PRP continued its work with provincial/regional DoEs for integration of PRP-TIG model and discuss possibilities for integration of reading approaches and TIG model in the existing CPD model of the department. PRP completed dialogues with AJK government officials to adapt/adopt the TIG model for the CPD system. The AJK government approved Continuous Professional Development (CPD) strategic plan for in-service teachers and also adapted the PRP TIG model. In 2016 – 2017, PRP continued technical assistance to Balochistan, FATA, GB, ICT and Sindh to facilitate the apex institutions to develop strategic plans. These plans were discussed and approved by the provincial/regional steering committees.

2.2.3.7 DEVELOP STRATEGIC PLANS FOR EACH OF THE APEX INSTITUTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR IN-SERVICE TRAINING

During the last four decades, different international organizations and donors substantially contributed for teacher training under different projects but a systematic in-service teacher training approach and mechanism was absent in the public sector elementary schools. After devolution of key education functions under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh has initiated establishing a permanent CPD structure for all elementary school teachers in Sindh. The model is demand-driven, will access and cater the professional needs of every elementary school teacher. These needs will be identified by using National Professional Standards for Teachers in Pakistan (NPSTP) and studies conducted with particular reference to elementary school teacher’s performance in Sindh and classroom assessments.

To ensure transfer of knowledge from teacher to teacher and teacher to students, this model envisages face-to-face training in the local settings, self-study and peer coaching. This will ensure the changes in teacher practices and behavior inside the classroom and outside.

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During the previous quarters: • CPD strategic plans were developed and approved in AJK, Balochistan, GB, Sindh and ICT. • In Sindh, 03 consultative workshops were organized by STEDA to finalize the CPD strategic plan. • In FATA, work could not be initiated due to the NOC issue. • In KP, 02 meetings were held with concerned Govt. officials and Adam Smith Int. team members to discuss various options to incorporate TIG approach in the existing CPD model.

In the current quarter: • In Sindh, the CPD plan was finalized. • In KP, CPD plan was developed. • In FATA, work was re-initiated to finalize draft CPD plan.

2.2.3.8 DISCUSSION WITH THE PROVINCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES ON THE DRAFT STRATEGIC PLANS

During the previous quarters, Advisory Committee meetings were held in AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP and Sindh. In FATA, the meeting was planned for September, but it could not materialize due to NOC renewal issues.

In the current quarter, a consultative meeting was held to integrate the TIG model into the existing CPD plan in KP.

2.2.3.9 FINALIZATION AND APPROVAL OF THE STRATEGIC PLANS

In the previous quarters: • 04 CPD plans for in-service teacher training were approved in AJK, Balochistan, GB and ICT.

In the current quarter: • In Sindh, the School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh notified the Sindh CPD Strategic Plan. • In KP, the CPD plan was approved by PSC.

2.2.3.10 FACILITATE PROVINCIAL /REGIONAL GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC PLAN

In previous quarters: • In AJK, Government finalized the schedule for piloting of CPD and requested PRP to provide orientation to their master trainers. Total 14 master trainers (7 M; 7 F) and 41 teachers (24 M; 17 F) of non-PRP schools attended training on reading. • In Sindh, the Provincial Institute of Teachers Training (PITE) has been assigned the responsibility to execute the CPD model in phases across the province. The school education department notified District Selection Committee for selection of Master Trainers.

41 In the current quarter:

In Sindh, PITE has selected the Guide Teachers and is training them in cohorts. The first cohort of 100 guide teachers has been trained in PITE. Once these Guide Teachers are trained, they will further train all primary school teachers (Grades 1-5).

SUB-COMPONENT 2.4: PROVISION OF LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT TO THE PROGRAMS

Provincial/regional steering and advisory committees were constituted at the start of PRP. The steering committees provide policy guidelines and monitor project progress in the respective provinces/regions. The advisory committees, comprising representatives from the professional bodies of education departments and universities, were established to provide necessary technical feedback during implementation of various project activities.

2.4.1 PROVISION OF LEADERSHIP THROUGH NEED-BASED STEERING COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Provincial/Regional Steering Committees are the highest decision-making forums on PRP related policy initiatives. These committees comprise of senior officials from the provincial/regional education departments and are chaired by the respective Education Secretary.

During the previous quarters: Total 29 steering committee meetings were held: 4 in AJK, 4 in Balochistan, 1 in FATA, 4 in GB, 4 in ICT, 5 in KP and 7 in Sindh.

In the reporting period, 04 steering committee meetings were held - one each in Balochistan, GB, KP and Sindh. The details are given as under:

• In Balochistan, Provincial Steering Committee meeting was held in Quetta. The Secretary, Secondary Education Department Balochistan chaired the meeting. A total of 16 male participants from Directorate of Schools, BOC & EC, PITE, PPIU and BEAC participated in the meeting. The meeting aimed to share the quarterly progress of PRP along with midline assessment results. During the meeting, the Reading Improvement Strategy for Balochistan was also presented for approval. The RIS final Steering Committee Meeting in Balochistan draft was unanimously approved by the Committee for further execution and implementation.

The Secretary also distributed tablets provided by PRP to senior officials of the Education Department.

• In KP, Provincial Steering Committee meeting was held under the Chairmanship of the Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SED), Government of Khyber

42 Pakhtunkhwa in Islamabad. This meeting was attended by 24 senior KP and FATA government officials (21 M; 3 F) including Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education-KP, Special Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education-KP, Deputy Secretary, FATA Education Secretariat, Head of Pashto Department, Islamia College University, Director, Provincial Institute of Teacher Education, Director, Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education and senior officials from USAID and PRP. During the meeting, the following actions points were discussed and approved: o Pashto Reading Standards o Reading Improvement Strategies o Way Forward for Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) model integration in the E&SED, Govt. of KP’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework o Revised Scheme of Studies to integrate Reading Instruction Time

In GB, Provincial Steering Committee meeting was held chaired by Secretary Education, Government of GB and Mission Director, USAID-Pakistan. Education Specialist, USAID Pakistan, Education Officer, USAID and Chief of Party PRP along with PRP team also attended the meeting. Dean Faculty of Social Sciences (Karakorum International University), Director Planning and Director Special Education GB also participated in the meeting. The objective of the meeting was to share PRP progress updates, and to present and seek approval of Reading Improvement Steering Committee Meeting in Gilgit Baltistan Strategies (RIS) framework for GB. As a result, RIS Framework was approved by the Provincial Steering Committee with the suggestion to add local language as an additional strategy and develop formative assessment action plan in this RIS framework for further execution. A total of 10 government officials (all male); 3 USAID/Pakistan (2 M; 1 F) and PRP staff attended the meeting.

• In Sindh, the Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held in Karachi. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary School Education and attended by 25 representatives (23 M; 2 F) from Program Management and Implementation Unit (PMIU), USAID, USAID Sindh Reading Program (SRP), Sindh Community Mobilization Program (CMP) and USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project (PRP). During the meeting, the progress of PRP Sindh and major policy initiatives were shared by PMIU.

2.4.2 STRENGTHENING OF OVERSIGHT SYSTEM THROUGH NEED-BASED ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS

During the previous quarters, total 22 Advisory Committee meetings were held: 6 in AJK, 4 in Balochistan, 2 in FATA, 4 in GB, 2 in ICT and 4 in KP.

43 In the current quarter, total 03 Advisory Committee meetings were held - one each in AJK, Balochistan and GB province/region. The details are given under:

• In AJK, Provincial Advisory Committee meeting was held in Muzaffarabad. The AJK curriculum review committee finalized the revised Urdu language curriculum and presented it during the Technical Advisory Committee. The revised curriculum was endorsed by the TAC. A total of 10 (9 M; 1 F) officials attended the meeting.

• In Balochistan, the Provincial Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, chaired by the additional Secretary Education (Development), Balochistan was held in Quetta. This meeting was attended by 15 (14 M; 1 F) officials. Following the decisions made during the meeting, the following notifications were issued by the Secretary Education to District Education Officers and Divisional Directors for implementation: • Maximum participation of teachers in Teacher Inquiry Group Meetings • Effective use of Reading Learning Material at classroom level • Retention of PRP-focused teachers and avoiding their transfers to non-PRP schools.

• In GB, Provincial Advisory Committee meeting was held in Gilgit to share PRP progress updates and draft Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS) framework. The forum also discussed the scheme of studies review process. As a result of this meeting, the RIS Framework was endorsed by the forum. It was also decided that the revised scheme of studies will be shared in the next PAC meeting. A total of 17 officials (15 M; 2 F) attended the meeting.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.5: IMPROVED EDUCATION POLICIES/TEACHING WORKFORCE SUPPORT AND MOTIVATION

In the previous years, the national education policy scan was completed along with the provincial/ regional policy recommendations to support reading instruction and assessment at school level. The provincial/regional policy recommendations on time allocation for reading were approved in all provinces/ regions. In FY 2015-16, the teacher recruitment rules to enable successful placement of ADE/B.Ed. (Hons.) program graduates were revised in AJK, GB and Sindh. The necessary notifications regarding reading instruction time, reading assessment, CPD plan, and national and compliance level reading standards (Urdu, Sindhi and Pashto) were issued by the relevant authorities in seven provinces/ regions for detail.

During FY 2016-17, PRP provided technical assistance to ICT for revision of teacher recruitment rules. PRP also provided targets to address policy gaps to develop and implement teachers’ licensing system and CPD model. PRP provided technical assistance to Balochistan, GB, and ICT to develop draft certification and licensing structures. Accordingly, licensing structures were approved in these three regions.

2.5.1.4 FOLLOW UP WITH PROVINCIAL/REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE IMPLEMENTATION OF PRIORITIZED POLICIES

44 PRP is continuously engaging provincial and regional governments to implement the policy already approved by the respective provincial steering committees, for example, reading instruction time, introduction of formative reading assessment at the classroom level and implementation of approved CPD model are being followed for their implementation in the public education system.

