Contestations and Transformations: the Shared Religious Space of Jhule Lal in Sindh, Pakistan

Syncretic and shared religious spaces have long been perceived as reflections of tolerance. This does not imply that tolerance is completely liberated from multiple clashing components and the coexistence of interfaith practices do not suggest that hostility is entirely missing. In recent times, a transformation is taking place at the shared space of the Jhule Lal by the dominant religious group. However, there remains an appearance of tolerance at the shared space of the Jhule Lal among believers of both Islam and Hinduism, which blinds the observer of the deep internal contestation and process of transformation between both Sindhi Hindus and Sindhi Muslims who revere the same saint of the Jhule Lal. A syncretic space does not simply absorb different religious groups, and by studying the practices, rituals and interactions of the custodians, visitors and devotees at the shrine, this paper aims to unearth the processes through which shrine is contested in multiple identities, discourse (written, textual, verbal) authority, and belief systems.

Exploring the Practices of a Head Teacher in Enhancing Community Participation in a Public Secondary School in District Quetta, Balochistan

Community participation in schools has been widely advocated by researchers in the developed and developing countries. As schools get overwhelmed with so many innovations, new programmes, and competing priorities, they require more resources and sources of support. Thus communities to which schools serve have become a great source of support and resources, both human and material. This is very true for schools in Pakistan, particularly the public sector schools, which lack in effective governance and management and resources. Therefore there is a dire need for increasing communities’ active and meaningful participation in schools. However it is not known what can really increase communities’ active participation in schools and who can play the lead role in making this happen. There seems to be a consensus amongst researchers, practitioners, and policy makers that the head teacher can play the most crucial role in achieving greater level of community participation in a school. Thus keeping in view the centrality of the head teacher’s role, this study looked into the perceptions and practices of the head teacher in increasing community participation in a public sector secondary school in the district of Quetta, Balochistan. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was used to conduct this study. The data were generated through semi-structured interviews, observations, document analysis, and informal conversations with five purposively selected participants including the head teacher, two teachers, and two community members. The findings of the study revealed that the head teacher did play a key role in bridging the gap between the school and the local community. The head teacher’s perceptions about community participation in school, his leadership approach, and practices in and outside the school determine the level and purpose of community participation. Based on the findings, the study draws a few conclusions having implications for school leadership, community leaders, policy makers and researchers.