Punjab, Pakistan SABER Report TEACHERS 2018 Policy Goals Status 1. Setting Clear Expectations for Teachers Clear expectations exist for what students should learn and what teachers are supposed to do. However, there is no guidance on use of teachers’ working time for participating in nonteaching tasks related to instructional improvement. More than 90 percent of working hours are devoted to teaching. 2. Attracting the Best into Teaching Teachers are offered competitive pay and accrue retirement benefits on completing 25 years of service. Teacher education programs, however, are not as selective and may thus not be attracting the best talent pool. Working conditions of teachers are challenging, considering that multi-grade teaching is seen in many schools and on average student-teacher ratios are high. 3. Preparing Teachers with Useful Training and Experience Even though minimum standards for joining the teaching profession are in line with better performing systems, the quality of education programs that award these standards needs to be strengthened. Practical professional experience is a compulsory part of the formal education required to become a teacher. 4. Matching Teachers’ Skills with Students’ Needs Systems are in place to identify critical-shortage subjects, though information gathered is not used to address teacher shortages. Moreover, incentives need to be introduced for teachers to teach in hard-to-staff schools. 5. Leading Teachers with Strong Principals Professional development and training opportunities are offered to principals/ head teachers; however, those are not mandatory. Financial incentives for principals are somewhat based on performance at the school and individual level. 6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning Monitoring of teachers has increased over the years, which has reduced teacher absenteeism; however, it has not been effective in improving student learning outcomes. Teachers are trained to assess student achievement, and systems are in place to assess student learning, but it does not appear that these systems are used to inform teaching lesson planning and instructional practices. 7. Supporting Teachers to Improve Instruction Mandatory professional development days for teachers are limited, although increasing. Both external and internal evaluations are based on classroom observations; however, feedback processes to improve instructional practices need to be improved. Mentoring programs have also been introduced, and staff strengthening is needed to separate this function from evaluation. 8. Motivating Teachers to Perform Promotion opportunities and salary increments are linked to years of service, academic qualifications, and vacancies at the top. Some limited financial incentives are awarded based on performance of the school and the teacher. A teacher can continue to be in government service if his or her conduct remains in line with policies; therefore, teacher performance is generally not a cause for dismissal. PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 systems manage their teacher force. The database also Overview of SABER–Teachers includes copies of supporting documents. It is available at the SABER–Teacher website Interest is increasing across the globe over how to (http://saber.worldbank.org). attract, retain, develop, and motivate great teachers. Student achievement has been found to correlate with Box 1. Teacher Policy Areas for Data Collection economic and social progress (Hanushek and Wössmann 1. Requirements to enter and remain in teaching 2007, 2009; Campante and Glaeser 2009; Pritchett and 2. Initial teacher education Viarengo 2009), and teachers are key. Recent studies 3. Recruitment and employment have shown that teacher quality is the main school-based 4. Teachers’ workload and autonomy predictor of student achievement, and that several 5. Professional development consecutive years of outstanding teaching can offset the 6. Compensation (salary and nonsalary benefits) learning deficits of disadvantaged students (Sanders and Rivers 1996; Park and Hannum 2001; Nye, 7. Retirement rules and benefits Konstantopoulos, and Hedges 2004; Rockoff 2004; Rivkin 8. Monitoring and evaluation of teacher quality et al. 2005; Hanushek and Rivkin 2010). However, 9. Teacher representation and voice achieving the right teacher policies to ensure that every 10. School leadership classroom has a motivated, supported, and competent teacher remains a challenge. Evidence on the impacts of To offer informed policy guidance, SABER–Teachers many teacher policies remains insufficient and scattered, analyzes the information collected to assess the extent and the impact of many reforms depends on specific to which the teacher policies of an education system are design features. In addition, teacher policies can have aligned with policies shown by research evidence to very different impacts, depending on the context and have a positive effect on student achievement. SABER– other education policies in place. Teachers analyzes the teacher policy data collected to assess each education system’s progress in achieving A tool, SABER–Teachers, aims to help fill this gap by eight teacher policy goals: (1) setting clear expectations collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and disseminating for teachers; (2) attracting the best into teaching; (3) comprehensive information on teacher policies in preparing teachers with useful training and experience; primary- and secondary-education systems around the (4) matching teachers’ skills with students’ needs; (5) world. SABER–Teachers is a core component of SABER leading teachers with strong principals; (6) monitoring (Systems Approach for Better Education Results), an teaching and learning; (7) supporting teachers to initiative launched by the Human Development Network improve instruction; and (8) motivating teachers to of the World Bank. SABER collects information about perform (figure 1). different education systems’ policies, analyzes it to identify common challenges and promising solutions, Figure 1. Eight Teacher Policy Goals and makes the results widely available to help inform countries’ decisions on where and how to invest to improve education quality. SABER–Teachers collects data on 10 core teacher policy areas to offer a comprehensive, descriptive overview of the teacher policies that are in place in each participating education system (Box 1). Data are collected in each participating education system by a specialized consultant using a questionnaire that ensures comparability of information across different systems. Data collection focuses on the rules and regulations governing teacher-management systems. This information is compiled in a comparative database where interested stakeholders can access detailed information that describes how different education The eight teacher policy goals are functions that all high-performing education systems fulfill to a certain SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 2 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 extent to ensure that every classroom has a motivated, of teacher policies presented in this report needs to be supported, and competent teacher. These goals were complemented with detailed information that describes identified through a review of evidence in research the actual configuration of teacher policies on the studies on teacher policies, and through analysis of ground. policies of top-performing and rapidly improving education systems. Three criteria were used to identify This report presents results of the application of the teacher policy goals. Specifically, they had to be (1) SABER–Teachers in Punjab, Pakistan. It describes linked to student performance through empirical Punjab’s performance for each of the eight teacher policy evidence, (2) labeled a priority for resource allocation, goals, alongside comparative information from and (3) actionable, that is, open to improvement through education systems that have consistently scored high government actions. The eight teacher policy goals results in international student achievement tests and exclude other objectives that countries might want to have participated in SABER–Teachers. Additional pursue to increase the effectiveness of their teachers but information on Punjab’s teacher policies and those of have lacked, to date, sufficient empirical evidence for other countries can be found on the SABER–Teachers making specific policy recommendations. website. By classifying countries according to their performance on each of the eight teacher policy goals, SABER– Teachers can help diagnose the key challenges that countries face in ensuring they have effective teachers. For each policy goal, the SABER–Teachers team identified policy levers (actions that governments can take to reach these goals) and indicators (measures of the extent to which governments are making effective use of these policy levers). Using these policy levers and indicators, SABER–Teachers classifies education systems’ performance on each of the eight teacher policy goals using a four-category scale (latent, emerging, established, and advanced). The ratings describe the extent to which a given education system has in place teacher policies that are known to be related to improved student outcomes (Appendix 1). The main objective of this assessment is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher policies of an education system and to pinpoint possible areas for improvement. For a more detailed report on the eight teacher policy goals, policy levers, and indicators, as well as the evidence base supporting them, see Vegas et al. (2012). The main focus of SABER–Teachers is on policy design, rather than policy implementation. SABER–Teachers analyzes the teacher policies formally adopted by education systems. However, policies on the ground, that is, as they are actually implemented, may differ quite substantially from policies as originally designed. In fact, they often do differ, due to such factors as the political economy of the reform process, lack of capacity of organizations in charge to implement the policies, or the interaction between