To give a background about the programme, Hamza works with a DFID funded education innovation programme in Pakistan – "Ilm Ideas 2". One of the core elements of the programme supports early stage education innovations (education startups), especially from the private sector, via our partnership with five business incubators in Pakistan. Our aim is to strengthen the capacity of the five incubators to support startups seeking to create a social impact (education enterprises in particular).
The Ilm Ideas 2 programme, supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by Cambridge Education, provides a platform for the generation, piloting and scaling up of innovative solutions to address critical education challenges in Pakistan. Our aim is for the solutions we support to positively impact the poorest children, especially girls.
The programme objectives are to:
•Improve education outcomes for 250,000 children by taking promising solutions with high potential for achieving financial sustainability to scale.
•Create an enabling environment for education environment by building the capacity of business incubators to identify and support education startups (fledgling education enterprises)
To achieve these objectives, Ilm Ideas 2 provides grants and technical assistance to organizations in the private and not-for-profit sectors across Pakistan, including social enterprises, technology companies, non-government organizations, and universities. Ilm Ideas 2 also engages and partners with the wider community of stakeholders, including public-sector officials, investors and educators. We aim to act as a broker, connecting people, ideas and resources to support education innovation.