2.5.2 REVIEW POLICIES AT THE PROVINCIAL LEVEL AND INTRODUCE NEW POLICIES TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE LEARNING AND CPD OF TEACHERS

During 2016 – 17, in each province/region, PRP has been working with the government education departments to ensure that the reading reforms initiated by PRP are integrated in the mainstream public education system. In this regard, reading reforms i.e. reading instruction time, TIG model, reading standard skills and pre-service teacher education program will be steered in collaboration with the provincial and regional governments for sustainability.

2.5.2.1 SHARE AND REVIEW TIG MODEL WITH THE APEX INSTITUTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR CPD

PRP has already shared the TIG model with all the apex institutions responsible for teacher training in the respective provinces/regions in the previous quarters.

In the current quarter: • In FATA, the TIG model was shared again with the apex institution responsible for teacher training. The TIG approach is being made part of draft CPD plan for FATA.

2.5.2.3 FINALIZATION AND APPROVAL OF THE TIG STRUCTURE BY THE APEX INSTITUTIONS

In the previous quarters, five TIG structures (AJK, GB, Balochistan, ICT, and Sindh) were made part of CPD plan and are already approved.

In the current quarter, the TIG structure was approved by PSC in KP.

2.5.2.4 STANDARD SETTING FOR READING AT GRADE 1 & 2 - URDU, SINDHI AND PASHTO

In the previous quarters, reading standards were developed for Urdu language in AJK, Balochistan, GB, ICT, KP, FATA and Sindh. Sindhi language standards were also developed in Sindh.

In the current quarter: • In KP, in light of the Provincial Advisory Committee meeting directives, PRP organized a meeting with DCTE officials to brief them about the development process for Pashto reading standards. It was recommended by the DCTE officials that the Government of KP may approve and notify the reading standards for implementation in the early grades (Grade 1 & 2) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. • In Sindh, PRP and SRP jointly reviewed the already developed reading standards for Sindhi language in the light of MOU signed between the two projects. The updated reading standards document was shared with the Reading Standards Committee for its endorsement.

45 2.5.2.5 GRADE LEVEL PERFORMANCE READING STANDARDS (URDU, SINDHI AND PASHTO) APPROVED BY THE PROVINCIAL / REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS

In previous quarters: The compliance level Urdu and Sindhi reading standards were approved in AJK, GB, ICT, Balochistan, KP, FATA and Sindh by the respective Provincial Steering Committees.

During the current quarter in KP, Pashto reading standards were approved and notified by the Elementary & Secondary Education Department.

2.5.4 TEACHER RECRUITMENT RULES AND COMPENSATION

As per the project work plan, the recruitment and service rules need to be amended to enable successful placement of ADE/B.Ed. (Hons.) program graduates. PRP provided technical assistance to ICT, FATA, and KP to make further revisions to existing recruitment policies and procedures by incorporating the new qualifications. Recruitment Rules are notified in AJK, Balochistan, GB and Sindh.

2.5.5 DEVELOP TEACHER CERTIFICATION AND LICENSING PROGRAM Licensing is the process through which a government agency grants permission to a prospective teacher who has met the licensing requirements to be hired as a teacher on a merit basis. In the current system, teachers do not receive a license that identifies them as a qualified professional, although it is common place for other professionals such as accountants, lawyers, and doctors.

In the previous quarters, total 03 structures were developed in ICT, Balochistan and GB. Work on licensing regime in KP will be taken up by the Department itself.

In the reporting quarter, an understanding was reached between the National Policy Team and PRP- FATA team to initiate the work on development of licencing structure for FATA in the next fiscal year after hiring TA.

2.5.6 ACCREDITATION OF TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

In Pakistan, the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE) under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is tasked for accreditation of teacher education programs. NACTE has developed standard tools for accreditation of a Teacher Training Institute (TTI), looking at facilities, performance, discipline, staffing, and course content. PRP organized capacity building workshops for TTIs and is working as a coordinating vector between the TTIs and NACTE.

2.5.6.3 COMPLETION OF ACCREDITATION TOOLS

In the previous quarters, accreditation tools were completed in AJK (7 TTIs), Balochistan (19 TTIs), GB (3 TTIs), ICT (1 TTI), KP (6 TTIs), Punjab (6 TTIs - universities only) and Sindh (33 TTIs).

46 In the reporting quarter, external evaluation team of NACTE visited 10 TTIs of Balochistan to initiate the accreditation process with coordination and support of BOC & EC. PRP coordinated with TTIs and NACTE officials for smooth access and provided boarding and lodging facilities for the visiting team. The rest of the institution evaluation process will start in next quarter.

In Balochistan, PRP team held a meeting with Director Bureau of Curriculum to discuss the progress and upcoming activities of NACTE with elementary colleges. The PRP team shared the tentative visit plan of external evaluators for completion of TTIs accreditation process.

In KP, PRP team coordinated with Secretary NACTE and six partner universities to initiate accreditation process in the interested universities.

2.5.6.4 DISSEMINATION OF ACCREDITATION RANKS/CATEGORIES BY NACTE

In the previous quarters, 37 TTIs (33 Sindh and 4 AJK) were issued accreditation ranks.

In the current quarter, National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE) accredited B.Ed. (Hons.) program of International Islamic University, Islamabad. The B.Ed. (Hons.) program was accredited by NACTE under the highest category.

2.5.7 POLICY DIALOGUE ON THE PROMOTION OF USING MOTHER TONGUE FOR READING INSTRUCTION One of the best methods to learn reading is through using mother tongue. Although Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, each of the provinces/regions has different local languages. In FY15- 16, PRP launched a study on the use of mother tongue for literacy instruction at early grade level. In 2016 – 2017 this study was discussed in a national workshop to finalize the recommendation for its submission to the provincial government for its consideration and further implementation. The study titled “An Analytical Perspective on the Use of the Mother Tongue for Improving Early Grade Reading” was finalized in this reporting quarter and is being submitted with the QPR.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.6: SUSTAINABILITY OF PRP POLICY INITIATIVES

Sustainability of PRP initiatives after the project ends is dependent on the effective engagement of the public education institutional structures, and the commitment of key personnel within the government and education sector. At both the provincial and regional levels, it is critical for key stakeholders to champion the program’s initiatives in their respective areas of operation.

2.6.1 CONSULTATIVE MEETING TO REVIEW AND REVISE SCHEME OF STUDIES

PRP has invested considerable efforts into the notification of Reading Instruction Time (RIT) in all provinces/regions in order to help children develop reading skills. RIT will ensure improvement in reading skills among children in Pakistan. To sustain this initiative, it is necessary to review and revise the scheme of studies at the primary school level for the inclusion of specific reading time in the school’s weekly timetable (minimum period of 30 - 45 minutes).

47

In the previous quarters: Total 9 consultative meetings were held - AJK - 2, Balochistan - 3, KP - 4 • Revised scheme of studies for early grades were approved in AJK and Balochistan by the respective PSC. • In KP, scheme of studies was revised but not approved. • In ICT and Sindh, scheme of studies review committees were constituted. • In GB, Education Department was being persuaded to raise existing scheme of studies to meet new requirements.

In the reporting quarter: Five consultative meetings were held in GB (1), KP (1) and Sindh (3). Following progress was made in result of these meetings by the provinces/regions: • In GB, consultative meeting to review and revise scheme of studies was held in PRP regional office Gilgit. A total of 4 male DoE officials participated in the meeting. The main agenda of the meeting was to allocate space for reading in the scheme of studies. • In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the revised scheme of studies for early grades was approved by the Provincial Steering Committee. • In Sindh, revised scheme of studies with grade wise time table at the primary level was developed and finalized. The Director, Directorate of Curriculum Assessment & Research (DCAR) shared the draft with the Regional Directors for their input and feedback. Subsequently, it will be submitted to the Secretary School Education and Literacy Department, GoS for approval.

2.6.2 CONSULTATIVE MEETING WITH BOC/PITE/DCRD/TEXTBOOK BOARD AND DOE FOR INTEGRATION OF READING STANDARDS IN CURRICULUM

In previous quarters: • One TA was hired for AJK, KP and ICT. • Total 05 consultative meetings (KP-1, AJK-2, Balochistan-1, and ICT-1) were held. • Roadmaps to integrate reading skills in Urdu language curriculum of early grades finalized for AJK, KP, and ICT. • Curriculum Review committee notified in AJK.

In the current quarter:

• Two consultants (TA) were hired for Balochistan and Sindh to roll out the process to integrate reading standards in the curriculum and textbooks/RLM.

• In AJK, seven meetings of Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) were held in Muzaffarabad. Members of National Policy team along with PRP Consultant attended these meetings. In result of these meetings, reading standards were incorporated in the revised Urdu language curriculum of Grade 1 - 5.

• In Balochistan, a consultative meeting to initiate curriculum review process was held in Bureau of Curriculum. A total of 11 officials (9 M; 2 F) attended the meeting. National Policy Team was

48 represented by the RIS Specialist and the consultant. The roadmap and implementing strategies of curriculum development were thoroughly discussed in the meeting. Deputy Director Curriculum was nominated as focal person for coordination and timely completion of the activity. It was also advised by the Policy Team to organize a consultative workshop with Balochistan Textbook Board for taking them onboard in the review process.

• In KP, the Policy team held a meeting with DCTE officials to discuss the implementation of curriculum review roadmap in Peshawar. During the meeting, it was decided that the DCTE will soon issue the notification of curriculum review committee which was later notified by the DCTE. The committee is comprised of 10 members (7 M: 3 F) from Directorate of Curriculum, Textbook Board, Regional Institute of Education and public primary schools. The committee will review the existing curriculum of early grades 1 & 2 in order to integrate the reading standards in curriculum, textbooks and materials.

o PRP team organized first meeting of the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) in Peshawar to strategize the tasks in light of the reading curriculum development roadmap. In total, 10 committee members (8 M; 2 F) from Department of Education, Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE) and Regional Institute for Teacher Education (RITE), Mansehra attended the meeting.

o PRP followed-up with Textbook Board (TBB) and DCTE for completion of Gap Analysis report for curriculum revision. Dr. Usman Shah, Subject Specialist, Urdu TBB completed the review of early grades Textbooks and shared it with PRP-KP, which was further shared with DCTE for consolidation and compilation of Gap Analysis Report. Additional Director Curriculum & Textbook shared the Gap Analysis report with PRP for further course of action.