these policies and specific contextual factors. Since SABER–Teachers collects limited data on policy implementation, the assessment SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 3 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Economic Context income disparities between the urban and rural areas, as well as rates of unemployment as high as 5.9 percent Over the past four years, Pakistan has made significant (Ministry of Finance 2017). headway in regaining macroeconomic stability in the country. After 2008, the growth of the country’s gross Moving forward, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is domestic product (GDP) declined dramatically, falling expected to pave way for considerable investment in from 5 percent to 0.4 percent. The last four years have agriculture and help alleviate electricity shortages. seen a steady increase in the GDP growth rate, rising However, the twin deficits on fiscal budget and on from 3.8 percent in 2012 to 5.3 percent in 2017. Although foreign currency, coupled with a decline in overall growth has been unsteady over the last two decades, it country’s export level, have contributed to the has been pro-poor. Poverty levels, based on the revised deterioration of the macroeconomic stability indicators poverty line, reveal that head count poverty in Pakistan of the country. Given the tenuous nature of has decreased from 64.3 percent in 2002, to 29.5 percent macroeconomic stability in Pakistan, there is a need to in 2014, as a result of higher GDP growth rates.1 Among improve not only the productive capacity of the country, the country’s provinces, Punjab continues to take the but also to cater to the development of human and social lead as far as the economic indicators are concerned. The indicators for the sustainability of high growth levels. province contributes 60 percent to the national GDP. The literacy rate stood as highest at 62 percent for 2016. Growth in agricultural sector has been slow but steady. Education Context The services sector (61 percent) contributes the most to With the passage of the 18th Amendment to the the provincial GDP followed by agriculture (24 percent) constitution of Pakistan in 2010, there was a devolution and industry (16 percent) (Pasha 2015). of powers pertaining to the Education sector from the federal to the provincial level. The School Education Economic growth in the country has been stimulated by Department, for each of the provinces, is responsible for high levels of consumption, a rapid rise in the services designing and implementing all education policies for sector, and an ambitious structural reforms program primary and secondary education in the respective (World Bank 2017). Decreased energy prices were meant province. The public sector formal education system to stimulate domestic investment and local industry to comprises 13 academic years, starting from nursery to increase production. The government also announced the higher secondary school level. Primary education support packages for exports and agriculture. However, consists of six years of schooling from nursery to grade 5; while productivity and exports have increased, the rising middle schools consist of three years of schooling, from demand has also led to an increase in the country’s class 6 to class 8; secondary education consists of two imports of high-value-added goods. In addition, the years of high school (classes 9 and 10) and higher textile and agricultural industry are largely dependent on secondary education (classes 11 and 12). crop yields, and therefore, seasonal fluctuations may hinder effective growth. The fiscal deficit, which had In 2010, the government of Pakistan introduced the Right fallen to 4.5 percent in 2016, has also seen a dramatic to Education Act through Article 25A of the constitution, rise over fiscal year 2016–2017 (Ministry of Finance which declares the provision of free and compulsory 2017). The shortage of revenues required to reduce the education to children between the ages of 5 and 16 years deficit arises from a widening gap between exports and to be the responsibility of the state. The National imports, reduced oil prices, and a 2.7 percent decline in Education Policy of 2009 was formulated to widen the remittances. A low tax-to-GDP ratio of 13:1 further access to education and improve the quality of schooling highlights the need to broaden the tax base to generate being provided to children enrolled in school. However, revenues. Pakistan has also fallen prey to high levels of 1 Although head count poverty has declined in Pakistan, correlates of poverty such as malnutrition and stunting are high, while child and maternal health indicators remain consistently low. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 4 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 with the decentralization of the Education sector, the DSD into the Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational statutory platform for coordination among the provinces Development (QAED). This change aimed to develop the dissolved. Instead, the Ministry of Education, Training department into an authority on teacher development, and Standards in Higher Education (MET&SHE) and the independent of the School Education Department. While National Curriculum Council was established in 2010 to most of the functions of QAED remain the same as maintain a standard of education in the country. The before, its domain has expanded to providing more government of Pakistan formulated the National Plan of intensive pre- and in-service training to teachers of all Action for Accelerating Education-Related MDGs (2013– cadres. 2016) with the aim to “accelerate progress” toward increasing enrollment levels and school retention rates As of 2016, 150,408 government schools provide primary (UNESCO 2015). and secondary education to more than 17 million children across the country (Pakistan Education Statistics In 2011 the government of Punjab announced the Punjab 2015–2016). Nearly one-third of the country’s public Schools Reform Roadmap, aimed at achieving universal schools are situated in Punjab, serving 8.6 million primary education and ensuring the provision of quality children. These enrollment statistics may have increased education to all children of school-going age. The Punjab owing to the Punjab government’s efforts to achieve School Education Sector Plan (2012–2017) was also Universal Primary Education and decrease student developed to strategize and implement reforms for dropout rates. Despite increased access to schools, increasing enrollment, reducing gender differentials in reforms to the curriculum, and investment in teacher enrollment, and developing policies to include disabled training, student learning levels remain low across the and disadvantaged children in the mainstream system of country (ASER Pakistan 2015). Student assessments paint education. In addition, the School Education Department a troubling picture of the quality of education being for each province was tasked with formulating and provided. Assessments of class 5 students across the implementing policies for recruitment of teachers and country indicated that only 52 percent of the children outlining the requirements for remaining in the teaching could read stories in their native language, while 48 profession. The National Professional Standards for percent could solve two-digit division. In comparison, Teachers were developed in 2009 with the help of assessment scores from Punjab are slightly more UNESCO and USAID. These standards outline the role and uplifting, with 65 percent of the class 5 students being responsibilities of teachers with regard to their working able to read stories in their native language, and 59 conditions. Organizations such as the Quaid-e-Azam percent being able to perform two-digit division (ASER Academy for Educational Development (QAED, former Pakistan 2016). It is believed that low student DSD) in Punjab and the Provincial Institute for Teacher performance is directly linked to the shortage of well- Education in Sindh were charged with the training and trained teachers, lack of motivation and incentives for development of public school teachers to promote teachers to perform, non-availability of learning quality education. In 2012, the DSD (now QAED), in materials, and absence of facilities such as electricity, conjunction with the School Education Department, clean drinking water, and functioning toilets in schools. participated in Continuous Professional Development Programs, which are mandatory for all primary school Over the past decade, public spending on education has teachers to improve content knowledge and pedagogical increased in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the percentage of skills to stimulate student learning. The DSD (now QAED) GDP allocated toward education remains one of the also provided support for revision of the national lowest in South Asia at 2.3 percent (Ministry of Finance education curriculum and textbook review processes. As 2017).2 Individually, provincial governments have shown noted, the Punjab government has recently reformed the an inclination toward increasing the budget allocated to 2 According to statistics provided by the World Bank, in 2015, percent; Nepal, 3.7 percent; Bhutan, 7.4 percent; and Pakistan allocated 2.3 percent of its GDP to education, while Maldives, 5.4 percent). other countries allocated a larger proportion (Afghanistan, 3.3 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 5 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 education. In Punjab alone, there has been a 12 percent Education in February 2009. The NPSTs comprise 10 increase in the total budget allocated for education (I- standards: SAPS 2015). Nearly 90 percent of the province’s 1. Subject Matter Knowledge education budget has been absorbed into salaries of 2. Human Growth and Development teachers, while the remaining amount has been 3. Knowledge of Islamic Ethical Values/Social Life allocated to teacher training, increasing student Skills enrollments in schools, and improving the overall 4. Instructional Planning and Strategies facilities available at schools in the province (I-SAPS 5. Assessment 2015). However, with the national focus on interest 6. Learning Environment payments, defense spending, and the need to meet the 7. Effective Communication and Proficient Use of country’s energy requirements, social and human Information Communication Technologies development are not given the attention required. 