**Education Leaders Advance Early Childhood Learning Initiatives in Karachi**
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, in partnership with the ASPIRE Program, convened key stakeholders at the Sindh Secretariat in Karachi to advance foundational learning and early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Pakistan. The collaborative session, led by Dr. Fouzia Khan, Chief Executive Advisor of the Curriculum Wing, Sindh School Education and Literacy Department (SELD), focused on developing new learning resources, updating teacher training materials, and implementing crucial ECCE and foundational learning policy frameworks.
Participants reviewed major milestones, including the creation of an ECCE workbook tailored to local needs and the revision of training content for teachers to bolster classroom effectiveness. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to improving foundational literacy and numeracy across the province.
International partners such as UNICEF, JICA, and PAMS contributed to the discussions as they guided Literacy and Numeracy Sub-Groups. The Foundational Learning Hub also presented a comprehensive gap analysis, measuring Sindh’s existing learning resources against national benchmarks to identify priority areas for intervention.
Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) shed light on the repercussions of the 2022 floods on young learners and shared insights from ARNEC’s Early Childhood Development resource mapping exercise. These findings highlighted the challenges faced by early learners in crisis-affected regions and identified strategies for more resilient learning communities.
Importantly, two SELD teachers offered first-hand reflections on implementing Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) and foundational literacy and numeracy programs in their classrooms. They underscored the importance of inclusive, child-centered approaches to ensure every child can access and benefit from quality education.
Through this collective effort, policymakers, educators, and international partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening early learning foundations and delivering meaningful reforms across Sindh’s education sector.
