The Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC) hosted another insightful session under its Building Communities of Practice in Education webinar series on 1 July 2026. Titled “Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) in Sindh: Evidence, Impact and the Pathway to System-Wide Scale,” the webinar brought together policymakers, researchers, education practitioners and development partners to explore how evidence-based approaches can strengthen foundational learning and inform education reform in Pakistan. The session featured distinguished speakers Ms. Baela Jamil, Dr. Fouzia Khan and Ms. Kanza Abbasi, and was moderated by Dr. Sahar Shah.
Welcoming participants, Dr. Sahar Shah underscored the importance of creating platforms that facilitate knowledge exchange between research, policy and practice. She noted that addressing Pakistan’s learning crisis requires collaborative dialogue and the use of evidence to shape sustainable education reforms.
The webinar commenced with a presentation by Ms. Baela Jamil, who traced the evolution of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach in Sindh, from its successful deployment as part of the post-flood Chalo Parho Barho initiative to its transition into a government-led programme. ‘The Sindh experience demonstrates the possibility of moving beyond short-term pilot projects towards institutional ownership, illustrating how sustained partnerships, political commitment and evidence can collectively drive systemic change’, she added. Drawing on both national and international experiences, Ms. Baela argued that the province offers an important model for scaling foundational learning interventions across Pakistan.
Building on this discussion, Dr. Fouzia Khan reflected on the policy and institutional measures required to embed TaRL within the education system. She highlighted the significance of aligning the approach with provincial education policies, strengthening teacher professional development, integrating assessment mechanisms into government systems, and ensuring dedicated financing for foundational learning. Dr. Fouzia outlined the structures needed to support long-term implementation at provincial, district and school levels emphasising that sustainable reform depends upon institutional ownership rather than project-based implementation.
Presenting implementation evidence from the programme, Ms. Kanza Abbasi shared encouraging findings from four cohorts implemented across Karachi West and Umerkot. The data demonstrated substantial improvements in literacy and numeracy outcomes among participating students, while also revealing consistent gains across urban and rural settings as well as among both girls and boys. Alongside these achievements, she discussed the practical challenges encountered during implementation and highlighted the adaptive strategies adopted by programme teams and education officials to sustain momentum.
A recurring theme throughout the webinar was that improving foundational learning requires more than effective classroom pedagogy alone. In response to questions asked during the Webinar, the speakers emphasised that sustainable impact depends on embedding successful interventions within government systems through supportive policies, institutional capacity, robust monitoring mechanisms and sustained financing. They also reflected on the importance of empowering school leaders, strengthening teacher support systems, and fostering collaboration among government institutions, practitioners and development partners to ensure that evidence translates into lasting educational improvements.
Through its Building Communities of Practice in Education series, DARE-RC continues to provide a platform for meaningful dialogue between researchers, policymakers and practitioners. These discussions reaffirm the value of evidence-informed policymaking and collaborative partnerships in addressing the country’s learning challenges and advancing equitable access to quality education.