The Government of Punjab and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) joined hands through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a signing ceremony, here Tuesday. This partnership aims to facilitate research-based policy making and innovation in education, through shared data analysis for scalable impact in Pakistan.
Two Memorandums of Understanding were signed at the ceremony. The first MoU was signed between the Government of Punjab, Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU), LUMS School of Education (SOE), and the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP). The second MoU was signed between the Punjab Government School Education Department (SED), LUMS School of Education (SOE), and the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP). The event unveiled the partnerships to facilitate research-based policymaking and innovation in education. It will also serve to make the collaboration between the public sector and the research community stronger and meaningful for scalable impact.
Provincial Minister Schools Education Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, in his message, highlighted the significance of the event as Government of Punjab has devised a very progressive and pragmatic agenda in order to improve the Education sector. One of the key areas of focus is to facilitate collaboration between academia and policy practitioners, so that the best possible reforms can be undertaken. This undertaking by the School Education Department and LUMS School of Education is going to be the first initiative of its kind in Punjab. The Higher Education Department aims to replicate similar efforts with leading Pakistani universities across Pakistan.
The event started with a welcome note by Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Vice Chancellor LUMS and Dr. Tahir Andrabi, the Dean LUMS School of Education. Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi stated that, the ground-breaking collaboration between the Government of Punjab and LUMS SOE will serve as a game changer within the region for graduate level programs in education and education policy.
Dr. Allah Bux Malik, Secretary Schools Education Department said that the collaboration between the two institutions will help to promote quality teacher training, thus positively impacting quality of education in Punjab.
Head, Chief Minister's Special Monitoring Unit Syeda Fatima Zaidi also shared her thoughts and said that this is an unprecedented step forward towards integrating research with policy in Punjab. Partnership with LUMS SOE is set to enable need-based and timely research for the government as well as empower data cooperation for inventing policy avenues and enhancing evidence based corrective mechanisms, she added. It extends the Chief Minister's approach of inviting researchers to policy discussions and incorporating scientific methods and expertise in designing interventions, she concluded.
This collaboration between LUMS School of Education and the Government of Punjab, facilitated through the Chief Minister's Office, will engage in high caliber education research that will provide insights to assist the Government of Punjab in making evidence-based interventions in the region, and undertake a multi-faceted and multidisciplinary approach in its research to effectively identify the pressing problems of the education system and generate practical solutions.