Abstract

The current quantitative study aimed to determine the impact of Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) in-service training on the directive leadership skills of educational managers from the Punjab province. The study sample was 359 through a random sampling technique from the Punjab province. Data were collected through adopted questionnaires from indicators of QAED used during in-service training sessions. A Google form was designed based on a five-point Likert scale to get online data from the participants. Most participants showed significant progress in result-driven, decisive leadership capabilities regarding setting academic goals, monitoring instructional performance, and making decisions after in-service training. Moreover, the positive response also explored the impact of in-service training in developing competencies such as vision, communication, objective oversight procedures, and evidence-based action that allow one to be transformed. The development of such directive leadership is necessary for school improvement in challenging environments.

Key Words

In-Service Training, Directive Leadership, School Managers, Professional Development, Leadership Skills.

Introduction

The formation of teacher training institutions in Pakistan was a main concern for the government's pursuit of the country's independence in 1947. The scarcity of such institutions was an important concern, and the government pursued to address this issue through several educational policies. An essential moment in this undertaking was the message conveyed by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah through the Education Conference of 1947. This message served as a directing principle, highlighting the importance of professionally trained teachers and recognizing teaching as a well-compensated profession. The conference laid the foundation for the development of a strong teacher education system in Pakistan, to professionalize teaching and ensure adequate compensation for educators.

Earlier to the separation of India and Pakistan, figures from 1940-41 direct that there were almost 640 teacher training institutions in the Indo-Pakistan region, which trained a total of 19,392 teachers. Amongst these institutions, 612 were training schools that admitted students with only 6-8 years of schooling and provided 1 or 2 years of relatively elementary training. Successful applicants received certifications such as the "Vernacular Teacher's Certificate" or the "Junior Vernacular Teacher's Certificate." The remaining 28 institutions were training colleges, which trained 1,413 teachers during the 1940-41 academic year.

Earlier 1954, Punjab had government normal schools in different towns, including Kasur, Narowal, Pasrur, Lakhar, Mianwali, Gujrat, Lala Musa, Shahpur Sadar, Kamalia, Muzaffargarh, and Multan. Furthermore, there were government normal schools for girls in Sharakpur, Kamalia, and Lala Musa. The region also had government girls' high schools with junior vernacular training classes in several locations, including Pasrur, Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Campbellpur (Faisalabad), Jhelum, Muzaffargarh, Jhang, Montgomery (Sahiwal), and Dera Ghazi Khan. Lahore was home to the Central Training College and Lady Maclagan Training College for women, both affiliated with Punjab University. Bahawalpur State had four teacher training institutions, with one each in Khanpur, Bahawalnagar, and two in Bahawalpur.

Till 1974, educational institutions in Punjab offering courses such as PTC, CT, OT, and others functioned under the combined financial and academic administrative oversight of the Punjab Directorate of Education (PDE). The West Pakistan Education and Extension Centre, established in 1959, played a decisive role in organizing and conducting in-service training. Resulting in the division of Western Pakistan into four provinces, Regional Education and Extension Centres (REECs) were formed in each province between 1972 and 1974. The Punjab Education and Extension Centre got increased administrative and management control over 29 Normal schools, which were renamed as Government Colleges for Elementary Teachers (GCETs).

A considerable reformation took place in 1993, transforming the Regional Education Extension Centre (REEC) in Punjab into the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD). The DSD was tasked with managing and administering GCETs while also providing in-service training. In 2002, a major shift occurred with the establishment of the University of Education (UE) Lahore, which marked a significant change in the administrative and academic funding for primary and secondary teachers. GCETs and Colleges of Education were integrated into the University of Education, and all GCETs were rebranded as University Colleges of Education (UCE). PTC and CT certifications were discontinued, and UCEs exclusively offered graduate and postgraduate courses.

The University of Education extended its scope to include preschool institutions and incorporated the Department of Personnel Development. It also founded the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) in 1996. The University has undertaken control of examination assessments; however, administrative challenges led to the separation of the Directorate of Staff Development from the UE, restoring it to its original status.