8. Collaboration and Partnerships 9. Continuous Professional Development and Code Goal 1: Setting clear expectations for teachers of Conduct 10. Teaching of English as a Second/Foreign Established Language Setting clear expectations for student and teacher These standards cover essential knowledge, skills, and performance is important to guide teachers’ daily work dispositions that teachers are expected to acquire and and align necessary resources to make sure that teachers adhere to in the classroom and school. In-service teacher can constantly improve instructional practice. In training and professional development programs are addition, clear expectations can help ensure coherence developed in the light of the NPSTs among different key aspects of the teaching profession, such as initial teacher education, professional Regulations also require teachers to carry out tasks development, and teacher appraisal. directly related to classroom teaching such as grading of assessments and standing in for absent teachers when SABER–Teachers considers two policy levers that school required and to adapt their instructional strategies based systems can use to reach this goal: (1) clear expectations on students’ needs and development. for what students should know and be able to do and how teachers can help students reach these goals and (2) (2) There is no guidance on use of teachers’ working useful guidance on how teachers can use their time to time toward nonteaching tasks related to instructional improve instruction at the school level. improvement that occur outside the classroom. In Punjab, more than 90 percent of time is spent on (1) In Punjab, there are expectations for what students teaching a total of 39 hours each week (225 days per are expected to learn and for what teachers are year). Even though teachers are expected to participate supposed to do. The National Curriculum, 2006, puts in administrative or management tasks and take part in forward the skills and competencies that students are internal evaluation activities of the school, no guidelines expected to learn at each grade level and for each stipulate the proportion of working time to be spent on subject. The Punjab Curriculum Authority is an these activities. Mentoring has been introduced in autonomous body within the School Education schools but is still not laid out as an official teacher duty. Department and is responsible for reviewing the curriculum and standards of education. It also verifies The statutory definition of working time for primary the alignment of textbooks with curriculum standards. school teachers in Punjab includes total number of hours Another autonomous body within School Education spent at school. Global experience also suggests that a Department, the Punjab Examination Commission, definition of working time as the total number of hours develops and implements examinations. at school may be more conducive to learning, because it recognizes that teachers normally need to devote some The tasks that teachers are expected to carry out are time to nonteaching tasks, such as lesson planning, officially stipulated in the National Professional grading of students’ work, learning support, and Standards for Teachers (NPSTs), which were developed professional development, as well as administrative and by the Policy and Planning Wing of the Ministry of educational tasks outside the classroom, such as SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 6 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 collaborating on school plans and participating in school Goal 2: Attracting the best into teaching evaluations. Established Top performing systems also reveal that many tasks outside the classroom improve teacher effectiveness The structure and characteristics of a career in teaching inside the classroom. In Punjab, however, teachers in can help determine whether talented individuals opt to their capacity as public officials are engaged in tasks that become teachers. Talented people may be more inclined are unrelated to the teaching profession. For instance, to take such a career path if entry requirements are on they participate in carrying out activities during country- par with those of well-regarded professions, wide elections, vaccination campaigns, censuses, and compensation and working conditions are adequate, and information collection for the Universal Primary attractive career opportunities are in place for them to Education Program. The government has leeway in develop as professionals. pulling teachers into tasks outside school time and unrelated to the teaching profession and can also set up SABER–Teachers considers four policy levers that school monitoring mechanisms to ensure the time spent in systems can use to reach this goal: (1) requirements to instructional and noninstructional activities contributes enter the teaching profession, (2) competitive pay, (3) to teachers’ professional development. appealing working conditions, and (4) attractive career opportunities. Successful education systems, such as those in Ontario (Canada), Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and (1) In Punjab, the requirements to enter the teaching Singapore, devote considerable time at the school level profession are aligned with better performing systems to activities that are related to instructional for both primary and secondary school teachers. improvement (Figure 2). These include collaboration among teachers on the analysis of instructional practice, In Punjab, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), a mentoring, and professional development (Levin 2008; federal institution, sets the regulations that apply to Darling and Hammond 2010; Darling, Hammond, and initial teacher education programs. The requirements to Rothman 2011). In addition to the actual contact time be able to enter the teaching profession have been with students, these systems make sure that teachers upgraded significantly over the past few years. These can spend work time on collaboration, on-site include a change in minimum professional qualifications professional development, and research on the for teachers from the Primary Teaching Certificate to effectiveness of various teaching strategies. Japan, for Bachelors in Education and an increase in weightage of example, devotes about 40 percent of teachers’ working the Teacher Entry Test and decrease in weightage of time to these types of activities, while Ontario currently academic qualification. Given that these changes are devotes 30 percent (Darling, Hammond, and Rothman fairly recent, a large number of teachers in the system do 2011). not meet minimum qualification requirements. Figure 2. Teachers’ Official Tasks Related to School Even with improvement in minimum education Improvement requirements, education programs do not attract the best of the talent pool, as they are offered in multiple Singapore Morocco private and government universities and therefore are Tunisia Punjab Turkey not as selective. While HEC has set guidelines for the standardization of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees Mentor peers ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ in education programs, most are of poor quality. Thus, till Collaborate on school plan ✓ ✓ ✓ the quality of these teacher education programs improves, increasing the educational requirements may Design the curriculum ✓ ✓ not have any impact on quality of talent pool attracted in Participate in school evaluation ✓ ✓ ✓ the profession. Source: SABER–Teachers data. Applicants with a minimum level of academic qualification have to pass a written test (this is conducted in English, with an exception for Urdu and Arabic SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 7 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 positions) and an interview-stage assessment. The Working conditions may play an important role in the District Recruitment and Selection Committee interviews decision to become a teacher. Talented candidates who the candidates who achieve qualifying marks in the test. have opportunities in other professions may be Selected candidates are required to participate in a discouraged from becoming teachers if working training conducted by the Directorate of Staff conditions are poor. Development in Lahore. The initial seniority of the candidates is determined through the “merit marks” Teachers in Punjab have a high workload because of obtained during the selection process and their multi-grade teaching in several schools and, on average, performance during the training period. Merit marks are high student-teacher ratios. For Punjab, the primary computed based on performance of the candidate in school student-teacher ratio is 39:1 and the secondary exams taken during their academic career. These include school student-teacher ratio is 31:1, which is higher Secondary School Certificate, Intermediate, Bachelor’s, compared to better performing systems (Figure 3). and Graduate degrees. In Punjab, the District Education Authority and School Many high-performing education systems offer two Education Department are responsible for setting and types of teaching training tracks: consecutive programs monitoring infrastructure, hygiene, and sanitation and concurrent programs. In Punjab, training is standards. About 87 percent of public schools comply conducted through both concurrent and consecutive with the basic infrastructure and hygiene and sanitation programs. Concurrent programs teach subject standards set in law or regulation. knowledge and pedagogic skills simultaneously. Consecutive programs include a first phase of one or Figure 3. Student-Teacher Ratio, Primary School several years of knowledge acquisition in a particular subject, followed by a phase of professional skills and Singapore knowledge acquisition, before receiving the Certificate in Pedagogical Competencies. In addition, HEC sets Turkey requirements for the time that should be allocated by education institutions in preparing teachers in different Tunisia skills. The recommended allocation includes 25 percent Morocco of total hours of initial teacher education to pedagogy, 42 percent to teaching methods, 9 percent to language, Punjab 4 percent to science and math, and the remaining 20 percent to other areas. 