The Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) had the honour of hosting Ms. Wajiha Qamar, Honourable Minister of State for Education and Professional Training, during a week focused on advancing education research and foundational learning in Pakistan.

As Chief Guest at PIE’s 3rd Research Advisory Group (RAG) meeting held in collaboration with DARE-RC, Ms. Qamar engaged with leading scholars and stakeholders, including Dr. Nasir Mehmood (VC, AIOU), Dr. Faisal Bari (LUMS), Dr. Irfan Muzaffar (World Bank), Mr. Sami Khan (DARE), Dr. Farid Panjwani (Aga Khan University), Dr. Munazza (Oxford University), Ms. Saima, Dr. Ehtasham (DARE-RC), and provincial representatives.

Dr. Shahid Soroya, Director General PIE, welcomed participants and launched the National Research Agenda, outlining priority areas for evidence-based research and policy. Through detailed discussions, national research priorities were identified with consensus.

In her keynote, Ms. Qamar praised PIE’s leadership in promoting research to address out-of-school children and emphasized the importance of stronger collaboration between PIE and academic institutions.

In parallel, PIE proudly launched its first Foundational Learning Study, supported by the DARE Project and technical assistance from the American Institutes for Research (AIR), with Dr. Abdullah Ferdous as technical lead. A national workshop was held to finalize learning benchmarks with active participation from all provinces and PIE’s technical team.

The Honourable Minister also visited the Foundational Learning (PFL) Hub housed at PIE, where she commended the progress and impact of the hub’s initiatives.

Dr. Shahid Soroya expressed gratitude to the Federal Ministry and development partners for their continued support in strengthening education systems through data, research, and innovation.

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