Teachers are the main implementers of most school improvement initiatives in schools. It is well recognized in the literature of teachers' involvement in SDP1 that involving teachers in the whole process including the planning stage is important for a better implementation of plans. Emphasis to involve stakeholders from the first stage is going on, and many schools, especially this network of private school I conducted my study on, have adopted the idea. They are currently involving teachers in different decisions about school curriculum and related activities. Therefore, the study aimed at exploring teachers' experiences on the process and influence of their involvement in planning for school improvement, on their practices. Since this was not a well-researched area, especially in Pakistan, therefore, the study is expected to provide useful information for policy makers. The process of involvement was uncovered through eliciting teachers' ideas and other stakeholders (headteacher and education officer) of the school improvement activities. This helped me to discover in what ways teachers are involved, to what extent and what were the influences on them as practitioners behind the involvement practices. Challenges as well as facilitating factors in this process were also examined, and hence useful information could come up for policy makers. I hope this will also help them to make an informed decision on different school improvement practices. The information on this topic was collected through qualitative case study method. This method facilitated eliciting teachers' experiences for providing useful descriptions and rich findings. Semi structured interviews, observations and document analysis were the three data collection techniques used during the study. Main research participants were two teachers, two LAC2 teachers, the headteacher and the education officer. Taking into consideration the time for the field work and teachers' work-load in the school, only one interview per teacher was conducted, and this made total number of interviews to be six. Due to national examinations schedule which was going on during the period of data collection only one classroom observation was done.
This study critically examines the scientific, logical and civilizational aspects of the challenge of atheism and proposes how to combat this problem in the light of Islamic teachings. Twentieth century is peculiar in promoting atheism, agnosticism and skepticism. Contemporary modern scientific approach has also contributed towards the negation of the existence of God. Although our universe provokes our thoughts for the exploration of the ultimate reality yet most of us take it for granted and do not stare and care. Atheism is rapidly expanding trend in universities. Pakistani universities are not exception to it. This paper explains the scientific, logical, psychological, intuitive and spiritual arguments for the existence of God in the light of Islamic teachings.
This research study aims to explore the perceptions and practices of District Officers Education Elementary (DOEEs) regarding effective primary schools in one of the districts of Sindh, Pakistan. The focus of the research study was primarily to identify as to what are the perceptions and practices of DOEEs about effective primary schools. The research study was conducted in the context of rural Sindh through a case study approach within the qualitative research paradigm. The research study shows that there are so many hindering and helping factors for DOEEs in exercising their powers. The data shows that though the district education system is running under the same management, but the ground realities regarding effective schools are very different in urban and rural schools. Urban schools run on double shift bases with more teachers and less enrollment of students; whereas, rural schools run on single shift basis, with a very high enrollment rate and minimum number of teachers, or only one teacher for all the classes. Furthermore, the interference of political persons and teachers union are the major factors that hinder the DOEEs in exercising their roles and responsibilities effectively for running the schools efficiently. Other common hindering factors include the lack of basic facilities or their poor condition (teaching material, drinking water, functional washrooms, shortage of teachers, etcetera) and very low budget (Rupees 20,000/= for three years per primary school) to meet the regular expenses of the schools. The helping factor for DOEEs is, there is a well-organised administration structure, which is helpful in the smooth running of the schools in the district. The findings of the research study will be helpful to the existing DOEEs and of the future ones in exercising their powers. The research study will also provide a potential resource for future researchers to explore more about the different aspects of how educational leadership becomes an effective method in managing the quality of education in their jurisdictions.