ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been unable to utilise a grant of Rs300 million provided by the Italian government for provision of education learning in six districts of Pakistan within the stipulated timeframe.
The project also poses the question whether the methodology devised through distance learning of radio was fully implemented in its true letter and spirit or not.
The project was kicked off on September 18, 2024, targeting six underserved districts — Loralai in Balochistan, Mohmand, Kohistan, and Swat in KP, Diamer and Gupis-Yasin in Gilgit-Baltistan, and was scheduled to end in September 2025. However, so far this project has not yet been accomplished.
This scribe visited the UNESCO office in Islamabad and its country’s representative, Fuad Pashayev, along with his team, briefed him about this project. He stated that owing to various factors, involvement in this project could not be accomplished within the stipulated timeframe. However, he was of the view that the progress on education learning project was underway. UNESCO also provided a list of 300 schools where the project was implemented.
When inquired about the mechanism for ensuring classroom-level implementation of radio broadcasts, including teacher training, facilitation of lessons and student participation during radio-based instruction, the UNESCO high-ups replied that they have established several complementary mechanisms to support classroom-level implementation beyond broadcasting alone.
These include training 124 teachers and head teachers in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Global Citizenship Education (GCED), and activity-based pedagogy, development of two government-endorsed teacher training manuals, establishment of 20 model schools implementing sustainability practices, organisation of exposure visits, inter-school competitions, youth engagement activities, and classroom monitoring missions. Monitoring visits found evidence that trained teachers were integrating learner-centered methodologies.
To a question about the monitoring and evaluation mechanism placed by UNESCO, the organisation replied that they developed a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and have conducted baseline assessments, monitoring missions, classroom observations, pre- and post-training assessments and field visits. Preliminary findings suggest improvements in teachers’ pedagogical competencies, evidence of classroom integration of ESD and GCED concepts, active community participation and encouraging listener engagement through telephone calls, WhatsApp messages and organised listening sessions. Several key outcome indicators, including learning gains attributable to radio broadcasts, programme reach, access levels and the educational impact of broadcasts, will only be assessed through planned rapid assessments and the end-line external evaluation.
Answering another query, they said that the Radio Education project has been facing significant operational challenges, including weak radio signals, limited access to radio receivers, mountainous terrain, floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) events, poor transport infrastructure and security constraints.
UNESCO reports several mitigation measures, including adjusting broadcasting schedules to periods with stronger signal reception, organising community listening groups, conducting youth-led follow-up sessions, mobilising alternative teachers and local venues, and adapting implementation schedules to local conditions. Nevertheless, the project framework does not include procurement or distributed radio sets, solar-powered devices, batteries or other equipment to beneficiary schools.
However, the sources said that UNESCO’s responses also raise important questions regarding the implementation of what was described as an Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) project.
The IRI is an instructional methodology that extends beyond broadcasting educational content. It relies on structured radio lessons delivered according to a fixed schedule, with classroom teachers facilitating learning before, during and after each broadcast. Successful implementation generally requires broadcast-specific teacher training, teacher facilitation manuals aligned with each lesson, reliable classroom radio receivers and, in remote areas with limited electricity, battery- or solar-powered equipment to ensure uninterrupted access to scheduled broadcasts.
While UNESCO described a range of broader education activities, it did not provide details on several implementation components central to the IRI methodology.
These include whether radio signal coverage was assessed before selecting broadcast stations and beneficiary schools, whether classroom teachers received training specifically on facilitating Interactive Radio Instruction lessons, whether broadcast-specific teacher manuals were developed and distributed, how schools without reliable electricity were expected to receive scheduled broadcasts without battery- or solar-powered radio sets, and what arrangements were made to ensure students actively participated in classroom-based radio lessons.
The information shared also leaves unanswered questions about how beneficiary schools were selected, the criteria used to determine their readiness for Interactive Radio Instruction and whether monitoring and evaluation frameworks were designed to measure the effectiveness of IRI methodology itself rather than broader educational interventions. UNESCO’s own briefing indicated that evidence demonstrating the educational impact of the radio broadcasts as structured instructional tools is still pending completion of the final evaluation.
These issues are significant because the effectiveness of an Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) project depends not only on the production and transmission of educational broadcasts but also on the classroom arrangements that enable children to engage with the lessons.
While UNESCO acknowledged challenges such as weak radio signals and limited access to radio receivers, it remains unclear how the project’s primary beneficiaries — schoolchildren — were expected to benefit when many were unable to listen to the scheduled broadcasts. Although the establishment of community listening groups represents a useful mitigation measure, these groups primarily targeted the secondary audience. They cannot substitute for structured, classroom-based IRI lessons intended for schoolchildren. Without a clear explanation of how students accessed and participated in the broadcasts despite these constraints, the extent to which the project adhered to established IRI methodology and achieved its intended educational outcomes remains an important question.