• In Sindh, during a consultative meeting with the Director Curriculum and Research (DCAR) and Head of Curriculum Wing, the draft work plan and curriculum review committees for Urdu and Sindhi was discussed. In the work plan, major activities were chalked out before sharing with Director DCAR & Head of Curriculum Wing. A letter has also been sent to the Head of Curriculum Wing for Revision of Language Curriculum (Sindhi and Urdu) of primary grades in the context of skill based reading learning.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.7: FACILITATE NATIONAL FORUM ON PROMOTION OF READING

The devolution of the public education system to provincial/regional governments under the 18th Constitutional Amendment has increased the importance of coordination between the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training and the provincial/regional entities responsible for education and provincial reading programs. This coordination is essential to ensure that the provincial/regional governments implement their programs in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework 2006 and the National Education Policy 2009, and that systems are strengthened to sustain PRP interventions after the end of the project.

49 2.7.1 HOLD CONSULTATIVE MEETING TO CONSOLIDATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL FORUM ON PROMOTION OF READING

Prior to the meeting of the National Forum, a consultative meeting was due during the reporting quarter. A request letter for holding the National Forum meeting was initiated in the reporting period with the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, which could not be materialized due the pressing engagement of relevant government officials.

2.7.2 MEETING OF NATIONAL FORUM ON PROMOTION OF READING

National Reading Forum was established in 2016 to share the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project (PRP) updates and generate collective discussion/dialogue on the integration of PRP initiatives into the public education system. PRP, in collaboration with Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, organized the second meeting of National Reading Forum in the reporting quarter in Islamabad. The meeting was chaired by the Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training. It was attended by the Education Secretaries of AJK, Meeting on National Reading Forum Balochistan, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan. Senior officials of Sindh, KP and ICT education departments represented their respective regions. Total 34 participants (30 M; 4 F) attended the meeting. A detailed presentation on project updates and key activities of next year were shared with the participants.

Federal Secretary, Ministry of FE&PT, Education Secretaries from AJK, Balochistan, FATA, Gilgit Baltistan and senior officials of Sindh, KP and ICT commended USAID and PRP efforts to improve the reading skills of children. The forum decided that all the stakeholders should further focus on effective implementation and sustainability of project activities. Provincial/regional officials highlighted a few areas where further collaboration may be nurtured, e.g. M&E, PPP, gender, and donor coordination, etc.

SUB-COMPONENT 2.8: COORDINATION BETWEEN PRP AND SRP

USAID is currently implementing two early grade reading projects in Sindh through the Pakistan Reading Project (PRP) and the Sindh Reading Program (SRP) in non-PRP districts. PRP and SRP have a number of common elements that include in-service teacher training for reading, development of Reading Learning Material, development of reading standards, and early grade reading assessment. Coordination between the two will also minimize duplication of resources, and help increase outreach in Sindh.

2.8.1 DEVELOP TORS THROUGH MUTUAL CONSULTATION

50 A Memorandum of Understanding was finalized and signed by PRP/SRP/USAID to establish a coordination mechanism for better and effective implementation of Pakistan Reading Project and Sindh Reading Program.

2.8.3 ORGANIZE QUARTERLY MEETING

SRP, PRP and USAID coordination meeting was held at SRP office, Karachi. USAID Karachi and Islamabad office representative, PRP and SRP Chiefs of Party and technical leads attended the meeting. Following were the key highlights of the meeting: - PRP and SRP presented progress updates, discussed activities and shared current plan of implementation. - Assessment mechanism and process was discussed and debated in detail to address zero scorers’ issue. It was also suggested to develop practical steps to minimize the number of zero scorers. PRP shared the relevant strategies with SRP and USAID. - Policy and sustainability plan, and evaluation studies were shared with the participants. - Next coordination meeting will be held in early November 2017.

COMPONENT 3: COMMUNITY BASED SUPPORT FOR READING

This component focuses on a range of innovative program grants based on community-based support to reinforce children’s learning and reading skills acquisition. PRP solicits support from Pakistani non-government organizations (NGOs) and school management committees through Community Managed Reading (CMR) grants and Complementary Reading Project (CRP) grants that are focused explicitly on community-based reading activities in support of PRP objectives.

The following sections present details of component 3 activities undertaken during this reporting quarter.

SUB-COMPONENT 3.1: COMPLEMENTARY READING PROJECT (CRP) GRANTS

3.1.1 COMPLEMENTARY READING PROJECT (CRP) GRANTS

3.1.1.9 GRANTS MONITORING

To evaluate the effectiveness of completed Complementary Reading Project (CRP) grants which were awarded under two themes - “Reading Events to Promote Parental Engagement” and “Children with Special Needs” - during the last reporting quarter a Request for Proposal (RFP), along with Terms of Reference (TOR), was advertised. The proposals were received and a Procurement Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting was conducted where the proposals were evaluated as per the pre-defined evaluation criteria.

During the reporting quarter, final ranking of the bidders was done, reference checks and anti- terrorism compliance (ATC) checks of the top ranked bidder were conducted and after carrying out due diligence, a contract was issued to the top ranked bidder to conduct the evaluation activity.

51

The selected firm has initiated the work and in the upcoming quarter PRP team will be closely coordinating with the contracted firm for the timely completion of the evaluation activity.

3.1.1.10 PROPAGATION OF GRANT OUTCOMES

The activity “Propagation of Grant Outcomes” was planned for the reporting quarter, the purpose of which was to share achievements, challenges and success stories with the key stakeholders and decision makers through organizing an event at the national level but due to unavailability of the stakeholders the event has been shifted to Q2 of FY 17-18.

GENDER

4.2 DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER SENSITIVE MATERIAL

4.2.3 DISTRIBUTION OF BROCHURE AND POSTERS ON GIRL FRIENDLY APPROACH (COHORT 3) PRP has already distributed gender promotional material that includes a set of three posters and a brochure to 13,385 PRP trained teachers of cohorts 1 and 2 in all six provinces/regions. However, during the reporting quarter, FATA regional office was provided gender promotional materials; around 2,400 gender posters and 800 brochures, to be distributed among all PRP trained teachers during the face-to-face trainings. Gender posters and brochures carry various messages supporting gender equality, friendly and equitable learning environment and teachers’ positive role to promote learners’ reading skills.

4.3 INTEGRATION OF GENDER SENSITIVITY

4.3.2 DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER SENSITIVITY AND INTEGRATION GUIDELINE

During the quarter, PRP revised gender integration guidelines, following a review of field based experiences and a process of collaborative learning and adaptation in the light of modification and the changing requirements of the program. The guideline provides a simple and practical tool for PRP staff to enhance gender integration in program activities and interventions, with specific focus on producing more equitable outcomes for the project. It is based on the recognition that gender mainstreaming of the program is an ongoing process. PRP expects that in future these guidelines may again be reviewed and changed, as and when needed.

4.4 TRAINING OF PRP GENDER FOCAL STAFF ON GENDER AND CONFLICT SENSITIVITY

4.4.2 ORIENTATION SESSIONS ON GENDER

Three orientation sessions were conducted during the reporting quarter, one each in ICT, FATA and KP. The sessions were attended by 50 participants (M 18, F 32) including TIG members, head teachers, PRP staff, PSC members and newly appointed staff of FATA.

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The session in FATA was specifically arranged to orient a newly appointed FATA team on PRP gender strategy and related work and how gender should be integrated into FATA’s program. Though, FATA seems challenging for PRP in terms of promoting gender equality and female empowerment; nevertheless, PRP team looked enthusiastic to promote gender in all activities.

Similarly, another session was arranged for newly nominated women members of project steering and advisory committees in Peshawar. The session was attended by Ms. Badre Haram, Principal, GGHS Irrigation Colony, Ms. Roman Sarwar, Planning/Statistical Officer, E&SE Department, members of PAC and Ms. Farida Ghous, Principal RITE (F) Peshawar. They were introduced to PRP’s work and the role of committees. However, detailed presentations included information about the concept of gender, discrimination in education and women’s empowerment. Newly appointed women members showed strong commitment to perform an active role in committees, especially raising and promoting gender issues in education. "It is the first time for me to talk about gender issues in education; we usually face various issues even in offices but rarely talk about them. After this session, I feel more confident in understanding various deep rooted social and cultural issues women face and will continue to work for the promotion of women’s rights."

Roman Sarwar, Planning/Statistical Officer, E&SE Department

Orientation sessions on gender

COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTING

5.1. BRANDING AND MARKING The Communications department ensures that all material produced by PRP, its implementing partners, grantees or vendors meets the USAID guidelines for branding and marking. The department works in close coordination with the USAID DOCS team to ensure that these guidelines are being followed and seeks approval for new designs on behalf of PRP and its partners.

5.1.1.1 BRANDING OF VENUES AND MATERIAL DEVELOPED BY PRP

53 During the reporting quarter, the PRP Branding & Marking Plan, submitted with the Modification documents, was approved. The branding of venues for events and material produced or procured under the project is an on-going work plan activity. In this reporting quarter, branding and marking was ensured for various programmatic and public events, as well as promotional material developed by the project, reading learning material, and reports and publications generated/developed by PRP and its partners.

Branding of venues was ensured for all programmatic events, such as trainings, meetings, orientation sessions and workshops. Support included branding in form of backdrops, standees, and promotional material, as requested by the project components.

Branding and marking of all publications and reports, generated by PRP and its partners was ensured, which in this reporting quarter included FATA School Verification report, Mother Tongue Study report, Urdu Endline Assessment report, National Workshop report and reports for research studies, such as Supporting Extremely Rural Schools, Enrollment Survey, Teachers’ Beliefs and Tracking Students Progress. Branding and formatting of scholarship survey report and school visit form for lean year activities were also completed. Support was also provided in editing, proofreading and formatting these reports.

