INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT 2026
From Evidence to Action
From Evidence to Action: Advancing Education Policy and Practice in Pakistan
Join us for the DARE-RC International Education Summit 2026, taking place on 31 October–1 November 2026 at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan.
The 2026 Summit signals a key shift from evidence dissemination to action: consolidating DARE-RC evidence, drawing out cross-cutting lessons, and identifying priorities for policy reform, scaling, and future research.
Designed for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, funders, and education leaders, the Summit will focus on one central question: how can evidence drive inclusive and resilient education reform in Pakistan?
The Summit will focus on three priorities:
Synthesis: what has DARE-RC evidence taught us?
Influence: where has evidence shaped policy and practice?
Action: what should be prioritised next?
The Summit will help turn evidence into priorities, partnerships, and practical next steps for education reform.
DARE-RC is Pakistan’s largest education research programme, generating rigorous, actionable evidence to improve education policy and practice.
DARE’s 44 research studies and scoping papers
offer critical insights on:
Effective teaching & pedagogical reform
Inclusion & social justice
Climate resilience in education
Governance, management & data-driven decision-making
DARE-RC is Pakistan’s largest education research programme, generating rigorous, actionable evidence to improve education policy and practice.
DARE’s 44 research studies and scoping papers
offer critical insights on:
Effective teaching & pedagogical reform
Inclusion & social justice
Climate resilience in education
Governance, management & data-driven decision-making
Registration Details
The Summit will take place on 31 October–1 November 2026 at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan.
Seating is limited; places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Register your interest early to be considered for a place.
summit programme
DAY 1 | 31 OCTOBER 2026
08:30–09:30 | Registration & Networking
09:30–10:15 | Opening
Welcome Remarks: DARE-RC / LUMS / Government / FCDO / Prof. Dr Tayyaba Tamim (Dean, Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS); Faculty Lead, Pedagogical Partnership Programme, LUMS Learning Institute)
Keynote Address: From Policy to Practice: Building an Evidence-Informed Education System – Prof. Dr Adil Najam (President, WWF International; Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations and Earth & Environment, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University; former Vice Chancellor, LUMS)
10:15–11:30 | OPENING PLENARY: Why Evidence Matters for Education Reform
Featuring: Dr Asyia Kazmi, OBE (Chief Executive Officer, World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), Qatar Foundation; former Global Education Policy Lead, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) | Dr Nishat Riaz Khan, MBE (Chief Executive, Pakistan, Malala Fund; former Global Head of Higher Education and Internationalisation, British Council) | Riaz Ahmed Kamlani (Chief Operating Officer, The Citizens Foundation (TCF)) | Shehzad Roy, SI, TI (Founder and President, Zindagi Trust; singer, social activist and humanitarian)
Moderator: Dr Faisal Bari (Associate Professor of Economics and Education, LUMS; Member, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan; former Dean, LUMS School of Education; Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS))
11:45–13:00 | Session 1 | Data, AI and Evidence for Better Decision-Making
Featuring: Dr Farah Nadeem (Assistant Professor, Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, LUMS) | Prof. Dr Nasir Mahmood (Vice Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU); holding interim charge as Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan; Professor of Education) | Annum Sadiq (Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Edkasa) | Dr Zubair Khalid (Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, LUMS)
Moderator: Dr Jessica Catherine Albrent (Assistant Professor, Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, LUMS)
13:45–15:00 | Session 2 | Teaching, Learning and the Education Workforce
Featuring: Dr Monazza Aslam (Research Director, DARE-RC; Managing Partner, Oxford Partnership for Education Research and Analysis (OPERA)) / Dr Zainab Salim (Research Manager, DARE-RC) | Dr Soufia Anis Siddiqi (Assistant Professor, LUMS School of Education; Director of Research, Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre, LUMS) | Dr Faisal Bari (Associate Professor of Economics and Education, LUMS; Member, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan; former Dean, LUMS School of Education; Senior Research Fellow, IDEAS) | Zain Murtaza Maken (Head of Continuous Professional Development, Pak Alliance for Maths and Science (PAMS); former Programme Manager, LUMSx)
Moderator: Dr Irfan Muzaffar (Associate Professor of Practice, Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, LUMS)
15:15–16:30 | Session 3 | Inclusion, Equity and Climate Resilience
Featuring: Dr Dilshad Ashraf (Deputy Research Director, DARE-RC; Head of Special Projects and Associate Professor, Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED)) / Dr Sahar Shah (Senior Research Manager, DARE-RC, Oxford Policy Management; education researcher affiliated with the University of Cambridge) | Dr Rabea Malik (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS); Assistant Professor, LUMS School of Education, on leave) | Prof. Dr Farid Panjwani (Professor and Dean, AKU-IED; faculty member, UCL Institute of Education) | Dr Julia de Kadt (Head of Portfolio, Health and Disability Research, Sightsavers; Principal Investigator, DARE-RC disability-inclusive education data study)
Moderator: Baela Raza Jamil (Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA); Founder, Pakistan Learning Festival; former Technical Adviser, Federal Ministry of Education)
16:30–16:45 | Closing Reflections
Synthesis of emerging themes and agenda for Day 2
DAY 2 | 1 NOVEMBER 2026
09:15–09:30 | Reflections & Recap of Day 1
