“Thank you for your belief that Pakistan should stand up proudly among the nations,” were the words of a Pakistani district government official quoted in the opening chapter of a groundbreaking report, ‘The Good News from Pakistan,’ that was launched at the Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) on Tuesday.
The report has been authored by Sir Michael Barber, DFID’s special representative on education in Pakistan and former head of delivery for the Tony Blair’s government in the UK. The report describes the progress achieved in Punjab through the work of executive district officers, teachers and provincial officials.
Punjab now has the highest teacher presence in percentage terms than any of the 22 countries in which DFID provides financial support. Teacher absenteeism has plummeted from 20 percent to less than 8 percent in less than 2 years. Such results are unparalleled in the developing world.