Branding and marking of material, included RFQs and other vacancy and procurement advertisements for the project. Various presentations were also developed for meetings with stakeholders, both locally and abroad. Branded stationery was provided for major events, which serve to showcase the project and USAID assistance. Promotional material was designed for National Reading Forum meeting, Provincial Steering Committee meetings, Local Writers’ Workshop and inauguration event for the USAID funded Faculty of Education building at Karakoram International University, Gilgit Baltistan. These included backdrops, standees, a plaque and invitation card.

5.2 MEDIA/EVENTS/SOCIAL MEDIA

5.2.1.1 & 2 EVENTS . International Literacy Day: PRP celebrated the International Literacy Day in collaboration with department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Peshawar, Charsadda and Lower Dir. Support was provided for highlighting PRP’s participation in a fair held in Peshawar where the project had a stall. The RLM was displayed and visitors were given brief orientation about the material and other project initiatives. The PRP Mobile Bus Library (MBL) was also part of the event and attracted a large crowd of children and adults. In Charsadda, an educational walk was arranged to create awareness on the importance of literacy and education.

. Inauguration of Faculty of Education Building: USAID-Mission Director, Jerry Bisson joined the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain on August 25 for the inauguration ceremony of the USAID-funded Faculty of Education building at the Karakoram International University (KIU), GB which is one of the 17 Faculty of Education buildings that USAID has constructed or

54 rehabilitated for the professional development of Pakistan’s next generation of teachers and education professionals.

Inauguration of Faculty of Education Building KIU-GB

. Meeting of National Reading Forum: Under policy reform initiative, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training is providing a platform for sharing PRP’s progress at the national level. Accordingly, the 2nd meeting of the National Reading Forum was held in Islamabad. Support was also provided branding and marking at the event, development of presentations by different PRP components during the meeting, as well as photography.

5.2.2 PRINTED AND ELECTRONIC PROMOTION AND MEDIA COVERAGE OF PROJECT INITIATIVES . 5 print media mentions were made for inauguration of Faculty of Education building at Karakoram International University, Gilgit. http://www.pakreading.org.pk/en/press-clippings

5.2.3 SOCIAL MEDIA PACKAGE FOR USAID/PARTNERS PRP featured prominently in social media during the reporting quarter with the following:

• Second National Forum on Reading: USAID Facebook update https://web.facebook.com/pg/USAIDPakistan/photos/ • Second National Forum on Reading: USAID Twitter update https://twitter.com/1977Creative/status/ • Second National Forum on Reading: Creative Associate Facebook update https://web.facebook.com/CreativeAssociatesInternational/posts/ • Second National Forum on Reading: Creative Twitter Update https://twitter.com/1977Creative/status/ • Second National Forum on Reading: Creative LinkedIn update https://pk.linkedin.com/company/creative-associates-international-inc- • Faculty of Education Building inauguration at Karakoram International University, Gilgit Baltistan https://www.facebook.com/notes/usaid-pakistan/president-of-pakistan- inaugurates-usaid-funded-faculty-of-education-building-at-/1567334813287394/

55 5.2.4.1 WEBSITE UPDATES

. Job postings, Request for Proposal (RFA) advertisements and content updates on the project website continued during the quarter. In the reporting quarter, there were 8,505 visitors on the website, mainly from Pakistan, US, UK, Brazil and India to access the job portal, RFPs, and reading learning materials. . During the reporting quarter, a fake advertisement soliciting applications for many different posts from a fraudulent company posing as the Pakistan Reading Project came to our attention. While legal reporting was undertaken by PRP, warning advertisements in English and Urdu were also designed and uploaded onto the home page of the project’s website.

5.3.2 PRP INFORMATION AND PROMOTIONAL BROCHURES . 3 PRP regional briefers were submitted to USAID

5.3.4 SUCCESS STORIES . Two success stories developed on prescribed USAID format. Attached as annexure 2.

5.3.5 NEWSLETTERS (WEEKLY UPDATES)

. PRP circulated 11 weekly e-newsletters to USAID, project staff in all provinces/regions, partners and senior provincial/regional government officials. Requests were received from PRP implementing partners to include some senior management’s email addresses to the receivers list, ensuring wider reach of the weekly newsletter. . Weekly updates, in the form of pertinent bullet points, were shared regularly every week with the USAID AOR for PRP and the USAID DOCS Specialist for KP/FATA.

5.3.6 PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

. In the reporting quarter, the department continued photography and videography of programmatic and public events. Provided photographic support for Steering Committee Meeting, Material Review Committee Meeting, Local Writers' Workshop, as well as internal meetings and workshops, etc. The photographic database was also cleaned up and photographs were sorted out and archived according to component, activity and theme. 20+ photographs were also submitted to USAID during this reporting quarter.

5.4.1 MONTHLY, QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL REPORTING

. PRP produced and submitted 1 quarterly report.

5.4.2 EVENT CALENDARS

. PRP submitted 1 quarterly events calendar to USAID in this quarter.

5.5 OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY

56 Outreach and advocacy component is part of the communications work plan and activities are planned from FY2018-19. However, PRP, as in the previous quarters, will continue to look for opportunities in print and electronic media, as well as on-ground activities, where the project’s work and USAID assistance can be promoted. In the reporting quarter, PRP participated in government initiated events, like an education fair, enrollment campaign and advocacy walk. In response to interest expressed by the KP government during the steering committee meeting in the reporting quarter, PRP plans to work in coordination with provincial counterparts to plan and execute outreach and advocacy activities particularly focusing on KP in the upcoming quarters.

OTHER ACTIVITIES . Presentations: Various presentations were developed for promoting PRP and its initiatives on various national and international forums for both private sector as well as government counterparts. . Provincial Briefers: Brief updates were developed for PRP’s work and resulting impact in different provinces. Such briefers were developed for GB, KP and Balochistan. . Training session on Report Writing and Communication Skills: PRP Communications department conducted a 2-day training session on Report Writing and Communication Skills for staff in Peshawar and Islamabad. . USAID Communications Working Group Meetings: PRP team regularly participated in the national and provincial USAID Communications Working Group (CWG) meetings held in Islamabad during the reporting quarter. PRP shared project updates and discussed various activities to highlight USAID assistance in Pakistan with a focus on education.

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING

6.3 ESTABLISHMENT & IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MONITORING SYSTEMS (SYSTEMATIC MONITORING)

6.3.3 REVIEW AND UP GRADATION OF ONLINE M&E-IS ON NEED BASIS During the reporting quarter, M&E-IS was updated regularly. Multiple new tables were added to improve data storage in different M&E-IS modules. Further improvements have also been made in the dashboard to provide summary reports at national and regional level. Following tools were modified on the M&E IS during the quarter:

• Monitoring the Quarterly TIG Proceedings: The focus of M&E team remained on monitoring the QTIG implementation process in cohorts 1 & 2. The M&E-IS dashboard provides a platform to district and regional teams for qualitative and quantitative data analysis. To validate the data reported by RQAs, SSAs, DPMs and regional M&E staff comparisons are made in M&E IS. Multiple types of graphs are created including targets vs. achievements, and total number of QTIGs held in different districts. M&E regional and district staff attended many meetings during the quarter and provided feedback to district program teams.

57 What % of TIG members bring TIG Modules to the meetings? 500 468 450 414 400 350 306 300 250 200 133 150 89 100 38 31 18 50 1 3 2 5 8 0 Azad Kashmir Balochistan Gilgit Baltistan Khyber Sindh Pakhtunkhwa

0-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

The data collected during the quarterly monitoring process helps the provincial/regional teacher training teams for follow-up with concerned district program staff to ensure that all teachers are aware that they are expected to bring their copies of the TIG Modules to these meetings.

What % of TIG members participate actively 300

250 239233 239

200 200 175

150 137

100 78 79 69

50 31 15 4 6 3 8 0 Azad Kashmir Balochistan Gilgit Baltistan Khyber Sindh Pakhtunkhwa

0-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

Similarly, this quarterly data helps the provincial/regional teams to work with the mentors to identify such teachers and encourage them to participate more actively.

58 • School Support Visits (Lean Years): The tool for recording school support visits has been revised and uploaded on M&E-IS for data recording of school support visits in lean years. The tool for data entry is accessible to all program and M&E staff visiting a school and providing support to teachers. Different qualitative reports have been developed and graphical representation on the Dashboard is under development. • Read Foundation Schools in AJK and GB: With the initiation of work with READ Foundation schools, new accounts for district Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Hattian, Bhimber and Mirpur were created for Read Foundation users with R1 level permissions. AJK team has initiated the recording of data on the M&E-IS system. • FATA Region Inclusion in M&E-IS: With the initiation of work in FATA, the M&E team provided detailed orientation to FATA management on the data entry, management and retrieval protocols. User ID were created for agency level field staff members.

6.3.5 TRAINING/ORIENTATION OF COMPONENT BASED FOCAL STAFF AND M&E STAFF ON MEL A quarterly M&E Progress Review meeting was held in PRP office to discuss M&E activities in the regions and to prepare plans for the upcoming quarters. The meeting was attended by total 24 (20 M; 4 F) participants from central and regional M&E and component-1 teams. The purpose of the meeting was to share M&E experiences, orientation on new M&E tools, data consolidation and progress review. M&E teams also developed a plan to conduct small scale internal evaluation studies.

FATA M&E and program staff has been oriented on M&E-IS system through detailed trainings at the agency level. User accounts have been created and access given to regional and agency staff members. Two locations were finalized for orientation, the first one was district Timergarah, Lower Dir, where 12 male and 6 female participants were present. The second training was held in PRP office, Peshawar where 2 female and 9 male participants were present. M&E staff reviewed the regional progress and planned internal evaluation studies to provide on ground feedback to regional M&E teams.

