The Pakistan Institute of Education successfully concluded a series of Capacity Building Workshops focused on SDG-4 (Sustainable Development Goal 4). These workshops were organized in collaboration with UNESCO and aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge of EMIS (Education Management Information System) professionals in comprehending, calculating, interpreting, and utilizing data related to SDG-4.
Dr Muhammad Shahid Soroya, the Director-General of PIE, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for their valuable support in organizing the workshops during the closing session. He encouraged participants to provide feedback to improve future endeavors and shared insights into various projects and initiatives, particularly the Development of Out-of-School Children (OOSC) programs by PIE.
Dr Soroya also highlighted some key accomplishments of PIE, including the creation of a comprehensive Training Manual for conducting these workshops. Additionally, he mentioned the institute’s contributions to the SDG-4 Mid-Term Review and its active participation in LaNA (Learning Assessment of National Accounts).
The School Education Department Punjab played a crucial role in organizing and supporting the workshops. Kulsum Saqib, the Special Secretary SED, Government of Punjab, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education Islamabad and UNESCO for conducting essential training on SDG-4 during the inaugural session.
The workshops aimed to address the deficiency in statistical capacities faced by Provincial/Area EMIS teams in processing and computing education indicators, particularly concerning SDG-4. By providing Capacity Building opportunities and focusing on education data standards, methodologies, norms, procedures, and practices, the workshops aimed to empower these teams to generate high-quality education data.
NEMIS-PIE (National Education Management Information System) and UNESCO conducted a comprehensive assessment of stakeholders and data-producing agencies to identify gaps and challenges related to data production, analysis, and utilization for effective policy and planning purposes.
Based on the assessment findings, a tailored training manual was created to enhance the knowledge and skills of the EMIS teams in SDG-4 benchmarking, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Throughout the three-day event, participants engaged in hands-on exercises, case studies, and scenario exercises using real-world data. The training covered diverse sources of education indicators, such as administrative data, household surveys, monitoring, and censuses. Extensive discussions were also held on various aspects of data quality, ethics, analysis, and utilization.
Dr Shahid Soroya emphasized the collective efforts of stakeholders in generating high-quality data using standardized methodologies and interpretation. He expressed optimism that the skills and knowledge acquired during the workshops would be effectively applied and utilized by the participants in their official capacities, leading to the production of quality data and its meaningful integration into policy and planning processes.
The conclusion of the SDG-4 Workshop Series marks a significant milestone in enhancing Pakistan’s education system through improved data generation and utilization. By equipping EMIS professionals with the necessary skills and knowledge, these workshops contribute to the development of evidence-based interventions and the achievement of SDG-4 targets.
These workshops pave the way for stronger collaboration between PIE, UNESCO, and other stakeholders to continuously improve Pakistan’s education system, bridge data gaps, and ensure equitable and quality education for all.
