Evidence from the DARE-RC Programme
Affiliated Institutions: LUMS, School Education Department Punjab, DARE-RC
Geographical scope: Punjab
What is the context?
In recent years, Punjab has undertaken significant reforms to strengthen teachers’ Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through the use of digital platforms and system-wide data collection tools. Central to these reforms is the digitisation of classroom observations and teacher training, intended to improve monitoring, feedback and instructional quality at scale. These efforts reflect broader national and provincial priorities to leverage data for education system improvement and align with the objectives of the Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC), which seeks to generate policy-relevant evidence to address persistent challenges in Pakistan’s education system.
This policy brief draws on findings from a mixed-methods study conducted under the DARE-RC programme to examine the implementation and use of Punjab’s digitised CPD systems. The study examined how CPD data is generated, accessed, and used across different tiers of the system, and how teachers, mentors, and education managers experience digitised training and observation processes in practice. To this end, it drew on large-scale secondary data from the Classroom Observation Tool (COT) and on qualitative fieldwork conducted in four carefully selected districts to represent Punjab’s varied regional and socio-economic contexts.
The findings show that Punjab has made substantial progress in building CPD infrastructure and data systems. Yet, they also indicate persistent gaps in the pathway from data collection through feedback mechanisms to instructional change. These findings form the basis of this brief’s contribution to ongoing policy discussions, underscoring the importance of strengthening data use, mentoring capacity, and blended learning approaches to ensure that digitised CPD reforms translate into more effective and equitable teaching and learning outcomes across the province.
What did we learn?
● Punjab is strengthening teachers’ Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through digital reforms like the Classroom Observation Tool (COT) and the Innovative Teacher Support Programme (ITSP) platform. These reforms have digitised classroom observation at scale, are generating extensive classroom data, and have expanded opportunities for professional learning, especially for female teachers.
● However, these benefits are not consistently translating into better teaching. Digital monitoring scores are high but field observations show that teaching methodology is primarily teacher-centric. Policymakers can introduce third-party classroom observations to cross-check whether digital monitoring scores are accurately reflecting classroom realities.
● CPD data is largely serving monitoring needs but not informing instructional support. Teachers value mentoring support from Assistant Education Officers’ (AEO) but AEOs don’t have the capacity for it. Policymakers should consider restructuring AEO’s administrative workload so they can focus more on mentoring to improve instructional quality.
● Rural areas are unable to equitably reap the benefits of digital reforms; schools underperform and teachers face digital barriers and lack of resources. Policymakers should consider developing targeted CPD content that addresses multigrade teaching, resource scarcity, and connectivity issues prevalent in rural districts.
● Punjab’s next step is not to expand digital tools but to optimize existing ones. Consolidating CPD data, training and mentoring under PECTAA’s coordination and embedding these priorities in the upcoming Education Sector Plan (2026-2030) will allow Punjab to develop a coherent system for continuous professional learning.
How did we do it?
The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to examine Punjab’s digitised CPD programme in public primary schools.
Quantitative: Analysed large-scale secondary Classroom Observation Tool (COT) data (2021 onwards) from four diverse districts (Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Muzaffargarh) to identify patterns across geography, gender, and school resources.
Qualitative: Conducted fieldwork in 24 schools across 12 markaz within the study districts, involving classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with teachers, head teachers, Assistant Education Officers (AEOs), and district/provincial officials to understand the ground realities of CPD implementation and data usage.