FATA staff was given orientation on the following M&E IS modules: - TIG Clustering (TIG codes, school information, teacher information) - Participants Training Programs Module - TIG Meetings Module - Teacher Learning Material Distribution Module - School Support Visits Module - Enrollment Module - Generation of reports in each module according to data entry - How to generate monthly/quarterly/annual reports - How use main dashboard and the purpose of this dashboard. How to generate graphs in the dashboard.

6.3.6 SUPPORT TO PROJECT STAFF IN TRACKING PROGRESS AGAINST WORK PLAN AND MEL PLAN

59 Regional M&E teams remained engaged in validating and consolidating progress against PRP work plan for monthly and quarterly progress reports, reviewing and posting project activities’ data along with related evidences on M&E-IS and compilation of case studies. M&E team provided continuous support to regional program staff in tracking progress against work plan matrix on need basis to effectively report progress made against targets set for the period, discrepancies and issues. Based on the endline assessment report, PRP M&E and Component 1 teams took many follow-up actions. Some key measures are to:

• More focus to ensure the utilization of Reading Learning Material (RLM) by PRP trained teachers as given in DRLPs • Initiate Quarterly Student Performance Tracking on sample basis by PRP staff • Disseminate assessment results with regional and district management as well as government • Increased engagement with head teachers to monitor student assessment results and follow up with teachers on student’s assessment given in the work books.

Field Monitoring Visits

Central M&E team visited 10 districts for monitoring program activities, data collection of surveys and orientation of project staff on M&E-IS. During the visits, M&E staff also provided orientation and training to district M&E Assistants on data collection tools. Provincial M&E teams also visited districts to conduct orientation sessions on data collection, verification and management. The team members participated in QTIG meetings and monitored the progress. Regional and district teams also followed-up on the use of TLM.

6.3.7 UPDATES ON USAID INFO

PakInfo portal was updated on all PRP related indicators in August 2017 as per the set timelines communicated by USASID. A review meeting was held with USAID AOR to review the uploaded data on the system. PRP M&E uploaded data on relevant indicators triggered on quarterly basis.

6.3.8 UPDATES ON TRAINET TraiNet related data entry has been completed up till the second quarter of 2017. Data of five (05) trainings held during the quarter were uploaded on the system. Two M&E staff members participated in the ‘Participant Training Working Group’ meeting and provided inputs in training data management.

6.3.9 INTEGRATION OF GENDER IN ALL M&E ACTIVITIES (E.G. MEL TARGETS, DATA COLLECTION TOOLS, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) Gender has remained a key focus in all M&E related activities. All PRP targets have been gender disaggregated. M&E team ensured to record gender disaggregated data in all new tools and output reports on M&E IS.

6.4.1 DESIGN AND CONDUCT SURVEYS AS PER MEL AND WP

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During this quarter, student enrolment data for academic year 2017-18 (Batch 3) was gathered from 763 summer schools in Balochistan region with the start of the new academic session in September 2017. After including these student figures, following table shows accumulated Grade 1 student enrollment for academic year 2017-18 in 8066 PRP intervention schools across 06 provinces/regions. Number of students in Grade 1 receiving direct reading intervention is 220,944. The student enrollment survey report is being submitted with this QPR.

Provinces/Regions Total Schools Grade-01 Azad Kashmir 1,477 15,708 Balochistan 1,416 35,745 Federal Capital Territory 210 10,260 Gilgit Baltistan 467 7,298 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2,613 10,4930 Sindh 1,883 47,003 Grand Total 8,066 220,944

61 Out of School Children 2 (Enrolled or Re-enrolled) Survey

To report out of school children enrolled or re-enrolled in PRP intervention schools against MSF Indicator 4.1-a “Number of out-of-school children newly enrolled or re-enrolled in education system with USG assistance,” PRP conducted a sample based survey in 367 schools across six regions of Pakistan. As per the definition of the Indicator, PRP developed a criteria to record newly enrolled students in Grade 1 and re-enrolled students in Grade 2 to 5 who were out of school and enrolled or re-enrolled due to USG assistance. For Grade 1, all students who were above seven (7) years of age and enrolled in Grade 1 for the first time were considered as newly enrolled students. However, children above eight (8) years of age and re-enrolled in any grade between 2 to 5 were considered as re-enrolled students. As per the survey results, on average approximately five (5) students were enrolled in Grade 1 who were out of school and enrolled due to PRP reading intervention. Similarly, on average, approximately eleven (11) students are re-enrolled between Grade 2 to 5 who are out of school. Based on the sample data projections, it is estimated that 38,879 students are enrolled in Grade 1 and 85,715 students have been re-enrolled in Grade 2 to 5 during the academic year 2017- 18. Based on these initial findings and data verification, the final report will be shared in the next quarter.

6.4.2 DESIGN AND CONDUCT RESEARCH STUDIES

As per the approved work plan, PRP initiated four research studies during the last year. One research study i.e. Reading Loss during summer vacation has been completed and reported to USAID. During the quarter, two research studies i.e. Supporting Extremely Rural Schools and Teacher’s Belief Study have been completed and final reports are attached. A brief overview and key findings already shared during the last quarter are given below. The fourth research study on Costing of PRP interventions has also been conducted and report is being finalized and will be shared with the next QPR.

Rural School Support Study

The Rural School Support Study was conducted to explore how and under what conditions remote and isolated schools and teachers can be supported to sustain reading activities. The study was conducted in 14 isolated schools of Astore, Swabi and Panjpai, and Quetta districts. In total, 27 teachers and 48 community members participated in the study. A brief synopsis of the study is given below:

• Rural study data endorse that in the absence of a dedicated teacher support mechanism, rural teachers neither have the capacity nor are they motivated to form their own learning communities.

2 Out-of-school children are defined as children between the ages of 6 to 18/5-16 who are not currently enrolled in the mandatory course of study in either a formal or non-formal public or private setting that offers education ultimately culminating in a GoP accredited diploma. Re-enrolled students are those who had previously been enrolled in such an education setting but discontinued study and have since become re-enrolled with USG assistance. Newly enrolled students are those of school age who had never enrolled to study at such an education setting but have since become enrolled through USG assistance.

62 • In the absence of government support, local leaders do not motivate their communities to create conditions for continuous learning among teachers. • Through materials’ support, peer-to-peer learning, and concerted follow up support, teachers can be motivated to change their behavior and realize their potential for improving reading in their classrooms. • Monthly peer-to-peer learning opportunities and the resulting surge in self-efficacy among these teachers was identified as a major factor in their changed behavior and their ability to develop solutions to the learning challenges in their schools. • Maintenance of the ICT equipment was challenging due to the harsh rural settings and hard to reach nature of some of these schools.

Teachers’ Belief Study

PRP initiated this study to assess beliefs of teachers regarding teaching reading and whether these beliefs are reflected in their classroom practices. In total, 9 primary school teachers teaching grades 1 or 2 were part of this research study. Instruments such as reading orientation survey, focus groups, classroom observation, semi-structured school-based interviews and teachers’ journals were used to gather the data. The detailed report is attached with the QPR. Key findings include: 1. All teachers answered self-report survey questions in ways that suggest their pedagogical practices are innovative, meaning that they believed that they practiced holistic teaching, 2. Data from classroom observations suggest that, despite the difficult conditions in which teachers work, 6/7 are conducting their reading lessons in lively and participatory ways, that are consistent with their innovative teaching beliefs and with the practices that PRP promotes. 3. Teachers have internalized the PRP reading methods during the study period. They emphasized that teacher behavior affects children - students perform better with loving teachers. 4. All teachers viewed PRP training modules as very important as they helped them develop the skills needed for reading instruction at early grade levels. 5. Teachers expressed strong beliefs regarding communicating in their mother tongue for the purposes of early grade instruction. 6. Teachers express great support toward the use of technology in the classroom

Internal Evaluation Studies

M&E team initiated internal evaluation studies in all regions to evaluate quality of program delivery in PRP intervention schools. Regional M&E teams with the help of program teams and technical leads designed and developed concept notes on conducting internal evaluation of key intervention processes in their respected regions. Following are the few areas of studies i.e. student use of workbooks, role of head teachers, use of lesson plans etc. The studies will be implemented in Q1 2017-18 and results of these evaluations will be shared and discussed with program teams to focus

63 on areas which need any further improvements. The internal evaluation reports will be shared in the Lesson Learnt workshop.

The M&E team provided technical support to the Component 3 in designing the final evaluation of the CRP grants and an independent third party was selected to do the evaluation. M&E team supported component -2 teams in designing study concept note and data collection tool focused on implementation of reading time allocation policy in PRP intervention schools. It will be a sample based study, conducted in all provinces/regions.

6.5 IMPACT EVALUATION (STUDENT ASSESSMENT)

6.5.4 STUDENT ASSESSMENT ENDLINE COHORT 1 & 2 (GRADE 2), FINALIZATION OF REPORT AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS PRP used a quasi-experimental design with students in schools that received the treatment (Cohorts 1 and 2) and students in schools that have not received the treatment yet (control) and conducted student reading assessment at baseline, midline and end-line, to assess the extent to which students’ reading skills have improved as a direct result of PRP interventions in its targeted province/regions. During the quarter, PRP completed the Urdu end-line assessment report of Cohort 1 & 2 districts, attached with this QPR.

The end-line assessment results indicate that PRP interventions are having positive and statistically significant effects on first and second grade students. All effect sizes are positive, which indicate that students in the treatment group are exhibiting larger gains than students in the control group. PRP is having small effect sizes in first graders’ reading skills, the intervention is having moderate to large effect sizes on second graders.

Similarly, the study notes that the teachers’ instructional practices has also increased significantly, and that PRP is having positive, moderate to large, and statistically significant effects on their instructional practices. The endline assessment report has been finalized and attached with this report. The Sindhi endline study is in progress as per the work plan timelines.

