Situation Analysis Report of NFE and Alternative Learning Pathways in Sindh Base Document for Policy Development

The province has a literacy rate of 56%, with women and rural women having significantly lower rates of 43% and 21%, respectively. According to a study by Alif Ailaan in 2014, 51% of school-age children in Sindh are out-of-school, with girls being disproportionately affected by poverty. Article 25A of the Constitution compels the state to provide free and compulsory education for all children in the age group 5 to 16. However, the current education system in Sindh is plagued by inefficiencies, including weaknesses in the professional human resource, expansion of schooling, and poor governance. These issues are further exacerbated by demand-side factors, such as poverty, which disproportionately affects girls. Given the structural problems of mainstream education, it is clear that a specialized policy on Alternative Learning Pathways (ALP) is necessary to achieve the goals of Article 25A and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Sindh Education Sector Plan (SESP) 2014-18 recommends a policy on adult literacy and non-formal basic education as a priority, and this report is a step towards the preparation of such a policy. The report highlights the challenges in the education sector, including the lack of prioritization of ALP, which has been on the margins of policy and reforms for decades. As a result, government institutions responsible for the sector have poor capacity, including the Directorate of Literacy and NFE, which has limited personnel with specialized training or background in adult literacy or non-formal education. Capacity issues are not limited to government organizations only, as non-government organizations (NGOs) have also delivered ALP programs with major quality gaps. The regulatory mechanism also poses a challenge, with amendments to the Sindh Public Private Partnership (PPP) Act 2010 enabling inclusion of services, but a framework to operationalize the relevant clauses is still in its initial phase. Other issues in the sector include the disconnect between ALP and other educational streams, representing a critical gap. The mainstream education system has been the sole focus of organizations responsible for quality products, leaving a gap for provision of quality products for NFE and adult literacy. Information gaps, such as lack of data, sensitivity to socioeconomic diversity within the province, and variations across learners, also require consideration for an effective policy. Historically, the term non-formal basic education has been used to indicate coverage only of primary education. However, given the ground realities of higher numbers of out-of-school children in the post-primary level, the scope needs to be reconsidered, as must the ambitions of SDG 4 and its targets 4.1, 4.2, and 4.4. As the discussion on policy begins to emerge, a few issues will be critical to address. Firstly, the matter of creating common ground on terminologies and definitions of important terms like mainstreaming, dropouts, catch-up/bridge programs, alternative learning pathways, non-formal basic education, and adult and youth literacy. Challenges of quality, delivery, planning, financing, and political awareness also require a coherent response and adequate space in the policy. In terms of quality, the questions of curriculum, learning materials, teacher preparation, pedagogy, and assessment are central. For delivery and financing, capacity of the Directorate of Literacy and Non-formal Education will be important, as even for outsourcing to partners, a base level of in-house capacity is essential. The capacity of other organizations, like the Curriculum Wing, Directorate of Curriculum, Assessment and Research, Sindh Textbook Board, and Directorate of Schools, will also need to be enhanced to address the needs of the entire stream of non-formal education and literacy within a lifelong learning spectrum. Most importantly, an effective regulatory framework for operationalization of a standardized Public-Private Partnership model will have to be developed, with a well-established management information system (MIS) to capture the efforts and track targets and outcomes for various age groups. The framework will cater to financing as well as quality of delivery. Finally, bureaucratic and political awareness, will, and ownership will be vital to bridging chronic gaps between policy and implementation.