In agreement with the notification issued by the School Education Department, Government of Punjab, the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) underwent another transformation following the cessation of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) project. Currently, it is recognized as the Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) Punjab at the provincial level. Simultaneously, Government Colleges for Elementary Teachers (GCETs) have been rebranded as Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) at the district level, reflecting a realignment of nomenclature and roles within the educational framework.

Educational leadership is essential for worldwide school reform and development efforts (Kang & Augustine-Shaw, 2016). Regarding Punjab, Pakistan's education sector has numerous systemic tasks that hinder student learning and consequences (Mansoor, 2015). Secondary school administrators, including heads, leaders, and managers, lead change by encouraging helpful learning environments, applying advanced pedagogies, and rationalizing school administration for organizational efficiency (Bowers, 2017). Nevertheless, educational leaders' professional training and growth are ignored, depriving school managers of opportunities to build important leadership dimensions to address multipart education challenges (Owusu, 2018).

Promotion-linked training is about the professional development programs designed for the teachers, educational leaders, and managers being considered for progress or already promoted to higher positions. This training will furnish the requisite competencies and knowledge to discharge the new role (Abbas et al., 2021). Employing organizations often provide customized training interventions encompassing on-the-job training, workshops, mentoring, coaching, and other modalities. Such learning opportunities are imperative for the continuing professional education of educational leaders as they equip them with the expertise and skills to perform successfully in their new designations. Additionally, these programs can augment leadership acumen, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities. Promotion-linked training also furnishes a robust understanding of the education system landscape while keeping practitioners abreast of emerging developments in the field (Abbas et al., 2023). 




Leadership crises 

In the dominion of leadership, murmurs of accountability renovate into booming exclamations that reverberate through the strips of inspiration. A leader's journey is not diverse merely by tributes but by the bulk of choices made in the container of trials. The exclamation of leadership is a call to direct the unrestrained oceans of ambiguity with unwavering determination. It originates from the soul of those who shoulder the loads of their team's ambitions, resonant through the galleries of novelty and pliability. It is a masterpiece of bravery in the face of hardship, a tune of motivation that fuels the joint life force. 




Educational leadership crises

In educational leadership, Pakistan has been facing a crisis that affects the academic landscape across the country with economic and political instability. It may be due to insufficient funding, outdated curriculum, and shortage of teachers for quality education. There is also an accessibility gap for urban and rural areas with poor access to quality education. However, much of the educational leadership crisis is also informed by unequal requirements, which demand certain changes and push stakeholders to undermine the epistemological truthfulness of the system. Durable values of good governance require the deployment of transformative energies that can be installed through enhanced political willpower. Yet, an urgent humanitarian resolve is required to impulse progress on the educational front. This is why a broad and consistent leadership approach is of vital importance and can help frame policy changes, rethink teacher training, and coordinate a more equitable distribution of resources. The educational leadership crisis in Pakistan bears paramount relevance for developmental standards that are achieved through informed populations, capable of charting the nation towards popular and economic progress. The real challenge is to create a principle of transformative leadership that can step up inclusive, accessible and quality education.

Bridging up the gap in educational leadership crises for educational managers in Pakistan

To keep the leadership gap in education, educational managers should organize deliberate adjustments. Wide-ranging training programs for contemporary and dynamic leaders could be designed to improve their capacity to lead compound problems. Incentive implications between educational institutions and the industry could help prepare them to meet increasing workforce demands. A combination of glowing and consequent performative commitment culture that attracts and draws in qualified experts could regain the eligible workforce. Result-oriented distribution of resources linked with effective communication channels could improve decision-making capacity. Dialogues that attract collaborative and organic societies in continuous dialogue with educational institutions to evaluate and authenticate educational strategies could enhance the significance of educational strategies. 