64 Effect Sizes Reflecting the Impact of PRP on First and Second Grade Students' Reading Outcomes

0.04 Reading Comprehension 0.34 0.02 Oral Reading Fluency 0.27 0.18 Familiar Word Reading 0.73 0.02 Letter Sound Fluency 0.76 0.05 Phonemic Awareness 0.49 0.28 Orientation to Print 0.45

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

First Graders Second Graders

Note: Positive effect sizes indicate that students in the treatment groups (Cohort 1 or 2) made more progress than students in the control group (Cohort 3) and negative differences indicate the opposite. Effect sizes of 0.2 are considered small, 0.5 are considered medium and 0.8 are considered large.

6.5.14 WORKSHOP TO DEVELOP STUDENT ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR URDU AND SINDHI LANGUAGES FOR COHORT 3 PRP is looking forward to hire the services of a research partner to conduct impact evaluation of PRP cohort 3. In this regard, request for proposal (RFP) was publicized and proposals were received from multiple national as well as international organizations.

6.5.15 STUDENT ASSESSMENT BASELINE INCLUDING PILOTING OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS, FINALIZATION OF REPORTS AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS FOR C3 (ALL REGIONS INCLUDING IFO)

1. The Assessment team established the baseline of low-fee schools of READ Foundation in the previous quarter. During this quarter, initial results were finalized and shared with AJK program team. The READ Foundation baseline report will be finalized in the next quarter. 2. Necessary planning for Student assessment baseline in FATA (two agencies) was done in collaboration with IRM. Assessment team will start the data collection process once IRM gets the renewal of NOC.

6.6.1 DEVELOPMENT/REVIEW OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL PRP Sindh team initiated formative assessment in regions for cohort 1 and cohort 2 districts through class teachers. In this regard, 49,596 students (32,042 boys; 17,554 girls) from grades 1 & 2 were

65 assessed by their language teachers in three cycles during first and second quarter of 2017. In this regard, language teachers were sensitized for administering formative assessment (student performance monitoring) in the classrooms. The basic purpose of the assessment was to train teachers in doing formative assessments in the classrooms. Significant improvements have been reported by teachers in student learnings.

Keeping in view the utility and effectiveness of this model, PRP has planned to initiate sample based quarterly student performance monitoring in selected quarterly TIG host schools. In this regard, PRP has developed three sets of assessment tools to be used in this fiscal year for Urdu and Sindhi languages. These tools have been piloted in all regions and after assessing the reliability of tools, these have been provided to regions for data collection.

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

. Security Issue in FATA: Application of curfew by the law enforcement agencies (particularly in Mohmand Agency) is affecting implementation of the field activities. Curfew is being enforced on every Friday for a few hours and sometimes mobility is restricted almost for the whole day.

. Transfer of Teachers: Despite many efforts to reduce teachers’ transfers, teachers are being transferred to non-TIG schools. KP and AJK have the highest teacher transfer rate. Project has constantly followed up with the respective secretaries and they have directed the PRP intervention district education officials to abstain from transferring PRP trained teachers at least for two years. These letters have been issued in AJK, GB and KP.

. FATA NOC Renewal: Delay in renewal of NOC is causing delays in implementation of the program activities hence negatively affecting PRP implementation in FATA.

Operations Highlights

Human Resources . A total of 92 staff (71 M, 21 F) hired: 6 (5 M, 1 F) of IRC, 4 (2 M, 2 F) of World Learning, 3 (3 M, 0 F) of Creative Associates and 79 (61 M, 18 F) of IRM. The project encourages female candidates to apply and positions earmarked for females are filled accordingly. Cultural and social dimensions of different regions, such as FATA and Balochistan, serve as impediments for female candidates to apply and hence pose a constant challenge for PRP. However Gender team is working closely with all partners and HRs to come up with a strategy to improve the gender balance. PRP is expecting an improvement in gender balance due to all these efforts in the hiring of C3 staff.

66 An example of PRP’s efforts to maintain gender balance is shown in the following table for the short term hiring of data collectors for different assessment activities across Pakistan. Female participation is quite encouraging.

Studies AJK ICT KP GB Sindh Balochistan FATA Total M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F Urdu 8 8 4 8 8 8 5 9 5 6 7 9 0 0 37 48 Endline Read 8 8 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 Foundatio n Sindhi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 0 0 0 0 6 8 Endline FATA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 8 8 8 Phase 1 Total 16 16 4 8 8 8 7 11 11 14 7 9 8 8 61 74

. Total of 35 staff (16 M, 19 F) departed: 21 (10 M, 11 F) of IRC, 5 (3 M, 2 F) of World Learning, 2 (0 M, 2 F) of Creative Associates and 07 (03 M, 04 F) of IRM. . The second round of recruitment process for Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) – Programs was completed, however, selected candidate was not approved by USAID. The position has been re-advertised. . Gender percentage for overall PRP remained as 24% (F) and 76% (M) by the end of this quarter. . The overall average attrition rate for staff remains at 3% at the end of this quarter. . During this quarter, PRP advertised 50 positions and total number of CVs received were 5,204. The average time to fill a position within PRP remained 28 days. . IRC – PRP has completed the recruitment process for 12 Enumerators and 4 Classroom Observers for baseline study to be conducted in FATA. Currently, IRC is working with IRM management for smooth handing over of the recruitment process and to ensure completion of other necessary formalities related to this activity. Likewise, the recruitment process has been completed for one Master Trainer, and recruitment for 12 Enumerators and 4 Classroom Observers is in progress for Sindhi endline study to be conducted in Sindh starting mid of October 2017. . Recruitments for FATA region are in progress by IRM.

Administration . In reporting quarter, administrative and logistics support was provided for programmatic events, meetings, internal activities and stakeholders. Similarly, travel and lodging facilities were also provided to internal and external IFO, Abbottabad and Mansehra districts staff. Moreover, boarding support was provided to 11 PRP staff members including Chief of Party, for their international visits to Dubai and Jordan.

PRP INTERNATIONAL VISITORS/CONSULTANTS VISITS

Table 21: PRP International Visitors/Consultants Visits (Previous and Next Quarters)

67 Visitor Dates Purpose Maryam Jillani July 2, 2017 – July 12, 2017 In lieu of the Project Director’s visit, to Technical Manager, Creative conduct project management and systems Associates International strengthening for project teams in Sindh and Islamabad head office.

Richard Nduma July 31, 2017 – August 1, Provision of financial monitoring and Senior Finance Officer, World 2017 support as well as compliance training. Learning Gillian McClelland August 21, 2017- August 30, To conduct a project management check-in Senior Program Officer, World 2017 visit. To work with WL’s Country Learning Representative and Heads of Office to review programmatic achievements and analyze implementation challenges as well as potential solutions. Dr. Naeem Sohail Butt September 5 – September 9, To attend IRC’s Field Leaders Forum held in Chief of Party, Pakistan Reading 2017 London, UK from Sept 06 – Sept 08, 2017. Project

Drake Warrick, September 21 – October 5, To conduct management review and Senior Associate, Creative 2017 provide technical support to PRP/Creative Associates team

Jonah Gold November 6 - 21, 2017 Project monitoring visit to Islamabad, GB, Associate Program Officer, and AJK. Communications and Report World Learning Writing Training. Preparation for January partners meeting.

Sakil Malik November/December 2017 Senior level management support, project VP Global Development, World exact dates TBD review and monitoring. Exploring expansion Learning activities for years 4 and 5, including potential for reading association. Drake Warrick, November 2017 (TBD) Provide technical support to policy team Senior Associate, Creative Associates

Dr. Kimberly Smith November 28 – December To provide capacity building Technical Advisor, International 7, 2017 support/monitor technical progress and Rescue Committee meet with PRP senior technical team.

Key Activities for Next Quarter . National Interchange on Gender Integration . Lessons Learned Workshop . MBL Handing Over Ceremony . National Workshop on Curriculum Review . Material Review Committee Meeting for Pashto Grade-2

KEY MEETINGS

Meetings with USAID and other Stakeholders in Islamabad

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August 2: The Chief of Party (COP) met with USAID officials Daman Bozdar, AOR, Fatimah Shah, Specialist, Development Outreach and Communications and Jaime Oberlander, Education Officer to discuss arrangements for inauguration of the USAID funded Faculty of Education building at the Karakoram International University, Gilgit-Baltistan to be held on August 25, 2017.

August 3: The COP, DCOP Programs and Senior Management Team (SMT) met Daman Bozdar and Jaime Oberlander at the National Reading Forum organized in Islamabad by PRP.

August 7: The COP, SMT and Head of Office-Sindh met with Daman Bozdar and Jaime Oberlander to share PRP assessment results at the SRP-PRP USAID Coordination meeting in Karachi.

August 10: The COP and SMT met with Kayla Y. Ma, Investigative Analyst, USAID OIG, for a general presentation on PRP.

August 17: The COP and SMT met with Daman Bozdar USAID/AOR to review PRP Pak Info.

August 19: The COP attended the dinner from USAID Mission Director, Jerry Bisson, to welcome USAID colleagues to Pakistan.

August 25: The USAID Mission Director, Jerry Bisson, along with PRP and USAID senior management teams joined the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain for the inauguration ceremony of the USAID-funded Faculty of Education building at the Karakoram International University, GB.

August 25: The USAID Mission Director, Jerry Bisson along with other USAID colleagues, PRP COP and SMT attended Steering Committee Meeting in Gilgit Baltistan, followed by a dinner hosted by PRP.

September 13: The DCOPs Program and Operation, and SMT met with Daman Bozdar, USAID AOR, Fazal Rabbi, Education Specialist and Jaime Oberlander, Education Officer to give an update on FATA, PRP work plan and event calendar and showcase PRP work in Gender and material on tolerance, community and image building. Modification update was also discussed.

September 22: The COP, DCOPs Program and Operations, SMT and the Head of Office KP met Daman Bozdar USAID/AOR, Fazal Rabbi, USAID Education Specialist and Jaime Oberlander at the 6th meeting of the Provincial Steering Committee KP under the chairmanship of the Secretary Education KP.

