Policy Dialogue at School of Education Explores Girls’ Participation and Inclusion of Religious Minorities
SOE & DARE-RC Policy Dialogue: Round 3 of 6
Translating Evidence into Action on Girls’ Participation and Inclusion of Religious Minorities
The School of Education, in collaboration with DARE-RC, hosted Round 3 of 6 of its policy dialogue series on 17 February 2026 at LUMS. The session brought together policymakers, researchers, and development partners to explore how evidence can inform girls’ participation and the inclusion of religious minorities in Pakistan’s education system.
The dialogue opened with remarks from Ben Warrington, Head of the British High Commission Office in Lahore (FCDO), who highlighted that strengthening an education system requires a holistic ecosystem approach. Dr. Tayyaba Tamim, Dean SOE, emphasized the importance of translating research insights into meaningful policy action. Mudassar Riaz Malik, Secretary, School Education Department Punjab, underscored the need for evidence-based policymaking, rather than policy-based evidence-making.
Dr. Zainab Latif presented findings from Increasing Middle School Enrolment for Girls, unpacking why girls continue to drop out despite physical access — and what targeted, evidence-backed solutions can actually improve retention and gender equity.
Dr. Ibtisam Thakur, joined online by Dr. Farid Panjwani, explored the lived educational and social realities of children from religious minority backgrounds — highlighting how school climate, discrimination, and social exclusion shape participation, belonging, and learning.
The conversation deepened during an interactive panel moderated by Dr. Irfan Muzaffar, featuring Dr. Faisal Bari, Mudassar Riaz Malik, and the study presenters — examining what it truly means to translate evidence into system-level reform.
Key discussions focused on:
- Barriers to girls’ continuation at the middle-school level despite physical access
- Lived educational and social experiences of children from religious minority backgrounds
- School climate, discrimination, and social exclusion
- Policy levers to strengthen retention, equity, and inclusive education systems
The dialogue reaffirmed SOE and DARE-RC’s commitment to bridging research, policy, and practice to create education systems that are inclusive, equitable, and evidence-driven.
