Salman Chaudhary

Education outcomes in Pakistan are extremely poor. A grade 6 student in a government school is typically four years behind in academic achievement. The situation in most schools that serve low-income students is not much different. Rote learning methods, poor quality instructional materials, and “guess papers” that enable students to memorize exam solutions result in an entire generation that is uneducated. Higher order thinking skills – understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating – that are key to success are absent in most students, including many who attend expensive private schools. Raising education quality in Pakistan’s primary and secondary schools rapidly and affordably at large scale is challenging but possible. Effective use of technology for learning is a key to education transformation. EDeQUAL has demonstrated through its technology-enabled blended learning method that students can meaningfully improve their understanding in STEM subjects four times faster than normal classroom methods. Implementing technology-enabled learning in Pakistan’s schools to deliver rapid and measurable results in student learning outcomes is challenging. Four components must work together to deliver effective outcomes: Essential technology infrastructure High quality instructional materials and assessments that are accessible through a user-friendly online learning management system Teachers who are trained to implement blended learning. School leadership that is committed to doing things differently These components are brought together by EDeQUAL’s blended learning methodology.