Over the past 18 months, Iffat Ferdinand, a founding trustee of Quest for Education Foundation (QEF), has given a substantial amount of time, entirely voluntarily, to reviewing and strengthening how the schools run by our partner, the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), manage education, particularly in the Lower Secondary section.
The aim has been a more systematic, transparent and evidence-based approach to educational management, without adding to KEF’s costs.
Two systems built around KEF’s needs
The main result is a bespoke digital school management and reporting framework, designed specifically for KEF. It has two parts:
- The Lower Secondary Student Progress Reporting System (KLS-SPRS), which records academic attainment, Attitude to Learning (ATL), teacher assessments and reports.
- A Comment Governance Register, which supports quality assurance of the comments teachers write in reports.
Together they are designed to give school leaders live access to student progress information, replacing manual reporting. They also create an audit trail from classroom teachers, through school leadership, to the Director of the Joan Atkinson College of Teacher Education (JACTE). Where appropriate, KEF management and QEF trustees will be able to use the same information to monitor outcomes and identify where improvement is needed.
Aligned with Cambridge International
Iffat has also worked to align the Lower Secondary curriculum, assessment and reporting arrangements with the Cambridge International Curriculum. That meant working through assessment structures, academic standards, reporting criteria, teaching responsibilities and school management procedures.
The systems were built with consistency, sustainability and data security in mind, and to protect KEF’s intellectual property. Comprehensive guidance documents, staff training materials and implementation procedures have been prepared to support their introduction.
Hundreds of hours, given freely
Iffat estimates that hundreds of hours have gone into designing, developing, refining and testing this work, all of it undertaken voluntarily on behalf of QEF. It shows that QEF’s contribution to KEF goes beyond fundraising: we also offer professional expertise, educational leadership and long-term institutional development.
What happens next
The next stage is putting the arrangements into practice across the schools and the college that we support, with staff training and preparation leading towards operational use from January 2027.
Challenges ahead
There are two major challenges. Funding for KEF remains uncertain, and two schools in Rawalakot have closed repeatedly because of military operations in the region. Both affect educational continuity and the pace at which improvements can be made. They make it more important that QEF and KEF work closely together to protect the progress already achieved and keep children’s education the priority.
How you can help
If you have experience in school management, assessment or teacher training and would like to contribute, find out how educators and volunteers can help. Gifts to our work with KEF are welcome at any time.