Journal of Education and Human Development

Initiating Reform through Whole School Improvement Programme: Aga Khan University’s Experiences from Pakistan
Dr. Mola Dad Shafa

Abstract
The AusAID-funded Educational Development and Improvement Programme (EDIP) is a comprehensive, consortium-based school improvement project being implemented (July 2010 to-date) in the rural and mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. The project builds on and maximizes Aga Khan University-Professional Development Centre North (AKU-PDCN)’s previous experiences of designing and implementing the whole school improvement program (WSIP) in the context of Gilgit-Baltistan. The WSIP model considers the entire school as a unit of change and recommends working with different stakeholders including teachers, headteachers, students and communities to make a sustained improvement in the teaching and learning conditions in schools. What makes the EDIP-sponsored WSIP unique is its consortium-based nature where seven Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) specialist agencies collaborate providing their particular inputs to achieve the overall goal of the EDIP project. The mid-term evaluation of the project (December 2012) reflected the efficacy and innovative nature of EDIP Project. The multi input by different partners increased the scope and productivity of the project, however, networking among the partners also posed challenges at the stages of planning and execution of the EDIP project. There is adequate evidence to suggest that the EDIP-sponsored WSIP model is relevant and viable for the schools in the rural and often poverty stricken Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan; hence, replicable in similar contexts elsewhere.

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