LEADERSHIP FOR EQUITABLE POLICY ENACTMENT: SCHOOL LEADERS' RESPONSES TO THE SCHOOL CLUSTERING REFORM FOR ADVANCING GIRLS' EDUCATION IN SINDH, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The School Clustering Policy (Revised) 2021 of the Government of Sindh, Pakistan, is an effort to devolve control of schools, cluster schools in the neighbourhood, and facilitate continuous professional development and improve equity, such as gender equity. This article reflects on this reform, in the context of SDG 4, through the eyes of the school leaders, who can either help or obstruct the education of girls. The sample comprised 24 school leaders (12 Cluster Head Teachers and 12 Feeder or Cell School heads) from six rural and peri-urban districts of Sindh including Khairpur, Larkana, Badin, Jamshoro, Malir and Shaheed Benazirabad with a convergent mixed methods design. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke. Results reveal that clustering increased girls' rates of transition from Primary to Secondary (or Elementary) level by an average of 18%, with larger gains where the cluster hub was a girls' school and where Cluster Head Teachers made a strong effort to track attendance. Female leaders felt more positively about the reform than male leaders and indicated a higher frequency of professional development, sharing of resources for girls' facilities, and community engagement. Teacher shortages, frequent transfers, unsafe or non-existent transport, and low community participation continued to be the main challenges. Five themes emerged, including leadership agency, opportunities for girls' advancement, persistent barriers, equity-advancing leadership practices, and leader recommendations. The study posits that equitable implementation of the clustering reform is highly dependent on the gender and agency of the school leader, and it proposes concrete steps for policy actors to advance progress toward SDG 4 targets 4.1, 4.5 and 4.a in Sindh.