Main root causes of the educational leadership crises for educational managers in Pakistan

Especially in the Pakistan context our educational managers faced various dimensional problems persistently searching for the fundamental root causes in our education sector in Pakistan. Leadership crises dominantly prevail especially in education sectors and the rest of all other institutions as well as in our country. A variety of irrelevant policies were formed, scarce resource distribution and a lack of importance on teacher training contributed to the preservation of universal problems. Bureaucratic hurdles and political interference further intensify the challenges faced by educational leaders. Disappointment to prioritize educational transformation and familiarity with growing global standards delays progress. Socio-economic discrepancies and cultural factors impact access to quality education. To truly resolve the crisis, a comprehensive approach must be taken, encircling policy renovations, resource utilization, and an obligation to encourage a favourable learning atmosphere countrywide.




Main root causes of the educational leadership crises for educational managers in Pakistan.

In Pakistan's education sector, there are many root causes which directly and indirectly influence our educational managers while performing their responsibilities in the school. Most of them are related to our policymakers, and high-ups as well as to settling down the main issues and disparities ‘in education institutions. The Flowing are the main important root causes are:       

? Resource Constraints: Insufficient funding and resource allocation central to a lack of indispensable infrastructure, resources, and sufficiently trained staff, delaying effective educational leadership. 

? Policy Inconsistencies: Regular variations in educational strategies and a lack of long-term forecasting produce ambiguity, making it thought-provoking for educational leaders to instrument justifiable strategies.

? Quality of Education: Insufficient teacher training and a concentration on rote memorization over serious intellectual subsidize a deterioration in the inclusive quality of education, impacting the effectiveness of educational leaders. 

? Socioeconomic Disparities: Educational disproportions between urban and rural areas, as well as among different socio-economic groups, intensify dissimilarities in access to quality education.

? Political Interference: Inspiration and interference from political entities in educational matters can lead to the nomination of unqualified individuals, and negotiating the quality of educational leadership. 

? Security Concerns: Continuing security encounters in positive areas hinder regular school procedures, and make it difficult for educational managers to ensure a stable learning environment. 

Addressing these root causes requires a comprehensive and sustained effort, involving strategic policy reforms, increased investment in education, and a commitment to improving teacher training and development.




Steps and measures of QAED Punjab to eradicate these main root causes of the educational leadership crises for educational managers in Pakistan.

It is a great pleasure that QAED Punjab has aimed to empower teachers by changing training & learning on innovative and inclusive practices for better results. But unfortunately, teacher education always faces many challenges and issues that are great hurdles in improving a better education system. We must know these issues and their solutions to enhance teacher education and learning. We haven’t any unique system for refining and improving teacher education. QAED Punjab is making its best efforts to enhance teacher education but major issues for QAED Punjab are regarding data collecting, handling, and interpreting for professional and content-based training.

QAED Punjab has executed a wide-ranging approach to discourse the essential root causes of the educational leadership crises in Pakistan. To counter resource limitations, QAED is enthusiastically betrothed in activating resources, certifying a more reasonable circulation of resources, and speaking about the organization and substantial insufficiencies in educational institutions. Policy reforms are significant, with a focus on emerging reliable, long-term policies to provide permanency for educational managers, diminishing the interruptions instigated by common changes. Teacher training programs have been tossed to improve the skills of educators, highlighting contemporary teaching approaches and life-threatening thoughtful approaches to raise the overall quality of education. Community assignation initiatives are in progress, directing to raise mindfulness about the position of education and inspire active participation in local school improvement efforts. It is important to mention here that the school education department will be responsible for promoting merit-based appointments, affecting away from political inspirations to ensure that qualified and knowledgeable personalities shoulder leadership roles. Distinguishing security encounters, the School Education Department, Punjab collaborates with law implementation interventions to contrivance measures that create safer learning environments, particularly in regions facing security issues. This wide-ranging method of SED QAED Punjab replicates an obligation to exterminate the root causes of educational leadership crises and encourage an environment advantageous to effective educational management across Pakistan. To eliminate such types of leadership crises in educational sectors QAED Punjab engages educational managers with one week’s extensive training on leadership skills in promotion-linked training. In one week practical, interactive and active sessions were conducted on six enials Goleman leadership styles e.g. visionary leadership, Coaching leadership, face-setting, people-focused, democratic, and Autonomy Skills. After extensive and laborious activities and ideas sharing during training sessions, much expertise was developed among all the educational managers. The educational managers enabled after attending training sessions to utilize their capabilities, potentialities, and innovative ideological practicality in true litter and sprits in the school education department. After training the educational managers they utilized allocated budgets and human resources in appropriate ways to attain maximum benefit for the seek of public interest. 

