In a landmark collaboration aimed at improving education standards in Pakistan, the University of Oxford has partnered with the Malala Fund to support Durbeen, a Pakistani NGO dedicated to enhancing teacher training. The partnership will focus on developing a specialized M.S. program to train teacher-educators, marking a major step forward for educational reform in the country. Renowned musician and education advocate Shehzad Roy announced the initiative, emphasizing its potential to elevate the quality of teacher education in Pakistan.
The collaboration, facilitated by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, will see Oxford University working with Durbeen to create a curriculum for an M.S. program specifically designed for teacher-educators. These educators will go on to teach the B.Ed. program across Pakistan’s Teacher Training Institutions, helping to establish a new standard in teacher preparation. Key contributors to the project include Shehzad Roy, founder of Zindagi Trust; Salma Alam, CEO of Durbeen; and Dr. Ann Childs, Dr. Aliya Khalid, and Dr. Ian Thompson from Oxford University.
The M.S. program will offer five areas of specialization: Language, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Educational Psychology. Each track is tailored to develop teacher-educators who will, in turn, deliver specific B.Ed. courses across Pakistani teacher training institutions. This initiative aims to build a skilled group of professionals who will transform the quality of education from the ground up by preparing well-qualified teachers for future generations.
In an interview at Oxford, Shehzad Roy expressed his gratitude to Malala Yousafzai for her role in securing the partnership. He emphasized the program’s impact on Pakistan’s educational landscape, noting, “If teachers aren’t properly trained, children miss out on critical thinking and analytical skills essential for today’s world. This program targets the trainers themselves, aiming to improve educational standards for years to come.”
Oxford’s Dr. Ian Thompson, one of the key figures in the collaboration, recently visited Karachi and other areas of Pakistan to assess the current state of teacher training. His observations played a crucial role in shaping the M.S. program. “This tailored program will significantly benefit teacher-trainers,” Thompson said, recognizing the efforts of his Pakistani colleagues and their contributions to the program’s design.
Salma Alam, CEO of Durbeen, described the partnership as a major milestone for Pakistan, especially as it creates teacher-educators as a distinct professional group—a rare development even on a global scale. Alam commented, “Quality education begins with capable teacher-educators. Until we strengthen this foundation, we cannot build a professionally qualified teaching workforce. This partnership with Oxford and the Malala Fund is the change Durbeen is working towards.”
Alam further noted that this initiative could represent the start of Pakistan’s journey to become a center of educational innovation. By establishing teacher-educators as a specialized, professional group, Pakistan aims to build a sustainable pipeline of highly trained teachers equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to elevate educational standards across the country.
This program is seen as a transformative step, not only enhancing teacher training in Pakistan but also contributing to a global conversation on the value of investing in teacher education.
