Ilm Association to be launched today. Pakistan’s first association representing companies and not-for-profits producing innovative, homegrown products and services to improve education in Pakistan will be officially launched today in Karachi at an event to be attended by key figures from the education, innovation, startup and business communities in Sindh and from across Pakistan.
The Ilm Association was founded by eleven of Pakistan’s most notable enterprises in this new industry. They are all graduates of Ilm Ideas 2, a programme in Pakistan funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by Cambridge Education, a member of the Mott MacDonald group. Ilm Ideas 2 engages players from inside and outside the education sector, but primarily the private sector, to develop innovative approaches to improving the quality of education or increasing access to education in Pakistan. Together, these enterprises are on track to benefit over 300,000 children and young people by the end of the year.
The Ilm Ideas 2 programme will end in March 2019 but the members will continue to collaborate under the banner of the Ilm Association. Together, they offer potential solutions for early childhood education through to G12 and beyond. The Association is positioned to be a ‘one-stop- shop’ for a wide range of stakeholders – education departments, private schools, school chains, parents, donors, corporate CSR and others – to learn about solutions available to improve education outcomes for children and young people in Pakistan. Membership is open to any interested organisation, from education startups to researchers to investors looking to invest in education innovation. For more information go to www.ilmassociation.com
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“We are very pleased by the level of interest we are seeing in Ilm Association member products and services. Together, they represent a diverse, talented and committed team and they are eager to connect with new partners to take their ideas to scale and to help grow the education innovation ecosystem in Pakistan,” noted Helen Kamal from Cambridge Education.
“Sustainable development is at the heart of all DFID programmes. I am pleased to see the private sector involvement in the Ilm Ideas 2 programme and the formation of Ilm Association. I wish the association the best of luck and hope that it will play a key role in sustaining all ten DFID-supported interventions under the programme,” said Chris Carter, Pakistan education program team leader, DFID.
“I am greatly encouraged by the formation of the Ilm Association and by private sector involvement in improving the education system in Pakistan. I wish every success to the Association and its members. We urgently need to ensure all children and young people in Pakistan are gaining the knowledge and skills they need to help them and their families thrive in the 21st century – and to promote national development,” stated the Governor of Sindh, Mohammed Zubair Umar, in support of the Ilm Association.
