Teachers’ Perceptions of Educational Change in an NGO Adopted Public School in Pakistan: A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

Teachers' professional lives can be significantly influenced by changes in
education, particularly when public schools are run by outside entities. Even
though the Adopt-a-School model is becoming more popular in Pakistan, this
study examines how teachers interpret educational improvement in a public
school managed by a non-governmental organization (NGO). Eight
instructors with three to thirty-five years of experience, including those who
served at the school both before and after the NGO took control, were
chosen for the study's qualitative case study. Semi-structured, open-ended,
paper-based interviews were utilized to gather data on professional
demands, NGO management, curricular revisions, and classroom practices.
Conventional method was used to make it easier for participants to express
their opinions. Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis was employed to
examine the data, and five major themes were discovered. The findings are
mixed: instructors typically noted advances in classroom instruction,
particularly the transition to student-centered, activity-based learning, and
appraised the enhanced school environment. They welcomed curricular
improvements for promoting deeper comprehension, but they also strained to
complete the material within the same academic year. Teachers documented
increased professional stress as a result of rigorous oversight, heavy
paperwork, confrontations with NGO coordinators, and a lack of
recognition, all of which affected their mental well-being. The report
suggests that NGO administrators should work more closely with teachers,
make administrative procedures easier, and set evaluation standards that
match the needs of activity-based education.