0 10 20 30 40 50 Source: SABER–Teachers data and UNESCO statistics. (2) Teacher pay is attractive compared with that of (4) Opportunities for career advancement are based on other public officials. In Punjab, starting pay for teachers seniority, academic qualifications, and vacancies at the is more than 80 percent of the GDP per capita. There is top. Teachers in most education systems have also a performance incentive for teachers in Punjab. opportunities to seek promotion to principal positions at Teachers working in schools that fall within the top 20 some point in their careers. In addition to these “vertical” percent of top-performing schools are awarded promotion opportunities, most high-performing monetary incentives based on performance assessment. education systems offer teachers the possibility of Teachers also receive health benefits, and more “horizontal” promotions to academic-leadership importantly, on completing 25 years of service, teachers positions. Taking an academic job allows teachers to become eligible for retirement benefits, which include grow professionally and yet remain closely connected to both defined contribution and defined benefit plans. The instruction, without taking a managerial position defined benefit plan by its structure ensures a steady (Darling-Hammond 2010; OECD 2012). stream of income for teachers over the course of their retirement. Like other government servant positions, opportunities for advancement in teaching are based on seniority, (3) Working conditions can be improved further to academic qualifications, and vacancies rather than attract talented individuals to the teaching profession. performance level. While this acts as a deterrent for SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 8 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 more ambitious individuals to join the profession, it school level, the minimum requirement is ISCED 5A and ensures continuity of tenure and income for those above ISCED 5A for secondary schools. According to the looking for stability. Teachers also have the option of National Education Policy, 2009, teacher candidates applying for a school’s administrative (such as that of must have a four-year Bachelor’s degree in education school principal) and academic positions. To encourage (B.Ed. Honors) to teach at the primary level, and a in-service teachers to apply for administrative and Master’s level degree to teach secondary and higher academic positions, the total period of prior service is secondary education. The Bachelor’s degree in education deducted from their age if there is an upper age limit for may be pursued after completing the Higher Secondary the post. School Certificate (Intermediate) or on completion of four semesters in a Bachelor of Sciences program. For advancement to positions such as a principal/head Primary Teaching Certificates and the Certificate in teacher, the teacher with the highest qualifications Teaching have been phased out to encourage current assumes that role in a primary school. Previously, the teachers to improve their qualifications; however, teacher with the most experience assumed the role of a exceptions may exist for less developed areas where head teacher. In middle and high schools, head teachers teachers with relevant qualifications may not be or principals are appointed either through direct available. recruitment or via promotion. Even though minimum standards for joining the teaching Goal 3: Preparing teachers with useful profession are in line with better performing systems, training and experience the quality of programs that award these standards needs to be strengthened. Advanced  (2) Practical classroom experience is required for all Equipping teachers with the skills they need to succeed teachers in Punjab. Practical experience is an important in the classroom is crucial. Teachers need subject matter factor in determining teaching quality. The more and pedagogic knowledge, as well as classroom- teachers test their pedagogical theories, subject-matter management skills and lots of teaching practice to be knowledge, and classroom-management skills, the successful in the classroom. In addition, preparation better prepared they will be for their job. Most high- helps put all teachers on an equal footing, giving them a performing systems require their teacher entrants to common framework to improve their practice. have a considerable amount of classroom experience before becoming independent teachers (figure 4), and SABER–Teachers considers two policy levers that school some of these systems provide mentoring and support systems can use to reach this goal: (1) minimum during the first and even second year on the job (Ingersoll standards for preservice training programs and (2) 2007; Darling-Hammond 2010). In Punjab, the second required classroom experience for all teachers. and fourth year of the Bachelor’s degree in education (B.Ed. Honors program–elementary and secondary) (1) There are minimum standards to enter preservice consists of teaching practice courses and supervised teacher training programs in Punjab. Virtually all high- school experience/observation/visits courses, during performing countries require that teachers have an which teachers acquire practical classroom experience. educational level equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree For primary teachers, the minimum classroom ISCED 3 5A, and some, such as Finland, also require a experience requirement is more than two years and that research-based master’s degree (OECD 2012). of secondary teachers is about one or two years. This practical work is supervised through observations and In Punjab, the minimum level of education required is in visits. Most high-performing education systems require line with high-performing countries. At the primary that incoming teachers have at least a minimum amount 3 International Standard Classification of Education, 2011 version. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 9 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 of practical professional experience or that they pass an opportunity to learn. Without purposeful allocation examination, in addition to their teacher-training systems, it is likely that teachers will gravitate toward program. On obtaining professional qualification, schools that serve better-off students or that are in more teacher candidates are required to pass a written exam desirable areas, deepening inequalities in the system. held under the National Testing Service; 50 percent SABER–Teachers considers two policy levers that school achievement in the test is required to join the teaching systems can use to reach this goal: (1) incentives for profession. teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools and (2) incentives for teachers to work in critical-shortage areas. Additionally, subject-specific, in-service teachers’ training is provided for professional development of (1) No mechanisms are in place to address teacher teachers and educational managers. These two-to-four- shortages in hard-to-staff schools. Many countries face week programs are in various subjects (English, Urdu, challenges in attracting effective teachers to work in Islamiat, mathematics, science, social studies, and hard-to-staff schools, such as those in disadvantaged general knowledge). locations or those that serve underprivileged populations. As a result, they often must put in place a Even though in terms of structure the education training specific set of incentives, such as monetary bonuses or programs are in line with better performing systems, opportunities for promotion, to attract teachers. In nevertheless student-learning outcomes are weak. The Punjab, no incentives exist for teachers to apply to work QAED is currently reforming its teacher-training in hard-to-staff schools. Figure 5 highlights examples of programs. The aim is to provide newly recruited teachers incentives that can be offered. This results in geographic more time inside the classroom, in addition to their location-based inequities, considering that minimum experience during their B.Ed. and M.Ed., such that they qualification requirements for teachers are also lower in can be trained, guided, and mentored by experienced such areas. teachers on optimal classroom practices and pedagogy. (2) Punjab has identified critical-shortage subject areas, but policies do not systematically address such areas. Figure 4. Required Classroom Experience, Primary Critical-shortage subjects, where there is a shortage of School Teachers teachers to meet student needs, are present in many education systems. Many systems develop policies and Singapore Morocco offer incentives aimed at encouraging teachers to teach Tunisia Punjab Turkey these subjects. Incentives can include monetary bonuses and subsidized education or scholarships in those subject areas. In Punjab, English, Arabic, mathematics, science, 3 months or less fine arts, and home economics have been identified as critical-shortage subjects. However, there are no existing 12 months or less ✓ ✓ incentives to motivate qualified candidates to teach those subjects. 