In-service training programs for head teachers

High-excellence in-service training programs for working school heads and administrators can support their leadership practices, resulting in extensive teaching-learning improvements and improved student accomplishment (Earley & Bubb, 2007; Kang & Augustine-Shaw, 2016). Whereas provincial Teacher Education Authorities in Punjab periodically conduct workshops for professional development, these enterprises have partial effect due to their one-time transfer structure, which fails to deliver continual support attuned to ground realities (Owusu, 2018). Otherwise, the QAED, earlier as the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) in Punjab, has organized advanced in-service training for secondary school educational managers with transformative outcomes.




Role of QAED in training programs

QAED distributes exactly designed in-service training programs tailored to managers' developmental needs and associated with principles of lifetime learning. The training covers miscellaneous facets like instructional leadership, pedagogical innovation, enhanced administration, and technology integration, meaningfully building managers' professional capability to lead change.  The reciprocally beneficial encouragements also endorse positive professional growth and career development opportunities for managers, which remain partial in dominant systems (Owusu, 2018). 

The multi-layered effect of QAED's targeted in-service leadership training is replicated through student-centred teaching, improved student assignation, technology-driven learning, and enhanced school administration, as noted by research (Muhammad et al., 2021). While Punjab's education department endures large-scale reforms for global standards alignment, the success of QAED's enterprises underscores their dynamic role as the foundation for up-to-date and ambitious secondary school managers' professional development.

Further examination is necessary to thoroughly determine the capability of dominant in-service provisions for emerging, well-proficient, high-excellence educational leaders to challenge current school leadership tasks. Moreover, analyzing characteristics needing development and expressing context-specific recommendations can help develop impactful, proficient training programs for Punjab's secondary school administrators.




Research Objective

1. To determine the impact of in-service training on enhancing directive leadership skills among Punjab educational managers.

2. To determine the impact of in-service training on enhancing visionary leadership skills among Punjab educational managers.




Research Question

1. How does in-service training impact directive leadership skills among educational managers in Punjab?

2. How does in-service training impact visionary leadership skills among educational managers in Punjab?

Literature Review

A growing body of empirical research has examined the effectiveness of in-service training initiatives in developing essential leadership and administrative capacities among school principals and educational managers, leading to widespread improvements (Kang & Augustine-Shaw, 2016; Hussain et al., 2021). However, in contexts like Pakistan, there remain critical gaps in evidence regarding sustained, job-embedded interventions tailored to leaders in disadvantaged school systems (Bush, 2018).

Robust, mixed methods studies underscore that well-designed in-service training programs significantly strengthen the managerial competencies of practising school leaders across dimensions like communication, strategic planning, human resource management, data-driven decision-making, and stakeholder engagement (Kang & Augustine-Shaw, 2016). Leadership development initiatives grounded in adult learning theories emphasizing practical application via coaching and reflection are considered highly impactful (Browne?Ferrigno & Muth, 2006). Aligning training content with local needs and offering sustained professional learning communities enables context-specific skill-building (Lynch, 2012)

Trained school leaders contribute to positive organizational conditions marked by strong teacher collaboration and morale (Hussain et al., 2021). For instance, a mentoring program helped principals provide meaningful feedback, foster shared leadership, and develop positive relationships – factors tied to a healthy school climate (Taylor Backor & Gordon, 2015). Similarly, instructional leadership training enhanced capacities for distributed leadership, teamwork, and collective responsibility in Kenya (Cheptonui, 2015). 

