Position/Status

Research Associate 

E-mail Address

aa715@cam.ac.uk

Qualifications

• PhD Development Studies (University of Cambridge)
• MSc Development Administration & Planning (University College London)

Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations

• Member, Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
• Member, Human Development & Capability Association (HDCA)
• Member, British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE)

Profile

Amna is a skilled education specialist with more than ten years of experience in the sector. She has served dynamic roles including project management, research and analytical advisory, training, and consulting across a range of multilateral, public and private organizations. Her country experience includes comprehensive technical assistance, cross-sectoral collaborations and policy work in South Asian and African contexts.

Amna is currently leading research at the REAL Centre on the Learner Guide programme co-delivered by CAMFED International and the United Republic of Tanzania. She was previously Research Lead for an independent evaluation study on sustainability of the FCDO-supported Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) programme, the largest global fund dedicated to girls’ education.

Prior to joining the REAL Centre, Amna served as the Team Lead for a Global Partnership for Education (GPE) research-for-development project on optimizing the use of Education Information Management Systems in GPE member countries in the Europe, Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. In her previous engagements, she has also led the development of education policies and sector plans at the provincial level of government in Pakistan as well as supported World Bank- and FCDO- sponsored projects as an education specialist.

In 2020, Amna was competitively selected to become an Early Years Fellow under the Early Learning Partnership (ELP) Fellowship program at The World Bank, and worked among a global cohort spread across 30 countries to provide technical assistance for Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives in Pakistan. She is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, where she completed her PhD in Development Studies as a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar.

Research Topics

• Early childhood development
• Gender, equity and social inclusion (GESI) in education
• Teacher professional development
• Scaling and sustainability of education innovations
• Education data systems
• Systems research in education
• Education policy and practice

Current Research Project(s)

• Research on the Tanzanian Government Adaptation and Adoption of the Learner Guide Programme in co-delivery with CAMFED Tanzania

Teaching

• Supervised undergraduate students at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, on investments in early childhood and aporophobia (fear of the poor).

Principal and Recent Publications

Ansari, A., Fasih, T., & Humphry, E. (2024). Ten Years of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Punjab (Pakistan): What Have We Learned? Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 38(sup1), S161–S179. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2023.2281573

Tahir-Chowdhry, M., Hentschel, E., Tomlinson, H., Ansari, A., Hasan, A., Yousafzai, A., and Hussain, N. (2024). Maternal Mental Health and Its Influence on Children’s Early Development: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. WB Policy Research Working Paper Series. https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42445

Hentschel, E., Tomlinson, H., Hasan, A., Yousafzai, A., Ansari, A., Tahir-Chowdhry, M., and Zamand, M. (2023). Risks to Child Development and School Readiness Among Children Under Six in Pakistan: Findings from a Nationally Representative Phone Survey. International Journal of Early Childhood 56, 129–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-023-00353-2

Muzaffar, I., and Ansari, A. (2023). Scaling Strategy for Innovations Aimed at Data-Driven School Improvement. International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada. https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/474f7b41-f6f7-4786-9830-f56a49e12849/content

Jafar, S., Muzaffar, I., and Ansari, A. (2023).GESI Responsiveness in Education Research. Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE). https://www.sahe.org.pk/services/gender-equity-and-social-inclusion-gesi-responsiveness-in-education-research/

Ansari, A. (2023). The Use of Technology to Foster Early Learning in Pakistan in Early Years Fellowship Capstone Publication. World Bank Group.

Ansari, A. and Hasan, A. (2023). Reasons Why Investing in The Early Years is Crucial for Pakistan. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/3-reasons-why-investing-early-years-crucial-pakistan

Ansari, A. (2013). Revisiting the Links between Education Equality and Inclusive Citizenship - Proposals for Educational Reform in Pakistan. DPU Working Paper Series No. 149. University College London. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/development/publications/2012/oct/dpu-working-paper-no-149