September 25: The COP, DCOPs Program and Operations and SMT, met with Daman Bozdar USAID/AOR and Fatimah Shah, DOCS to discuss arrangements for a USAID visit to PRP intervention school in F7/1 Islamabad on October 5 to mark World Teachers’ Day.

September 27: The DCOPs Program and Operations met with Daman Bozdar USAID/AOR at an introduction meeting with R. Drake Warrick, Project Director – Creative Associates International.

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September 27: The COP met with Mr. Jerry Bisson, USAID Mission Director at a dinner at the Mission Director’s residence.

PRP Azad Jammu & Kashmir Meetings

July 12: Sajjad Ali, Head of Office (HoO) - AJK along with COP, DCOP Operations, and some other members of SMT held meeting with Secretary E&SE, AJK to discuss the impact of PRP interventions in AJK.

August 16: HoO held meeting with Deputy Secretary E&SE at the Secretariat to discuss the rollout strategy of reading performance standards in AJ&K.

August 22: HoO held meeting with Director DEE and focal person training in PRP office to discuss and finalize proposal for training program for non PRP teachers and to develop the roll-out strategy of Reading performance standards.

September 19: HoO held meeting with Secretary E&SE at the Secretariat to discuss the ToRs for hiring a consultant to work on formative and summative assessment system in AJK.

PRP Balochistan Meetings

July 7: Nabeel Baloch, HoO - Balochistan along with System and Policy Manager, had a meeting with Director BoC & EC. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress and upcoming activities of NACTE with elementary colleges. Team shared the tentative visit plan of external evaluator to concerned TTIs for completion of accreditation process.

August 2: A meeting held with CEO Balochistan Examination and Assessment Commission, Mr. Saadullah Tokai at PRP office Quetta to finalize the participants and date for upcoming data analysis workshop.

August 23-24: Roomi S. Hayat, CEO IRM visited PRP Office Quetta to meet with the provincial staff and check the progress of PRP Balochistan.

PRP Gilgit-Baltistan Meetings

August 2: Farman Ali, HoO-GB met with Director Planning to discuss non-PRP teachers’ training issue.

August 10: HoO met with Secretary Education to discuss and finalize agenda for steering committee meeting.

70 August 19: HoO met with Secretary Education and updated him on PRP progress for steering committee meeting.

August 23: HoO met with Secretary Education to discuss itinerary of USAID for inauguration of USAID funded building at KIU and plan for steering committee meeting.

September 7: HoO met with Mr. Sanaullah, Secretary Education, Gilgit Baltistan to update him on action points discussed during the last meeting of PSC.

September 27: HoO met with Mr. Sanaullah, Secretary Education, Gilgit Baltistan to update him on project activities.

PRP ICT Meetings

July 19: Matloob Hussain, HoO-ICT met with Mr. Muhammad Rafique Tahir – Joint Educational Advisor, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, regarding invitation letters to provincial secretaries for the National Forum meeting scheduled on 03 August, 2017.

July 20: HoO met with Ali Raza – Advisor Prime Minister’s Education Reforms to update him on PRP activities in ICT and about pending activities with CA&DD.

August 25: HoO held meeting with Mr. Ali Raza – Advisor Prime Minister’s Education Reforms Program and updated him on IFO program activities.

PRP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Meetings

July 14: Khalid Mehmood, Senior HoO met with Dr. Shahzad Khan Bangash, Secretary, E&SED, GoKP to discuss the resumption of PRP activities on male side in Lower Dir and the upcoming Provincial Steering Committee meeting.

September 7: Senior HoO held meetings with Mr. Rafiq Khattak, Director and Mr. Farid Khattak, Additional Director, E&SE Directorate, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Mr. Jamal-ud-Din, ASI (Focal Person, E&SE Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) to discuss PRP participation in ‘World Literacy Day’ event.

September 8: Senior HoO attended enrollment campaign organized by the E&SE, KP and met senior education department officials including Secretary Education, Special Secretary Education, and Director E&SE KP in GHS Hasnain Shaheed School (City No. 1), Peshawar.

September 8: Senior HoO met Mr. Riaz, Education Specialist, UNICEF regarding PRP and UNICEF collaboration to improve reading skills of students and instructional methodologies of teachers.

September 12: Senior HoO met with the officials of DCTE including Director, Deputy Director PEACE, subject specialists and data analysts during data analysis workshop in Peshawar.

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September 18: Senior HoO met with the Mr. Gohar Ali Khan, Director, DCTE and held presentation on PRP interventions and discussed the upcoming PSC meeting.

September 20: Senior HoO met the Secretary, E&SED, GoKP and held Pre-PSC meeting with Special Secretary, E&SE, GoKP to finalize agenda, working paper and other necessary arrangements.

September 25: Senior HoO visited E&SE Department, GoKP to meet the Secretary, Special Secretary, Senior Planning Officer and Planning Officer in order to finalize the 6th PSC meeting minutes.

PRP Sindh Meetings

July 6: Anjum Pervaiz, HoO - Sindh and Reading Quality Manager visited SEF Office, to attend a guidance meeting for printing of Reading Learning Material (RLM).

August 8: HoO held a meeting with Jaime Michelle Oberlander, Education Officer from USAID, Mr. Abdul Hafeez Samo and Mr. Daman Bozdar from USAID at PRP Regional Office Karachi. Successes, challenges and implementation were shared by DPM Karachi and Program Team.

August 31: HoO held meeting with DEO (Primary) and DEO (Secondary) district Jamshoro and discussed PRP interventions in the district.

August 22: Head of Office and District Manager Jamshoro held meeting with DEO Secondary, Mr. Ghulam Sarwar and DEO Primary, Mr. Naseer Narejo at DEO Office, Jamshoro and discussed PRP interventions and upcoming activities.

ANNEXES

1. Performance Against Proposed Indicators 2. Success Stories (3 PDF files attached)

72 ANNEX 1: PERFORMANCE AGAINST PROPOSED INDICATORS

A - List of MSF Indicators TARGETS ACHIEVEMENT

Indicat Achievements during Q4 FY Cumulative achievement (as of or Indicator Life of Project Targets Province/Region 2017 (Jul 1 - Sep 30 2017) Sep 2017) referen Description ce # Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

Overall Program Goal - Students performing better in reading 1 USAID MSF

Indicator 4c. Total 552,89 1,300,00 26,841 18,933 45,774 475,677 469,125 944,802 747,108 Number of 2 0 learners AJK enrolled in 51,968 37,649 89,617 4,982 4,187 9,169 45,428 45,026 90,454 primary, Balochista elementary and n 88,552 63,741 152,293 21,082 13,549 34,631 72,456 56,504 128,960 secondary 0 FATA USG assisted 59,124 42,275 101,399 - - - - schools or GB equivalent 10,129 7,300 17,429 252 152 404 15,756 16,616 32,372 USG assisted ICT non-school 15,333 11,149 26,482 106 155 261 23,541 30,365 53,906 based settings

KP 289,14 129 740 869 192,431 244,886 437,317 397,237 686,384 Type: Output 7

Sindh 101,63 290 150 440 126,065 75,728 201,793 124,765 226,396 1 1 USAID MSF

Indicator Total 552,89 1,300,00 25,888 18,774 44,662 437,457 433,464 870,921 747,108 4.2.2a. 2 0 Number of AJK learners 51,968 37,649 89,617 4,982 4,187 9,169 37,873 36,561 74,434 receiving Balochista reading n 88,552 63,741 152,293 20,167 13,476 33,643 70,509 54,942 125,451 interventions at FATA primary level 59,124 42,275 101,399 - - - - 0 GB Type: Output 10,129 7,300 17,429 252 152 404 14,253 15,220 29,473

ICT 15,333 11,149 26,482 106 155 261 18,140 24,067 42,207

KP 289,14 91 654 745 179,146 231,062 410,208 397,237 686,384 7

Sindh 101,63 290 150 440 117,536 71,612 189,148 124,765 226,396 1 2 USAID MSF TBD Indicator (4.2a): Number and proportion

of learners 223,61 who, by the 296,390 520,000 0 end of two grades of primary school,

6 demonstrate that they can read and understand the meaning of grade level text Type: Outcome 3 USAID MSF Indicator (4.1b) Percent change in drop-out rates 5% point in USG decrease assisted from the schools baseline (Proxy Indicator)

Type: Outcome 4 USAID MSF Indicator (4.2d) Number of learners

with improved 391,29 518,703 910,000 reading skills 7

Type: Outcome Component 1 - Improved Classroom Learning Environment for Reading

7 Students and Schools 4.2.2d MSF Total indicator: - - 7,015,78 62,327 4,266,39 Number of 1 8 teaching and learning materials provided with USG assistance. Type: Output 1.2.1: Number of TLMs 288 - 318 provided to Reading Specialist. 1.2.2: Number of TLMs 16,565 1,124 53,872 provided to Mentors. 1.2.3: Number of TLMs 5,520 626 16,013 provided to Academic Supervisor . 1.2.4: Number of TLMs 23,800 300 4,315 provided to Head Teachers.