The training from QAED focuses on collaboration, and networking, enabling educational managers at the Bs 18 to Bs 19 level to share their ideas, best practices, and challenges, thereby promoting a community of practice (Abbas et al., 2021). Through promotion-linked training programs, teacher programs at QAED play a pivotal role in the capacity building of school heads, particularly those in grades BS-17 to BS-18. Continuous Professional Development has been effective in quality education. Promotion-linked training offers a unique incentive for educational managers to develop professionally. It was revealed that the educational managers having STTP training developed capabilities in several areas like management, leadership, administration communication, organization and planning with problem-solving.

Moreover, the program's importance on collaborative resource consumption has led to advanced solutions (Abbas, 2021). Educators’ ICT capabilities have been discovered through the role of ICT and the facet of promotion-linked training. It was explored through a study (Abbas et al., 2023). The QAED Punjab training program fills this gap by offering targeted training to educational administrators based on their career development needs. Promotion-linked training offers an exclusive encouragement for educational managers to be involved in professional development. Teacher quality and efficiency are critical factors in student learning outcomes and the complete quality of education. In Pakistan's Punjab province, the Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development plays a leading role in teachers' professional development through its promotion-linked training programs. Most head teachers believed their training improved administrative skills (Abbas et al., 2023). This literature review synthesizes key research studies that examine various dimensions of teacher training and capacity-building programs offered by the Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development in Punjab, Pakistan. Resilience as a predictor of teachers' engagement at the secondary level in Punjab was explored in a study. QAED's training delivery style emphasizes collaboration and networking, enabling educational managers at the Bs 18 to Bs 19 level to exchange ideas, best practices, and challenges, thereby fostering a community of practice (Abbas et al., 2023).

There are more recent studies regarding the “Effectiveness of Promotion-Linked Training on the Performance of Educational Leaders at their respective places of Working in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan,” to explore the impact of promotion-linked training on their performance and motivation. Using a mixed-method approach, it was found that promotion-linked training significantly impacted educational leaders' job performance. It was also explored that such training enhanced administrators' knowledge and skills and improved institutional outcomes (Abbas et al., 2023). Likewise, a study was conducted to find the outcome of in-service promotion-linked training of subject specialists of BS-17 to BS-18 concerning developing professional competencies in pedagogy in Punjab. Mixed-method research explored promotion-linked training's impact on educational leaders' capacity development (Abbas et al., 2023). A study on in-service promotion-linked training programs proposes they can effectively progress teachers' professional capabilities. More recent studies in the Pakistani context are regarding leadership practices of head teachers (Jamil et al., 2024), challenges of instructional supervision faced by primary school head teachers (Arif et al., 2023) and head teachers’ training needs for quality education at secondary level (Hussain et al., 2021), leadership practices of head teachers (Jamil et al., 2024), challenges of instructional supervision faced by primary school head teachers (Arif et al., 2023) and head teachers’ training needs for quality education at secondary level (Hussain et al., 2021).

Methodology

The current study was quantitative in nature and employed a cross-sectional quantitative survey design to assess the perspectives of 359 educational managers on the in-service training programs and leadership practices in their schools. The target population comprises educational managers (principals, heads, senior teachers) registered with the Punjab School Education Department in public secondary schools. A sample of 359 participants was selected through a simple random sampling technique. The data was collected through self-administered Google forms distributed to the 359 participants through an online survey. The survey data obtained through Google Forms was analyzed. Frequency distribution was calculated appropriately for the scaled variables and demographic factors using SPSS 20 software.

