Public policies on madrassa governance and reform: The Case of Pakistan

Pakistani madrassa education gained significant attention after the 1980s when these institutions were leveraged to supply jihadis to fight for the Soviet-Afghan war. Subsequently, madrassas became associated with the Taliban and were depicted by the international community as breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism. The Government of Pakistan introduced numerous madrassa education reform policies between 2000-2020. Using Stephen J. Ball’s theory of the trajectories of policies, this qualitative case study seeks to explore the range of policies introduced by the Pakistani government between 2000-2020 and the challenges faced by these reforms in reshaping the agendas and governance of Pakistani madrassas.