12–24 months ✓ ✓ More than 24 months ✓ Source: SABER–Teachers data. Goal 4: Matching teachers’ skills with students’ needs Latent Avoiding teacher shortages in any given grade, education level, or subject, and ensuring that teachers work in schools where their skills are most needed, is important for equity and efficiency. Furthermore, it can help ensure that all students in a school system have an equal SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 10 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Figure 5. Incentives for Teachers to Teach in Hard-to- In Punjab, principals/head teachers are offered training Staff Schools opportunities, but those are not mandatory. In addition to a one-year diploma in educational leadership and management studies offered by the University of Education, Lahore, QAED offers a three-day training for Morocco head teachers and master trainers on leadership. Tunisia Punjab Turkey In addition to salary, principals are offered monetary Promotion ✓ incentives; these are linked to overall performance of the Higher basic salary school and based on their own performance. The in hard-to-staff schools incentives are awarded only to those principals who Monetary bonus ✓ work in schools that are among the top 20 percent best- Subsidized education performing schools. Housing support (2) Principals in Punjab are required to provide guidance Source: SABER–Teachers data. for curriculum and teacher-related tasks. Moreover, Goal 5: Leading teachers with strong they are explicitly required to evaluate teachers’ principals performance. Principals should be able to structure their time to focus on improving instruction in their schools Latent (OECD 2012; Barber and Mourshed 2007). High- performing education systems, such as those in Finland, The quality of school heads is an important predictor of Ontario, and Singapore, think of their principals as student learning. Capable principals can act as instructional leaders. Principals are expected to be instructional leaders, providing direction and support for knowledgeable in teaching and curriculum matters, as improving instructional practice at the school level. In well as to provide guidance and support to teachers. addition, capable principals can help attract and retain They evaluate teachers, provide feedback, assess the competent teachers. school’s needs for professional development, and direct instructional resources where they are most needed SABER–Teachers considers two policy levers that school (Darling-Hammond and Rothman 2011). systems can use to reach this goal: (1) education-system investment in developing qualified school leaders and (2) In Punjab, principals are expected to support and decision-making authority for school principals to improve instructional practice. Principals are responsible support and improve instructional practice. for preparing school syllabi, scheme of studies, timetables, school council schedules, parent teacher and (1) In Punjab, principals are provided with professional staff meetings, and activities scheduled in advance. development opportunities. Principals in secondary Additionally, principals are responsible for ensuring that schools and head teachers in primary schools are classes are held and pupils’ work is checked and marked. chosen among the teachers based on seniority and They also examine teachers’ lessons plans, analyze experience, although no minimum professional examination results, review the school’s performance, administrative and teaching experience threshold is and prepare the annual report. Concerning the specified. Research from high-performing education evaluation of teachers, principals ensure the presence systems suggests principals can develop leadership skills and punctuality of both students and teachers and through supported work experience or specific training conduct an appraisal of all staff members, including courses (Figure 6). High-performing systems, such as observation, discussions, and written reports. those in Japan, Korea, Shanghai (China), and Singapore, require applicants to principal positions to participate in The government of Punjab has taken steps in recent specific coursework or a specialized internship or years to increase monitoring of schools to counter mentoring program aimed at developing essential absenteeism. However, the balance between leadership skills (Darling-Hammond 2010; OECD 2012). accountability and autonomy has yet to be achieved. Steps have been taken to provide greater autonomy to schools, including disbursement of the non-salary budget SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 11 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 to schools. With this, head teachers now have a greater access to these data so they can use the information to role in formulating and managing school development inform policy, and (3) a mechanism feeds these data and plans in conjunction with the school councils. In addition, relevant analyses back to the school level, so teachers head teachers also have the authority (with the consent can use them to inform the improvement of instructional of the school council) to hire “part-time coaches” using practice. the non-salary budget in cases of a teacher shortage in the school. In Punjab, teachers are required to complete coursework or training on student assessment methods to evaluate Figure 6. Mechanisms to Support the Development student achievement. In fact, teacher induction training of Principals’ Leadership Skills is mandatory for every newly appointed teacher to inform educators on methods of student assessment. Singapore Morocco Tunisia Additionally, national large-scale examinations are used Punjab Turkey to monitor education quality levels; the student achievement data collected are available for policy Courses or other training ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ makers. requirements At the province level, exams are conducted across Mentoring or internship ✓ ✓ ✓ program schools in grades 5, 8, 9, and 10. Student assessment Source: SABER–Teachers data. findings are disseminated to provide guidance and support to teachers and schools. Educators have access Goal 6: Monitoring teaching and learning to the results of the tests that are conducted by Assistant Education Officer (AEO) and the Monitoring and Established Evaluation Assistant every month in primary schools. Furthermore, professional development training Assessing how well teachers are teaching and whether sessions may sometimes be designed in a specific students are learning is essential for devising strategies manner to ensure that the feedback from the student for improving teaching and learning. First, identifying assessments is incorporated in teacher trainings. low-performing teachers and students is critical if Nonetheless, student assessments are not used to education systems are to provide struggling classrooms inform teaching lesson plans and institutional practice, as with adequate support to improve. Second, teacher and there are no courses or workshops on it. student evaluations can also help identify good practices, which can be shared across the system to improve school (2) A system is in place to evaluate teacher performance. performance. In Punjab, teachers are evaluated at the subnational (Punjab Monitoring and Implementation SABER–Teachers considers three policy levers that unit) and local levels (AEO). The Head Teacher conducts school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability the internal evaluation, and the AEO conducts external of data on student achievement to inform teaching and evaluation. The internal evaluation can be done on a policy, (2) adequate systems to monitor teacher daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis. The external performance, and (3) multiple mechanisms to evaluate evaluation is done monthly, which is considered a very teacher performance. high frequency. Moreover, it has not been as effective in improving quality of teaching. (1) In Punjab, some system-level mechanisms are in place to ensure that teachers develop skills and The system of monitoring schools and teachers has expertise in classroom assessment. All high-performing become computerized with the introduction of tablets education systems ensure that enough student data are that contain forms that are filled in by Monitoring and available to inform teaching and policy, but they do so in Evaluation Assistants, and the database is updated in very different ways. Regardless of the mechanism they “real time” at the Punjab Monitoring and decide to follow, high-performing countries ensure that Implementation unit. In addition, the AEO network three main functions are fulfilled: (1) a system collects allows the schools to receive feedback regarding student relevant and complete data on student achievement scores, as well as school and teacher rankings. Due to this regularly, (2) a mechanism allows public authorities system, tracking teachers over time is possible in Punjab. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 12 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Each school has a unique identification code, and Figure 7. Criteria to Evaluate Teacher Performance teachers’ progress can therefore be monitored through the school code and his or her name at a subnational level. Singapore Morocco Tunisia Punjab Turkey With introduction of system of monitoring, the optimal tradeoff between monitoring and teacher autonomy is yet to be achieved. Moreover, it has resulted in Subject matter knowledge ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ nonproductive practices. With an increase in monitoring, teachers spend a considerable amount of time Teaching methods ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ responding to the requirements of the School Education Department; the teachers complete the additional Student assessment methods ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ paperwork during school working hours. Higher-level monitoring practices also need to be balanced off against Students’ academic achievement ✓ ✓ support from training and professional development Source: SABER–Teachers data. opportunities to teachers. There is also room for improving the monitoring processes by AEOs, as these officials have a high workload, and not all data are collected equally well. According to a report, excessive Goal 7: Supporting teachers to improve pressure in the system in the past resulted in pressure to instruction fudge numbers, which showed up most clearly in the government’s monthly monitoring of student learning Latent  outcomes (Naviwala 2016). Support systems are necessary to help improve (3) Multiple mechanisms exist