The Making of Benazir Income Support Program

The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), introduced in 2008-09, is a unique cash support scheme for economically stressed families. Its uniqueness arises from several facets. The cash transfers are provided only to women aged over 18 years and have been ever married. It is unconditional and aimed at supplementing income as opposed to alleviating poverty. It was politically neutral, given that the facility to identify potential beneficiaries was extended to all parliamentarians, irrespective of party affiliation. A set of filters, applied electronically, ensured objectivity in beneficiary selection. Disbursement mechanism was automated to ensure minimal leakage. This paper outlines the process of the preparatory work that went into designing BISP – the conceptual debates, the beneficiary identification and disbursement procedures, etc. – involving a combination of high quality research with political decision making. It also addresses the debates surrounding BISP, cites independent empirical studies that show that the parliamentarian-based beneficiary selection mechanism was efficient and equitable and did indeed cover the deserving, and also responds to the variety of criticisms. ______

Exploring the Perceptions of the Stakeholders About the Effective Teaching of English Language in Buber Gb

With the growing demands of English language in the global context, efforts are being made in the developing contexts to improve the quality of teaching. However, the teaching practices of English language vary from context to context based on the contextual realities. Several studies have been done to highlight the notion of effective teaching in terms of teachers' instructional strategies and the students' characteristics. The current study explored the perceptions of the stakeholders about the effective teaching of English in Gilgit Baltistan (GB). The study was carried out using the qualitative research paradigm. The data was collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGD), classroom observations and post observation interviews. Purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of participants. Out of four school in the village, three (one public one private and one community based) schools were selected. The research participants include three head teachers, six English language teachers and thirty students who participated in the FGD. Out of them three teachers, one from each school was selected for in-depth understanding which was done through classroom observation and post observation interviews. The analysis of the data focused on the perceptions of the stakeholders' (teachers, head teachers and students) effective teaching of English language. The major findings of the study showed that in the context of Buber GB English is taught as a subject rather than as a language. Moreover, it was found that English language is taught only from the examination point of view. The stake holders linked the effective teaching of English language with the students' success in the examination. English is generally taught through traditional methods particularly, Grammar Translation Method (GTM). The factors that influence the teachers' choice of selecting the methods are: lack of professional trainings, exam system of Pakistan and exam oriented syllabus, overcrowded classes, limited exposure, home environment and workload. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the teachers of English should be provided professional sessions about the variety of teaching methods. Particularly, they should be given awareness about ways of adapting the methods in order to make them contextually relevant.