OU secures £112k funding for education research in Pakistan

The Open University (OU) has been awarded £112,000 to lead a pivotal research component of the ILMpact Service Delivery Programme – a major education development initiative designed to strengthen education systems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, Pakistan.

Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and led by the British Council, the ILMpact programme brings together a consortium of 20 organisations to deliver quality, inclusive education to some of Pakistan’s most marginalised children. The OU has been selected as the programme’s lead research partner, recognising its longstanding expertise in education, innovation, and global development.

The OU’s contribution to ILMpact includes the quality assurance of key Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities and the design and delivery of two cutting-edge research studies. These studies will explore scalable education innovations with a strong emphasis on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion. Proposed topics include safeguarding female teachers, gender-transformative pedagogy, inclusive education for transgender students, and improving access in urban slums.

The programme was launched in January 2025 and is set to run for three years. The OU’s involvement follows a successful collaboration with the British Council on previous education initiatives, leading to an invitation to join the ILMpact consortium.

The project aims to significantly improve access to quality education for girls, children with disabilities, religious minorities, and other marginalised groups. Its goal is to support 100,000 additional children into school, ensuring they not only attend but also thrive in safe, inclusive learning environments. Through innovation pilots and a "test-learn-adapt" approach, the OU's research will generate vital evidence to inform future large-scale education interventions across the region.

"'This work directly contributes to the challenge of tackling inequalities. By focusing on the intersection of education, inclusion and development, the ILMpact project embodies the OU’s mission to make knowledge accessible and impactful at a global scale.." said project lead, Professor Freda Wolfenden.

As part of a highly collaborative international consortium, the OU will work closely with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and local implementation partners, combining remote engagement with planned in-country visits - security permitting - to ensure the research remains grounded in community realities.

This project showcases The Open University’s research excellence and its commitment to advancing social justice through education on a global stage.