to evaluate teacher instruction at the school level. To constantly improve performance (figure 7). Most high-performing systems instructional practice, teachers and schools need to be conduct teacher evaluations using multiple mechanisms able to analyze specific challenges they face in classroom for data collection and varied criteria for assessment, teaching, have access to information on best practices to including class observations. In Punjab, classroom address these challenges, and receive specific external observations are conducted by the head teacher and the support tailored to their needs. AEO as part of the teacher assessment system. Professional communities, such as principals or SABER–Teachers considers three policy levers that colleagues, are involved in these assessments. school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability Furthermore, a variety of criteria are employed to assess of opportunities for teacher professional development, educator performance; among them are subject matter (2) teacher professional-development activities that are knowledge, teaching methods, student assessment collaborative and focused on instructional improvement, methods, and students’ academic achievement. and (3) the assignment of teacher professional development based on perceived needs. Many top-performing education systems define explicit criteria for assessing teacher performance. Figure 7 (1) Teachers in Punjab are required to participate in highlights some of these. professional development activities. In many countries, participating in professional development is a requisite for teachers to stay in the profession as well as to qualify for promotions. In addition, to advance up the career ladder, teachers in most high-performing countries are required to have participated in a number of professional-development seminars or workshops according to their rank. In Punjab, primary teachers are required to attend a mandatory Professional Development day every three months. This amounts to four days a year. Secondary teachers are required to SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 13 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 engage in professional development as well, though a does not take into account the local analysis of schools’ minimum number of days is not specified. The cost of and teachers’ needs, as well as student achievement and professional development programs is borne by the observations made during inspection visits. government, and teachers do not incur any expenses. Figure 8. Formally Recognized Types of Professional (2) Teacher professional development in Punjab Development includes activities that have been found by research to be associated with instructional improvement, such as Singapore participation school networks (figure 8). Research Morocco Tunisia Punjab Turkey suggests that effective teacher professional development is collaborative and provides opportunities for the in-school analysis of instructional practice. As mentioned earlier, high-performing education systems, Observation visits ✓ ✓ ✓ such as in Japan and Ontario, devote as much as 30 percent of school time to professional development and Teacher networks ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ instructional-improvement activities. Such activities include observation visits to other schools, individual or School networks ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ collaborative research, and participation in teacher or school networks. Research ✓ ✓ ✓ In Punjab, a continuous professional development Mentoring/coaching ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ framework was introduced in 2008 for professional Source: SABER–Teachers data. development of teachers. The framework is school- specific and provides training to schools in clusters Goal 8: Motivating teachers to perform (cluster radius is 16 km). An AEO and a cluster teacher are responsible for training teachers of several schools in Established a cluster, which provides a chance for teachers to hear about the experiences of teachers from other schools and allows sharing of best practices. Professional Adequate mechanisms to motivate teachers are a way development programs are geared toward primary for school systems to signal their seriousness in achieving school teachers. The CPD framework also includes a education goals, to make the teaching career attractive component on mentoring. Both primary and secondary to competent individuals, and to reward good school teachers are expected to be mentored for a performance while ensuring accountability. month when they start teaching. The government is taking steps to recruit more AEOs and more cluster SABER–Teachers considers three policy levers that experts in the hope that this will increase the quality of school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) linking monitoring and professional development at the same career opportunities to teacher performance, (2) time. establishing mechanisms to hold teachers accountable, and (3) tying teacher compensation to performance. (3) Teacher professional development is not formally assigned based on teachers’ individual needs. Assigning (1) In Punjab, career opportunities are linked to professional development to teachers based on teachers’ years of experience, academic qualifications, performance evaluations is one way of potentially and vacancies. In Punjab, a public school teacher goes improving instructional practice. Teacher professional through a three-year probation period to acquire an development can be targeted to meet the needs of open-ended appointment. This probation period is specific teachers. However, in Punjab professional mandatory. According to policy, criteria for granting an development is not assigned on a perceived-needs basis, open-ended contract include years of teaching nor are teacher evaluations utilized to assign a experience, employment status, educational supervisor. Therefore, in-service training programs are qualifications, and performance on the job. At the not sufficiently differentiated and appropriate for their implementation level, promotions depend on factors professional needs. The design of such programs also other than performance. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 14 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 performance ranking of the school is derived from (2) Mechanisms are in place to hold teachers students achievement on exams, exam participation accountable. Requiring teachers to meet high rates, and gain in school enrollment. Additionally, there professional criteria to comply with national quality are also financial rewards based on student attendance, standards in the teaching profession can facilitate contribution toward cocurricular activities, and instructional improvement. In Punjab, for teachers to participation in additional duties other than teaching remain in the profession, at the primary level, they go (figure 9). through quarterly CPD programs. Nevertheless, there is much discussion on whether these CPD programs are Figure 9. Incentives for High Performance being effectively used to hold teachers to account. Singapore Both primary and secondary teachers have to get a Morocco Tunisia Punjab Turkey satisfactory rating in the Performance Evaluation Report (PER) on an annual basis. However, PERs are not designed to give teachers feedback on improving instructional practices. It is a general evaluation is used ✓ ✓ ✓ Individual monetary bonus for public civil servants and includes criteria such as ✓ behavior toward the public and knowledge of laws and School-level bonus rules. In the case of an unsatisfactory rating, a show Source: SABER–Teachers data. cause notice is issued to the teacher, who has to give an explanation for the low rating. There is an impression among policy-makers, however, that low scores are relatively rare. Continuous monitoring of teachers results in a stringent check on teacher absenteeism. If a teacher is absent for an extended period of time, without notice or permission from the District education authority, a show cause notice is issued to the teacher, following which their salary is withheld. The teacher is then required to appear before the authority and explain his or her absence. In practice, teachers are dismissed only in severe absenteeism cases where there is failure to provide an explanation to the School Education Department. Similarly, dismissal of teachers occurs in very few, severe cases of poor performance. Teachers are generally transferred on the request of the Head Teacher if they are performing poorly and not achieving the desired results. Cases of misconduct and child abuse are dealt with if they are reported. Officially, poor performance could be considered a cause for dismissal. At the implementation level, however, to remain in the government service, the teacher just must depict good conduct. As the performance of teacher does not usually factor in, many teachers remain in government service despite inadequate performance. (3) Teacher compensation is linked to performance of the school as a whole. Under the scheme called the High Achievers Program, teachers of schools that are among the top 20 percent get financial rewards. The SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 15 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Policy and Implementation Options considering that multi-grade teaching is seen in many schools and on average student teacher ratios are high. This SABER country report has offered a snapshot of • Boost the prestige of teaching profession, Punjab’s key teacher policies and how they compare with specifically for public schools, to attract a larger those of top global performers in education. This section pool of qualified applicants to apply to become provides recommendations for further improvement of teachers. A national communication strategy, the policies for teachers in Punjab. such as a high-profile teaching award or a teaching channel, could be launched to Goal 1: Setting clear expectations for teachers communicate the success of high-performing teachers to the wider public