CLEAR-PCA Trainings Boost Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity in Pakistan

In February and March 2024, more than 30 civil servants attended training courses on policy skills, leadership and impact evaluation to boost monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity in Lahore, Pakistan.

The Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Pakistan and Central Asia (CLEAR-PCA), an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative, delivered the training courses in collaboration with the National School of Public Policy (NSPP). The courses aimed to strengthen M&E capacity at the systems level and to motivate civil servants to utilize evidence-based approaches, assess the impact of existing policies, and design new ones.

The training sessions were conducted in pursuance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier this year between the NSPP and the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP), CLEAR-PCA’s host organization. The MoU aims to strengthen the use of M&E at the systems level within the bureaucracy through the capacity-building and technical support of CLEAR-PCA. The activity is part of NSPP’s mandatory training for mid-tier civil servants who work for public administration, law and order, foreign policy, diplomacy, taxation and revenue, and service delivery departments.

"We are working with a big workforce on multiple projects in the government sector. Leadership skills gained through this training will help us in successful project execution,” said Nur-ul-Ain, Deputy Secretary of Finance for the Government of Punjab and one of the course participants.

Before the training, CLEAR-PCA and CERP conducted a focus group discussion with civil servants to understand their training requirements and the need to enhance their M&E and leadership skills to better utilize evidence in decision-making. The training modules and case studies were then contextualized according to their operating environments, which increased the participants’ interest in the training.

The courses covered evaluation methods, policy design and implementation, how to link implementation monitoring to results monitoring, and understanding data collection tools, among other M&E-related topics. Participants expressed their intent to apply their newly acquired skills to their routine work, emphasizing the need to increase the focus on evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation.

"Through this training, we learned to create a safe space for dissent. At the moment, we might be stifling dissent which leads to adverse outcomes,” added Nur-ul-Ain. “As a team leader, I will now develop a safe space where dissent will be encouraged.”