8 1.2.5: Number of TLMs 5,149,22 20,977 2,766,46 provided to 5 4 Teachers. 1.2.6: Number of TLMs - - 1,820,33 39,300 1,252,75 provided to 3 3 student of Grade 1 and Grade 2. 1.2.7: Number of Radio shows 50 50 broadcasted. Material provided to 172,613 TTIs, Research schools, Grants schools etc. Teachers - In service 1.4. USAID MSF 0 Total Indicator 12,940 10,860 23,800 178 425 603 9,551 6,779 16,330 (4.2.2-b) AJK Number of in- 2,000 1,705 3,705 26 359 385 1,419 1,485 2,904 service teachers/educat Balochista 1,856 1,416 3,272 1,567 932 2,499 ors/teaching n assistants who FATA successfully 1,424 1,213 2,637 - - - completed GB training or 414 353 767 - 20 20 535 281 816

9 received ICT intensive 138 117 255 130 509 639 coaching or KP mentoring with 3,867 3,295 7,162 59 26 85 3,080 2,850 5,930 USG support Punjab (S.I. 3.2.1-31) - - - Sindh Type: Output 3,241 2,761 6,002 93 20 113 2,820 722 3,542 1.7. USAID MSF Total Indicator 14,266 12,199 26,465 278 161 439 3,967 2,347 6,314 (4.3.2-a) AJK Number of 2,220 1,645 4,118 202 98 300 830 495 1,325 administrators

and officials Balochista 32 4 36 826 451 1,277 2,002 1,487 3,719 successfully n trained with FATA USG support TBD 1,575 1,163 2,921 10 3 13 10 3 13

GB Type: Output 476 343 885 8 2 10 309 61 370

ICT 156 - 290 - 63 177 240

KPK 4,267 3,153 7,913 - 24 24 880 849 1,729

Sindh 3,570 3,636 6,619 26 30 56 1,049 311 1,360 Teachers - Preservice 1.9 MSF Indicator Total 333 333 4.2.3a. Number 666 434 310 744 of host-country AJK 36 36 individuals 72 33 41 74

10 who completed Balochista 57 57 USG-funded n 114 77 46 123 short-term FATA 12 12 training or 24 29 6 35 exchange GB 12 12 programs 24 10 10 20 involving ICT 6 6 higher 12 9 12 21 education KP 78 78 institutions 156 75 52 127 Punjab 24 24 Type: Output 48 27 24 51 Sindh 108 108 216 174 119 293 1.11 USAID MSF 1954 Total Indicator: (On- 1,335 2,314 3,649 1,168 1,993 3,161 (4.1.2-a) going) AJK Number of 106 285 391 106 282 388 students receiving US- Balochista 263 292 555 259 280 539 funded n scholarships to FATA attend 87 49 136 74 49 123 Pakistani GB institutions of 78 208 286 71 206 277 higher ICT education 9 19 28 9 19 28 KP Type: Output 401 557 958 374 551 925 Punjab 68 467 535 17 177 194

11 Sindh 323 437 760 258 429 687 1.12 USAID MSF Total 4,160 4,165 8325 1,746 3,257 5,003 5,252 9,750 15,002 Indicator AJK 450 450 900 4.2.2c. Number 69 330 399 312 941 1,253 of individuals Balochista 713 713 1425 enrolled in n 275 658 933 992 1,762 2,754 Associates and FATA 150 150 300 Bachelors 204 26 230 396 43 439 Degree GB 150 150 300 Programs in 40 201 241 104 542 646 Education. ICT 75 75 150 - - 11 29 40 Type: Output KP 975 975 1950 125 40 165 819 834 1,653 Punjab 300 300 600 28 254 282 302 2,107 2,409 Sindh 1348 1350 2698 1,005 1,748 2,753 2,316 3,492 5,808 1.13 USAID MSF 6990 Total 715 1,516 2,231 2,521 4,615 7,136 Indicator 3,720 3,998 7,718 (4.2C) AJK 244 690 934 Number of 360 360 720 graduates of Balochista 876 980 1,856 Associates and n 570 570 1,140 Bachelors FATA 117 50 167 Degree 120 120 240 Programs in GB 55 317 372 Education 120 120 240 ICT 6 18 24 Type: Impact 60 60 120

12 KP 435 834 1,269 780 780 1,560 Punjab 88 614 701 240 240 480 Sindh 700 1,112 1,812 1,078 1,080 2,158 1.15 USAID MSF 13% Total 333 6660 5% indicator (TEP (4b).Percentag Study) e of graduates from USG- supported tertiary education programs reporting themselves as employedType : outcome Component 2: Improved policies and system for reading

Reading Policies 2.4. USAID MSF Total 17 40 Indicator 42 (4.2.1b) Number of policies, laws, regulations or guidelines developed or modified to

13 improve education quality, access or management Type: Output 2.4.1. Number AJK, of Allocation Balochista 7 7 of Time for n, GB, reading in FATA, early grade ICT, KP, notified. Sindh. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. 2.4.2. Number AJK, of recruitment Balochista 3 2 4 rules approved. n, Sindh. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. 2.4.3. Number AJK, of Reading Balochista 7 4 4 Improvement n, GB, Strategy (RIS) FATA, approved from ICT, KP, provincial Sindh. DoEs. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4.

14 2.4.4. Number National, of standard AJK, 8 1 7 setting on Balochista reading skills n, GB, at early grade FATA, Level (Urdu ICT, KP, Language) Sindh. approved from DoEs. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. 2.4.5. Number AJK, of situational Balochista 7 4 11 analysis of n, GB, apex institution FATA, for CPD ICT, KP, approved from Sindh. PSC/DoE Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. 2.4.6. Public National. Private 1 1 Partnership guidelines developed and approved. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4.

15 2.4.7. Number AJK, of assessment Balochista 6 - systems n, GB, introduced for FATA, reading skills ICT, KP. in early grade. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. 2.4.8. Number Balochista of teacher n, GB, KP. 3 3 3 certification & licensing guidelines developed. Type: Sub Indicator of 2.4. Others 3 3

2.5. USAID MSF Total Indicators 111 110 (4.2.1)-a Number of universities/TT Is offering new education degree programs

16

Type: output

2.6 USAID MSF NA Indicator 85 60 40 100 (4.3.2-b) Number of education officials trained to administer early grade reading assessments

Type: output Component 3 - Community Based Support for Reading

3.1. USAID MSF 0 Total Indicator 35 9 (4.3.1-c) AJK Number of 5 1 USG assisted Balochista CSOs working n 5 1 to improve FATA education 5 - quality and GB access 5 2 ICT Type: Output 5 1

17 KP 5 2 Sindh 5 2 3.3. USAID MSF Total Indicator 20 21 (4.3.1-a) AJK Number of 3 3 PTAs or Balochista similar school n 3 4 governance FATA structures 3 - supported GB 2 3 Type: Output ICT 2 3 KP 3 4 Sindh 4 4 3.5. USAID MSF TBD 20% Indicator (4.3- point a) Change in increase percent of parents who express confidence in the school system in USG focused districts

18 Type- Outcome

List of Custom Indicators TARGETS ACHIEVEMENT

Achievements during Q4 FY 2017 Cumulative achievement (as of Sep Indicator Life of Project Targets Indicator (Jul 1 - Sep 30 2017) 2017) reference Province/Region Description # Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

Component 1 - Improved Classroom Learning Environment for Reading Students and Schools

1.1 Custom 0 Total indicator: 9 9 Number of Early AJK Grade Reading 1 1 Material Review Balochistan Committees 1 1 (MRCs) formed FATA and functional. 1 1 GB Type: Output 1 1 ICT 1 1 KP 2 2 Sindh 2 2

19 1.3. Custom 0 Total 12,940 indicator: 10,860 23,800 8,081 Number of AJK 2,000 classroom based 1,705 3,705 1,478 corner libraries Balochistan 1,856 established 1,416 3,272 1,443 FATA 1,424 Type: Output 1,213 2,637 - GB 414 353 767 464 ICT 138 117 255 198 KP 3,867 3,295 7,162 2,604 Sindh 3,241 2,761 6,002 1,894 Teachers - In service

1.5. Custom TBD Sub total 60% 60% 60% 69% 75% 72% Indicator: AJK 60% 60% Percentage of 1 primary school Balochistan 60% 60% teachers who 1 demonstrate application of FATA 60% 60% reading 1 instruction GB 60% 60% methods in 1 classroom ICT 60% 60% teaching. 1 KP 60% 60% Type: outcome 1 Punjab 60% 60% 1 Sindh 60% 60% 1

20 1.6. Custom 0 Total indicator: (1 per Number of Apex province/ institutions region) dealing with the Continuous

Professional 7 Development of Teachers as per the TIG model.

Type: Output Teachers - Preservice

1.8. Custom Indicator 0 Total 29 Number of TTIs 27 further AJK 1 strengthened to 1 offer/initiate ADE Balochistan 1 and B.Ed. 1 FATA 2 Type: Output 2 GB 0 - ICT 2 1 KP 4 4 3 Punjab 3 Sindh 16 15 1.10 Custom Indicator Sub total 333 333 - Number of TTI 666 307 209 516 faculty members AJK 36 36 oriented on 72 28 24 52

21 delivery of the Balochistan 57 57 reading course 114 61 40 101 including FATA 12 12 practicum and 24 12 5 17 assessment. GB 12 12 24 10 10 20 Type: Output ICT 6 6 12 4 3 7 KP 78 78 156 60 42 102 Punjab 24 24 48 20 20 40 Sindh 108 108 216 112 65 177 1.14 Custom TBD 70% Indicator: Percentage of student-teachers who demonstrate increased knowledge of reading instruction methods promoted through Pakistan Reading Project in ADE and B.Ed. (Hons) programs

Type: outcome Component 2: Improved policies and system for reading

22 Reading Policies

2.1 Custom Total indicator: 7 7 Number of AJK Steering 1 1 Committees Balochistan established and 1 1 functional at FATA provincial/ 1 1 regional levels ICT for Pakistan 1 1 Reading Project GB

1 1 Type: Output KP 1 1 Sindh 1 1 2.2. Custom Total indicator: 7 Number of provinces with approved Reading Improvement Strategies (RIS).

Type: Output 2.3. Custom Total indicator: 1 Proportion of provinces implementing and monitoring RIS.

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Type: Output

2.7 Custom NA Total Indicator: 10 8 Number of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) established to promote reading at early grade. Type: output Component 3 - Community Based Support for Reading

3.2. Custom 0 Total indicator: 35 9 Number of reading enhancement initiatives completed by AJK Pakistani civil 5 1 society Balochistan organizations 5 1 (CSOs) FATA 5 - Type: Output ICT 5 1 GB 5 2 KP 5 2

24 Sindh 5 2 3.4. Custom Total indicator: 300 13 301 Number of ICT communities 100 100 with access to Sindh mobile bus 200 13 201 libraries

Type: Output

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