and motivate In Punjab, clear expectations exist for what students teachers within the system to perform better. should learn and what teachers are supposed to do. • Facilitate expansion. Teach For Pakistan is known However, there is no guidance on use of teachers’ to attract qualified undergraduates and working time for participating in nonteaching tasks professionals to the teaching profession. In the related to instructional improvement. Some policy United States, Teach For America is the biggest recommendations to improve on this policy goal include: supplier of STEM teachers. Such programs have • Introduce a policy that puts forward efficient been funded by both the public and the private allocation of teachers’ working time to relevant sectors to meet the shortage of qualified nonteaching activities (which may include individuals to join the teaching profession, mentoring other teachers, curriculum particularly in critical shortage subjects and adaptation to student needs, and planning for hard-to-staff areas (Reference to Goal 4). school improvement). These allocations and • Raise quality standards for teacher education nature of tasks could vary with years of programs, especially the process and criteria for experience of the teacher and would not mean a admission into those programs to attract a reduction in contact hours between teachers better-qualified talent pool. With higher and students. Development of this policy should selectivity, potential applicants may also see take input of teachers and principals because it greater prestige in joining those programs. has implications for their workload. Their • Analyze school/classwise student-teacher ratios ownership in the process may ease policy to find ways to rationalize those in schools that implementation process. have high student-teacher ratios. Provide • Encourage involvement in noninstructional additional support to teachers teaching multi- activities, provide training to teachers for grade classrooms, in the form of training or becoming mentors, taking part in school teaching assistants. Such measures act as planning activities, and curriculum building. Also, incentives for new teachers so that professional introduce nonmonetary incentives for teachers responsibilities do not appear overwhelming and to participate in noninstructional activities. deter prospective candidates from joining the These could be monthly teacher awards or profession. organizing a school party in honor of the teacher • Given the school infrastructure is regularly who actively participates in nonteaching tasks. monitored in Punjab, there is potential to With it, also hold teachers accountable by linking improve the compliance percentage further involvement in these activities to performance from 87 percent. Better working conditions evaluation and career advancement facilitate attracting new teachers into the opportunities. profession. • Offer incentives such as scholarships to top- Goal 2: Attracting the best into teaching performing graduates to enter teacher education programs after Higher Secondary Teachers are offered competitive pay and accrue School Certificate and to stay in the profession. retirement benefits on completing 25 years of service. Teacher education programs, however, are not as selective and, thus, not attracting the best talent pool. Working conditions of teachers are challenging, SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 16 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Goal 3: Preparing teachers with useful training and that diminish the effectiveness of conventional experience teaching practices. To address this, teachers need to be sensitive to their pupils’ Even though minimum standards for joining the teaching socioemotional needs and develop these skills profession are in line with better-performing systems, to help them succeed in the future: trust, self- the quality of education programs that award these esteem, communication, curiosity, grit, standards needs to be strengthened. Practical gratitude, growth mind set, self-control, etc. For professional experience is a compulsory part of the instance, in the United States, organizations formal education required to become a teacher. such as Character Lab use the Character Growth Card and playbooks to guide students through The quality of teacher education programs also needs to different activities and goal-setting processes to be strengthened in terms of the classroom training and build their socioemotional capacity. education provided to teachers. Affiliation with • Create a targeted campaign to advertise internationally recognized teacher education programs vacancies and provide scholarships for students could provide an opportunity for a systematic overhaul enrolled in pedagogical programs or in of these institutions in the public domain. education-related university studies who are studying subject areas with shortages—for example, mathematics, English, Arabic, fine arts, Goal 4: Matching teachers’ skills with students’ science, and home economics. This scholarship needs would be contingent on students’ commitment to the teaching profession for a minimum Systems are in place to identify critical-shortage subjects, number of years. though information gathered is not used to address teacher shortages. Moreover, incentives need to be Goal 5: Leading teachers with strong principals introduced for teachers to teach in hard-to-staff schools. • Provide significant incentives to teachers to Professional development and training opportunities are work in hard-to-staff schools, such as higher offered to principals/head teachers; however, those are salaries, scholarships for education, promotions, not mandatory. Financial incentives for principals are and housing support. For instance, in Shanghai, based on performance at the school and individual levels. teachers who choose to work at rural schools • Provide principals with an obligatory coaching can receive priority in admission to graduate program, instructional leadership training, and schools and accreditation of higher teacher ongoing professional development. For instance, ranks, one-time monetary stipends, and principals in Shanghai participate in various kinds compensation. of leadership programs based on their years of • Often, teachers placed in hard-to-staff areas service. There is a one-year training program deal with student absenteeism, which could be that focuses on six key topics: school planning, due to health issues or insufficient care at home. internal management, school culture, To address these issues, grassroots-level instructional development, teacher growth, and organizations need to be identified that can adjustment to the external environment. The provide support to students and families in program takes place once a week and includes alleviating these issues. By building partnerships group lectures, individual research projects, field with these organizations at the school level, visits, and mentoring by experienced principals teachers get additional support in such schools to new principals (World Bank 2016). and do not have to deal with issues unrelated to • Build on the existing methodology to reward the classroom during instructional time. This principals based on school performance to may lead to improvement in working conditions include qualitative measures such as and development of support system for hard-to- engagement in professional development staff schools. opportunities, activities undertaken in schools to • Train teachers in developing students’ boost the morale of students and teachers, and socioemotional skills. In hard-to-staff schools, students are faced with additional challenges SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 17 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 efforts undertaken to engage student families teacher level and prioritize those teachers whose and communities. teaching practices are identified weak during evaluations. Goal 6: Monitoring teaching and learning • Include subject and content knowledge components aligned with student learning Teachers are trained to assess student achievement, and standards and school curriculum as part of systems are in place to assess student learning, but it teacher professional development, especially in does not appear that these systems are used to inform the light of revision of textbooks. development of lesson plans and adjustment of • Strengthen the training of AEOs, beyond simply instructional practices. Recent developments have been verifying teachers’ compliance with geared toward increased monitoring of teachers. This administrative instructions. Improve has to be balanced against learning opportunities for professional development programs for teaching teachers and leeway to exercise autonomy. to support new teachers entering the profession. • There is a need to redefine the scope of monthly Classroom observations, if implemented as one- monitoring visits to schools. Student on-one coaching experience, are beneficial for performance is not expected to change new teachers. The coaching process should significantly in a month nor can an adjustment in support teachers in improving instructional teaching practices bring about change that quality, where they can also see its benefit in quickly. Monthly visits can be utilized to give their students’ improved academic feedback to teachers on instructional practices performance. Skills covered in these coaching with every visit, not to contribute toward exercises could include lesson planning, asking evaluation of their performance. A right mix of questions to check for understanding, setting feedback and evaluation needs to be achieved. systems and routines, creating a supportive • Strengthen the capacities of AEOs to analyze the classroom environment, and building results of student assessments. Training socioemotional skills in students. workshops for AEOs should also provide • Broaden public teachers’ exposure by sharing techniques for what skill each item on the with them donor-funded, all-expenses-paid, assessment measures, how to analyze international professional development assessment