The Politics of Common Sense? Pointers for Pakistan’s Political Economy

There has been little academic research on Pakistan’s political economy for some decades now. Analysis of transition, structural transformations and their resulting impact on the formation of social classes have been missing. Zaidi1 correctly notes that “Akhtar’s is amongst the very few, and most recent contribution that provides a substantive understanding of Pakistan’s political economy”. Some of the key questions, not answered completely or avoided all together in Akhtar’s book, especially those that relate to the subject of religious class/or Islamization and the notion of secularism and secularist elite, have been raised by Akbar S Zaidi in his brilliant review of Akhtar’s book. The present review focuses on more substantive theoretical and empirical issues raised by Akhtar’s class analysis of Pakistan’s political economy. Framed

Influence of the Head Teachers Effectiveness of Communication on Professional Orientation of Teachers: A Case Study

This study investigates how the head teacher's effectiveness of communication influences the professional orientation of teachers in a government secondary school in an urban setting in Pakistan. The study was conducted in a qualitative research paradigm using case study method. Data was collected from the head teacher of the school as the primary participant and three teachers were approached as the secondary participants, using semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. The data was analyzed thematically. Analysis and interpretation of the data confirms that effective communication of the head teacher is vital for proper functioning of the school and it has a significant influence on culture of the school in general and professional orientation of teachers in particular. The communication of the head teacher with teachers was found to be particularly effective in matters of classroom practices, positive interaction of colleagues, teachers' efficacy and maintaining discipline. Findings of the study suggest that building on the existing strengths of the head teacher's communication, its effectiveness could be extended to other areas, such as assigning responsibilities and staff meetings *'here it needs to be improved. The findings of the study also have several implications for head teachers, teachers and distinct education officials in the same setting. The study raises many interesting questions with regard to influence of the head teacher's communication on teachers' behaviour and attitude. These questions need further exploration.