09:30–10:45 | Session 4 | Governance and Accountability
Featuring: Saima Anwer (Programme Director, DARE-RC; Principal Consultant, Education, Oxford Policy Management; former Senior Education Adviser, FCDO Pakistan) / Zariya Mushtaq (Consultant, Oxford Policy Management) | Dr Salman Humayun (Executive Director, Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (I-SAPS)) | Dr Saad Gulzar (Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame; Faculty Fellow, Kellogg Institute for International Studies; formerly Assistant Professor at Stanford University and Princeton University) / Salman Naveed Khan (Chief Executive Officer, Pak Alliance for Maths and Science (PAMS); Team Lead, STEAM Pakistan; Director, Karachi Down Syndrome Program; Advisory Board Member, NOWPDP; former Head of Policy and Political Engagement, Alif Ailaan) | Prof. Asim Ijaz Khwaja (Director, Center for International Development, Harvard University; Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development, Harvard Kennedy School; Visiting Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Co-founder and Board Member, Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP))
Moderator: TBC
11:00–12:15 | Session 5 | When Evidence Meets Policy: Understanding Pathways to Change
Featuring: Prof. Dr Fauzia Shamim (Chief Academic Officer, Durbeen; Founder Member and Vice President, Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT); Pakistan Representative, AsiaTEFL; former Founding Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Ziauddin University) / Salma Ahmed Alam (Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Durbeen) | Dr Farah Nadeem (Assistant Professor, LUMS School of Education) | Sana Shams (Principal Manager, Center for Language Engineering, Al-Khawarizmi Institute of Computer Science (KICS), University of Engineering and Technology Lahore; lead for natural-language-processing and Pakistan Sign Language technology projects) | Dr Zahra Mansoor (Lecturer, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol; former research and policy professional at CERP, the World Bank, Innovations for Poverty Action and the International Growth Centre)
Moderator: TBC
12:15–13:30 | Session 6 | From Pilot to Scale: What Works, For Whom, and Under What Conditions?
Featuring: Prof. Ricardo Sabates Aysa (Professor of Education and International Development and Deputy Director of Research, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge; member, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre) | Rizwana Shahzad (Manager, Research Funding, Adelaide University; Principal Investigator, DARE-RC study on the scalability of afternoon schools) | Dr Farah Said (Executive Director, Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre, LUMS; Assistant Professor of Economics, LUMS; Associate Fellow, IDEAS; Research Fellow, CERP) | Prof. Dr Sajid Ali (Amir Sultan Chinoy Endowed Professor and Director of Research and Publications, AKU-IED; former Interim Dean, AKU-IED)
Moderator: Dr Javed Ahmed Malik (Team Leader, ILMpact Programme, British Council; former Lead Education Adviser, UK Department for International Development/FCDO Pakistan)
14:30–15:45 | POLICY LABS: Defining the Next Generation of Education Reforms
Policy Lab 1: Foundational Learning & Teaching Quality
Featuring: Dr M. Zaigham Qadeer (Director (Research), Research and Policy Wing, Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE)) | Dr Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta (Associate Professor and Programme Director, PhD in Education, AKU-IED) | Abbas Rashid (Founding Member and Executive Director, Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE); Member, Governing Body, Punjab Examination Commission)
Facilitators: Uzma Yousuf (Country Director, Pakistan, Cambridge International Education, Cambridge University Press & Assessment) | Dr Zainab Salim (Research Manager, DARE-RC)
Policy Lab 2: Equity, Inclusion & Gender
Featuring: Dr Gulab Khan (Associate Professor, Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, LUMS) | Seher Aftab (Research and Advocacy Lead, Vulnerability and Resilience Unit, Centre for Human Rights; also listed by the Centre for Human Rights as Gender Justice Officer – preferred title to be confirmed) | Dr Nasima Zainulabidin (Assistant Professor, AKU-IED)
Facilitators: Dr Laraib Niaz (Assistant Research Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge; Postdoctoral Research Associate, Gonville and Caius College; Gender and Social Inclusion Adviser, What Works Hub for Global Education) | Dr Sahar Shah (Senior Research Manager, DARE-RC, Oxford Policy Management)
Policy Lab 3: Governance, Data & Accountability
Featuring: Dr Farah Nadeem (Assistant Professor, LUMS School of Education) | Dr Khizar Nasir (Associate Director, Research Development, CERP – exact preferred title to be confirmed) | Rafiullah Kakar (Public policy and political-economy researcher; PhD researcher, University of Cambridge; former Member for Social Sector and Devolution, Planning Commission of Pakistan; Rhodes Scholar)
Facilitator: Dr Camilla Hadi Chaudhary (Research Associate, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge; Associate Executive Editor, Cambridge Journal of Education)
16:00–17:00 | CLOSING PLENARY: From Knowledge Generation to Knowledge Use
Panellists: representatives from government and academia providing a debrief from the Policy Labs and outlining policy priorities and opportunities for future collaboration
Discussant: Dr Tariq Banuri (Visiting Fellow, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI); former Chairperson, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan; Founding Executive Director, SDPI; former Director, United Nations Division for Sustainable Development)
17:00–17:15 | KEYNOTE: What Will It Take to Transform Education Systems – Prof. Dr Ali Cheema (Vice Chancellor and Professor of Economics, LUMS; Co-founder, CERP; Senior Research Fellow, IDEAS; Co-lead Academic, International Growth Centre Pakistan Programme; Affiliated Professor, J-PAL; former Director, Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre, LUMS)
17:15–17:30 | Vote of Thanks & Closing Remarks