Research & Experimentation

Research is one of the basic functions of the Academy. Researches are conducted in the field of rural development and its administration in order to make the training realistic and meaningful. The research studies/ projects are made more ‘Problem Centered’ in order to provide an opportunity to the instructional staff to remain in close touch with live issues of rural development being faced in the field.

• PARD is the only institution in the country which generates its own training material. Its publications bearing ISBN number and produced by its own researchers are available in national and international libraries.
• The Academy has so far published more than 650 books on various socio-economic issues, mostly pertaining to rural areas of the country.

Action Research Projects

Action Research is undertaken at PARD for experimenting new techniques and innovative ideas to solve contemporary issues in the relevant field of rural development. After successful implementation, the solutions are replicated and transferred to field for further adoption.

Following are the on-going experimentation projects of the Academy:

• Masjid Maktab (Mosque Feeder School Project)

The Academy is operating Masjid Maktabs schools in ten villages of district Peshawar. The project is based on the idea that in villages where primary schools did not exist, such schools could be started to fill the void. Such villages in district Peshawar were identified and the village community was associated in opening these schools. In some cases village community provides premises for such schools. When a regular primary school is established by the Provincial Education Department in new vicinity, the Maktab School is shifted to another village.

To run these schools, the Academy provides stipends to the Maktab Teachers and black boards and ground mats for the classes. In addition, books,  are provided to students of each Maktab free of cost. Every year, an official of the Provincial Education Department conducts the examinations, so that these students can carry government primary certificates for further education. The course of these schools is the same as of the provincial government schools.

There are 16 Maktab schools located in Peshawar district including 14 schools exclusively for girls and 2 schools run on co-education basis. The project is presently benefiting more than 1400 students.

This year enrollment statistic is includes 842 students (male and female) in the adjoining areas of district Peshawar.

• Vocational Training Centre for Women

The Academy has also established a Vocational Training Centre for Women. Its purpose is to train rural women in basic skills of home industry to enable them to learn income-earning skills and thereby to inculcate spirit of self-help and self-confidence among them.

The Vocational Training Centre for Women is located inside the premises of Academy Campus and is run by qualified lady teachers. Vocational Training Centre for Women has imparted skills training to 1867 students so far. The equipments available at the Centre include sewing machines and embroidery machines which are used for skill learning. A number of different courses on trades and crafts are taught. The center is affiliated with skill development council khyber pakhtunkhwa.

• High-Tech Skill Centre

PARD being one of the premier institutions of Pakistan works for the betterment of the community by providing free training opportunities to youth. Keeping in view the focus of the Federal Government, PARD initiated a skill-based training project in 2021 in collaboration with NAVTTC in IT and E-commerce Sector. A High Tech Skills Centre (HTSC) was established in 2021 at the campus. The Centre caters to the needs of skill-based training for unemployed youth in collaboration with NAVTTC, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Islamabad.

Presently HTSC is offering courses/training in Fashion Design & Dress Making, Office Management, Web Development, E-Commerce, and Amazon Virtual Assistant. There is one lady teacher at HTSC and an assistant/accountant. All the courses are managed through visiting teachers. The number of students trained in different trades is 200 in four batches.

• Wara Lasoona Project (Small Hands)

The Academy has organized the Wara Lasoona Project incorporating co-curricular activities for boys in rural primary schools. The Project is designed to supplement the prevalent prescribed syllabus with co-curricular activities so that the boys after getting education up to the primary level not only receive inputs of vocational training but are also motivated to develop their lives within the rural setting. Presently, students from Government High School, Academy Town, Peshawar are being provided with skills in agriculture and computer related skills.

• PARD facilitated socially weak and highly disadvantaged students of Government middle school of Rural Academy through wara lasoona project.
• Students are facilitated in curricular and non-curricular activities including summer tuition classes, computer skills, forestation, agricultural and other vocational trades.
• Students are provided free of cost books, dresses and other stationary items through events like Meena Bazar organized for skill enhancement of participants of various courses on Social Development Management.
• Orphan students are also provided with free food ration.
• Students health is regularly cared by organizing free medical camps, first aid trainings and so on.

This project further detail can be seen here.    

Agriculture Farm

•  Wheat sown over an area of about 5 acres in collaboration with Cereal Crop Research Institute, Pirsabak (Nowshera); Cimmit; Agriculture University, Peshawar and Nuclear Institute for Food & Agriculture, Peshawar. Objectives are :

• Testing performance of latest varieties of wheat released by CCRI, NIFA & Agricultural University, Peshawar.
• Sharing of results with CCRI, NIFA, Cimmyt & Agric. University, Peshawar for inclusion in future programmes.
• Demonstration of new varieties to farmers and participants of various training courses especially Agriculture related courses.

• The following latest varieties of Wheat has been cultivated:

• Pirsabak 2015
• Pirsabak 2013
• Shakar 2013
• Pakhtunkhwa 2013
• Insaf 2015
• Ghanimat

• Medicinal plants over an area of about half acre in collaboration with Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar and National Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad. The following medicinal crops have been planted:

• Linseed (Alsi)
• Kalvanji
• Ispaghol
• Sativa

• Vegetable crops over an area of about half acre i.e:

• Turmeric (Haldi)
• Pea
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Turnip
• Onion
• Raddish
• Swedish Salad

• A Tunnel has also been established for experimenting off-season vegetable sowing. Presently tomato crop has been planted in the Vegetable Tunnel.
• Lemon/Olive Orchard over an area of about 3 kanals.
• An orchard of various fruit plants (Pomegranate, Pear, Citrus, Persimmon, Peach, Grape Fruit, Plum and Olive) have recently been added to the Agriculture Farm in collaboration with Agriculture Research Institute, Tarnab.
• A demo plot of Fodder crops like Rhode Grass and Mott Grass have also been established over an area of about 3 kanals.
• Agriculture technologies like Bio-Geyser; Bio Compost Fertilizer; and Fermenter have been established in collaboration with Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture, Peshawar; and Agriculture Extension Department, Khyber Pakhtunkwa.

Fish Pond

Fish rearing is an effective income generating activity that has the potential of being used as an important means of poverty reduction amongst the resource poor local communities. It is an employment generating multi-dimensional activity involving community mobilization and use of idle local resources.

           PARD has established a demonstrative Fish Pond over an area of half an acre. Seeds of different fish species namely Raho, Silver, Grass and Morvi are stocked in the pond in order to provide opportunity to farmers and participants to learn the fish farming.