data—comparing results at the opportunities. For example, the Teaching school, tehsil, district, and provincial levels, and Excellence and Achievement Program provides courses on how to use data to drive instructional outstanding secondary school teachers of improvement. English, social studies, math, science, and special education with unique opportunities to enhance Goal 7: Supporting teachers to improve instruction their teaching skills and increase their knowledge about the United States. Teachers Mandatory professional development days for teachers come to the United States from around the are limited. Both external and internal evaluations are world for a six-week academic program at a U.S. based on classroom observations; however, feedback university graduate school of education. To processes to improve instructional practices need to be make this a possibility, also assist them in filling improved. A mentoring program has also been out applications and figuring out logistics. introduced, and staff strengthening is needed to separate this function from evaluation. Goal 8: Motivating teachers to perform • Based on a needs assessment at the school level and on student results, implement in-service Promotion opportunities and salary increments are teacher training systems at the tehsil level with a linked to years of service. Financial incentives are wide selection of contents and methods awarded based on performance of the school and the (coaching, working in network, groups to analyze teacher. A teacher can continue to be in government practices, class observations and visits, critical service if their conduct remains in line with policies; analysis of work sequences, use of tutorials, therefore, a teacher’s performance is generally not a etc.). Moreover, assign professional cause for dismissal. development based on perceived needs at the SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 18 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 • Reward high-performing teachers with desirable Acknowledgments financial bonus or nonmonetary incentives, such as teaching awards, as well as symbolic forms of This report was prepared by Hina Saleem (Global recognition. Recognize teachers placed in hard- Engagement and Knowledge, Education Global Practice, to-staff areas through fast-track promotion World Bank), Shubham Adhikari, and Gustavo E. Castillo options. For comparability purpose, (Georgetown University) under the guidance of Ezequiel performance of such teachers should be related Molina, Tracy Wilichowski, Koen Geven, Tazeen Fasih, with teachers placed in schools facing similar and Ali AnsariIt. It features country data collected by Dr. circumstances. Faisal Bari, Sahar Kamran, and Fizza Raza, consultants, • Perform annual performance reviews of using the SABER–Teachers tool. teachers’ activities that use a wider variety of instruments and methods (for example, the end- References of-the-year evaluation individual meeting with ASER Pakistan. 2015. Pakistan Annual Status of Education each teacher etc.), which would ensure Report 2015. Accessed May 21, 2017. objectivity and enhance effectiveness. http://aserpakistan.org/document/report_card • Career advancement opportunities in the s/2015/summary_report_cards/National.pdf. teaching sector should be based on performance ASER, Islamabad. and not just years of service and academic qualifications. This may motivate incoming ———. 2016. Pakistan Annual Status of Education Report teachers to perform and hold senior teachers 2016. Accessed November 30, 2017. accountable to perform well throughout their http://aserpakistan.org/document/report_card teaching career. s/2016/summary_report_cards/National.pdf. • Given that evaluation by AEOs is not considered ASER, Islamabad. as transparent, process review and Barber, M., and M. Mourshed. 2007.”How the World’s improvement are required to improve the Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on reputation of the review process. Set up a fair Top.” McKinsey & Co., London. system of monetary bonuses to incentivize Campante, F., and E. L. Glaeser. 2009. “Yet Another Tale teaches to improve their performance (i.e., they of Two Cities: Buenos Aires and Chicago.” NBER are tied to measures that capture effective Working Paper 15104. National Bureau of teaching and student performance and are not Economic Research, Cambridge, MA. related to the AEO’s relationship with the school) • Ensure that teachers are recognized and Darling-Hammond, L. 2010. “Steady Work: How rewarded for investing time and effort into Countries Build Successful Systems.” In Darling- activities related to instructional improvement Hammond, The Flat World and Education: How by making it a prominent part of the teacher America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine standards and performance appraisals. Our Future. New York: Teachers College. • Develop a culture of achievement at the school Darling-Hammond, L., and R. Rothman. 2011.”Teacher level by recognizing teachers that put in and Leader Effectiveness in High-Performing additional effort and encouraging their peers to Education Systems.” Alliance for Excellent observe classes of those teachers—this is one Education, Washington, DC. way of developing a culture of achievement in schools. Given that existing professional Hanushek, E. A., and S. G. Rivkin. 2010. “Generalizations development activities of schools in the same about Using Value-Added Measures of Teacher vicinity are implemented together, such Quality.” American Economic Review 100 (2): opportunities could be utilized to initiate 267–71. observation visits of better-performing Hanushek, E., and L. Wössmann. 2007. “Education classrooms across schools. Quality and Economic Growth.“ World Bank, • Review the existing Performance Evaluation Washington, DC. Report to include evaluation criteria related to teaching profession. Ingersoll, R. 2007. “A Comparative Study of Teacher Preparation and Qualifications in Six Nations.” SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 19 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Consortium for Policy Researching Education, Sanders, W. L., and J. C. Rivers. 1996. “Cumulative and Philadelphia. 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Conference paper, Social Science Research • Recruitment Policy–2011 for Science, Mathematics, Council, Park City, UT. Computer Science, and English Educators [press Pasha, H. A. 2015. Growth of the Provincial Economies. release] Accessed December 6, 2017. • Recruitment Policy–2013 For Educators [press http://ipr.org.pk/wp- release] content/uploads/2016/04/GROWTH-OF- • Recruitment Policy–2016 For Educators and PROVINCIAL-ECONOMICS-.pdf. Institute for AEOS [press release] Policy Reforms, Lahore Cantt, Pakistan. • Resource Book on Education Management. Directorate of Staff Development (n.d.), government Pritchett, L., and M. Viarengo. 2009. “Producing of Punjab, Pakistan Superstars for the Economic Mundial: The • Revision of Basic Pay Scale & Allowances of Civil Mexican Predicament with Quality of Servants of the Punjab Government (2016) [press Education.” PEPG Working Paper 09-01, Program release] on Education Policy and Governance, • Transfer Policy 2013 [press release] Cambridge, MA. Rivkin, S. G., E.A. Hanushek, and J. F. Kain. 2005. Appendix 1. SABER–Teachers Ratings “Teachers, Schools and Student Achievement.” The SABER–Teachers team has identified policy levers Econometrica 73 (2): 417–58. (actions that governments can take) and indicators Rockoff, J. E. 2004. “The Impact of Individual Teachers (measurements of the extent to which governments are on Student Achievement: Evidence from Panel making effective use of these policy levers) for each of Data.” American Economic Review 94 (2): 247– the eight policy goals referenced in this country report. 52. For example, for Teacher Policy Goal 1—Setting Clear SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 20 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 Expectations for Teachers—the SABER–Teachers team • Latent—”Latent” systems have no or few has identified the policy levers and indicators shown in appropriate policies in place under the policy table A1. goal. Please refer to Vegas et al. (2012) for a detailed review of policy levers and indicators Table A1. Setting Clear Expectations for Teachers assessed for each goal. For each goal in the country report, we define the goal in the first paragraph of the country report and identify the levers in the second paragraph. The remaining paragraphs provide details about the indicators that measure each of the levers. Using the policy levers and indicators, SABER–Teachers classifies education systems’ performance on each of the eight teacher policy goals, using a four-category scale (latent, emerging, established, and advanced) The ratings describe the extent to which a given education system has in place teacher policies that are known to be related to improved student outcomes. This four-tiered rating system represents a continuum, ranging from systems with more comprehensive, developed policies oriented toward learning, to systems with no policies at all (or, in some cases, policies that are detrimental from the perspective of encouraging learning). SABER–Teacher ratings can be defined in the following manner: • Advanced—Systems are rated “advanced” toward a particular policy goal when they have multiple policies conducive to learning in place under each of the policy levers used to define a policy goal. • Established—”Established” systems have at least one policy or law in place that uses those policy levers. • Emerging—”Emerging” systems may have some appropriate policies in place under the policy goal. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 21 PUNJAB, PAKISTAN | TEACHERS SABER REPORT |2018 www.worldbank.org/education/saber The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policy makers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country’s education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of teacher policies. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. THE WORLD BANK SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 22