EDUCATION FELLOWS AS THE PRIMARY TEACHING WORKFORCE A DOUBLE-LAYERED DEPENDENCY

 

EDUCATION FELLOWS AS THE PRIMARY TEACHING WORKFORCE

A DOUBLE-LAYERED DEPENDENCY

Darvesh Karim, Project Manager, GBEF, AKU-IED/PDCN Gilgit

INTRODUCTION

Across the globe, teacher shortages remain one of the most persistent barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). In the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, this challenge is particularly acute, compounded by geographic isolation, limited infrastructure, and a historical deficit of qualified subject-specialist teachers.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Education Fellows (GBEF) Project was launched to address these systemic gaps while simultaneously improving the quality of teaching and learning in government schools across all ten districts. Since its inception, the project has deployed more than 1,254 highly qualified Education Fellows across 600+ government educational institutions.

However, this article focuses on 108 strategically selected government schools where Education Fellows constitute either the entire teaching workforce or a substantial majority. These schools represent some of the most educationally vulnerable institutions in the region and provide compelling evidence of the project's contribution to educational continuity, instructional quality, and systemic resilience.

 

A DOUBLE-LAYERED DEPENDENCY

The following table presents a district-wise breakdown of the 108 schools, their student enrollment, number of Education Fellows deployed, and, critically, the percentage of the teaching workforce comprised by Fellows. This metric reveals not merely how many Fellows are present, but how dependent each district's schools are on project-supported teachers.

S. No	District	Schools	Students	Education Fellows	Average % of EFs in Schools
1	Shigar	4	289	5	100%
2	Diamer	22	2,616	53	92%
3	Ghizer	8	1,717	46	68%
4	Gilgit	12	2,617	45	54%
5	Skardu	13	3,215	45	50%
6	Ghanche	7	457	21	50%
7	Astore	13	1,590	32	48%
8	Kharmang	12	745	27	47%
9	Hunza	7	637	21	41%
10	Nagar	10	1,938	48	37%
	Total:	108	15,821	343	59%

Key Quantitative Findings

·       108 government schools across all ten districts are highly dependent on Education Fellows.

·       These schools collectively enroll approximately 15,821 students.

·       A total of 343 Education Fellows are deployed in these institutions, representing approximately 27% of the project's total teaching workforce.

·       Across all schools, Education Fellows constitute an average of 59% of the teaching staff, meaning that most teachers in these institutions are project-supported, not government-employed.

 

The First Layer: Quantitative Dependency

Critical-Dependency Districts (90–100%) - Shigar (100%) and Diamer (92%): Education Fellows are virtually the entire teaching workforce. Without them, these schools would effectively cease to function. This is an acute emergency requiring immediate government absorption or sustained project support.

High-Dependency Districts (50–70%) - Ghizer (68%), Gilgit (54%), Skardu (50%), and Ghanche (50%): Fellows constitute the majority of teachers. These schools remain highly vulnerable to any disruption in the EF program, though they retain a minority of permanent government staff.

Moderate-Dependency Districts (40–50%) - Astore (48%) and Kharmang (47%): Fellows represent nearly half the workforce. While less critical than the high-dependency districts, these schools face significant risk if Fellows are withdrawn.

Lower-Dependency Districts (30–40%) - Nagar (37%) and Hunza (41%): These districts appear more resilient, with a higher proportion of government teachers. However, as we shall see, this apparent resilience is deceptive.

 

The Second Layer: Qualitative (Subject-Specialist) Dependency

While the percentage of Education Fellows in a school reveals workforce quantity, it masks a deeper and more insidious challenge; subject-specialist dependency. The Education Fellows deployed under the GBEF Project are predominantly graduates in Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, and English, precisely the disciplines where government schools face chronic shortages of qualified permanent teachers.

The Hidden Crisis

·       The school may have teachers in classrooms, but not qualified minds for STEM subjects.

·       Students in Science streams (especially Grades 9-12) would be left without subject-specialist instruction, jeopardizing their board examination performance and future career pathways.

·       The real dependency on EFs is not 37% or 41%, it could be 100% for science classes.

In other words, "A district may show only 40% EF dependency overall, but if that 40% represents all Science and Mathematics teachers, then the school's STEM program is 100% dependent on the project. This is not a workforce gap; it is a subject-survival gap."

 

CONCLUSION

This analysis demonstrates that the value of the GBEF Project lies not merely in the number of teachers deployed, but in the strategic placement of qualified subject specialists where the education system needs them most. The experience of these 108 schools illustrates how a focused, data-driven deployment strategy, combined with continuous professional development and robust institutional partnerships, can not only bridge a critical teacher gap but also revitalize public education in remote communities.

However, the evidence also reveals a profound vulnerability: the GBEF Project is not supplementing government teachers, in many cases, it is substituting for them. The double-layered dependency, quantitative and qualitative, means that any premature withdrawal of Education Fellows, even from districts with lower overall dependence, would effectively dismantle STEM education across the region.

As Gilgit-Baltistan looks toward a sustainable future, the evidence from this project provides a powerful blueprint for education policymakers across Pakistan and beyond. It shows that when we invest in and trust talented young professionals, they can become the primary drivers of educational transformation. But it also warns that without a subject-aware transition strategy and a commitment to permanent specialist recruitment, the gains achieved may prove fragile.

The challenge is clear: the education system must move from relying on Fellows to retaining Fellows, and ultimately, to replicating their expertise through a permanent, qualified, and equitably distributed teaching workforce. The GBEF Project has shown what is possible. Now, policy must ensure that it is sustainable.

 

July 31, 2026