Findings of the Study

The findings of the study are described as follows:




 




Table 1

Effect of in-service training on Directive Leadership Skills of educational managers

Participants’ responses		Frequency	Percentage
Strongly Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Agree Total		6	1.7
		10	2.9
		9	2.6
		212	60.7
		112	32.1
		349	100.0

 




The table shows the responses of 349 people who agree with having strong directive leadership skills. The results are very positively skewed, with the vast majority of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that they have directive leadership abilities. Specifically, 60.7% (212 respondents) agreed, and 32.1% (112 respondents) strongly agreed they have directive leadership skills. Combined, 92.8% agreed to some extent that they have these abilities. In contrast, only 1.7% (6 respondents) strongly disagreed, and 2.9% (10 respondents) disagreed with having strong directive leadership talents. Additionally, 2.6% (9 respondents) were undecided if they possessed directive leadership competencies. The cumulative percentage shows the steadily growing proportion of respondents as you move up the agreement scale, culminating in 100% at the strongly agreed response.




 

Table 2

Effect of in-service Training on Visionary Leadership skills of Educational managers

Participants’ responses		Frequency	Percentage
Strongly Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Agree Total		4	1.1
		3	2.0
		11	5.2
		218	67.6
		113	32.4
		349	100

 




The above table shows the responses of 349 participants who agree with having strong visionary leadership skills. The results are very positively skewed, with the vast majority of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that they have visionary leadership abilities. Specifically, 67.6% (212 respondents) agreed, and 32.4% (113 respondents) strongly agreed they have visionary leadership skills. Combined, 92.8% agreed to some extent that they have these abilities. In contrast, only 1.1% (4 respondents) strongly disagreed, and 2.0% (03 respondents) disagreed with having strong visionary leadership skills. Additionally, 5.2% (11 respondents) were undecided if they possessed visionary leadership skills and competencies. The cumulative percentage shows the steadily growing proportion of respondents as you move up the agreement scale, culminating in 100% at the strongly agreed response.

Conclusions

The present study aimed to determine the impact of in-service training programs on enhancing directive leadership capacities among school heads and managers in Punjab's public secondary education system. The quantitative cross-sectional survey of 359 officials affirmed significant positive effects of professional development interventions on honing strong directive leadership abilities. Most respondents (92.8%) agreed/strongly agreed they possess robust directive leadership talents after in-service training. Specifically, 60.7% agreed, and 32.1% strongly agreed that the training developed their decisive, goal-driven leadership skills in clearly communicating expectations, monitoring processes, and making data-based decisions. In contrast, only 1.7% and 2.9% strongly disagreed/disagreed, respectively, about such positive impacts. The remaining 2.6% were unsure about training influences on their directive leadership competencies. The extremely skewed, positive responses confirm that current in-service provisions markedly strengthen educational managers' capacities to act as directive leaders able to take charge by demonstrating firm direction, alignment, accountability, and achievement focus. Notably, acquired directive leadership abilities can enable heads and principals to spearhead school improvement by conveying high expectations for students and Staff, setting yearly academic goals, frequently assessing institutional performance, and making evidence-based decisions to progress towards defined targets. Such leadership is crucial for turning around struggling schools by creating a shared sense of purpose and responsibility. Similarly, the responses of 349 regarding visionary leadership, agreed strong visionary leadership skills. Hence, in-service professional training has equipped Punjab's secondary education managers with critical skills to adopt a directive, decisive approach for results-driven whole-school improvement. The overwhelmingly affirmative perceptions validate that existing training models effectively build essential directive leadership qualities, as echoed by contemporary leadership research.

Discussion

The findings of the current study focused on the practical skills of educational leaders for capacity building with communication, monitoring mechanisms, and evidence-based decisions with continuous advancement (Davis & Darling-Hammond, 2012). Likewise, competencies of directive leadership may enable the educational manager's transformation and inspiration through collective focus and responsibilities having institutional goals.  (Hitt & Tucker, 2016). Moreover, having directive leadership, the leaders have ambition for academic expectations with staff performance and feedback with alignment to the targets and outcomes. (Kang & Augustine-Shaw, 2016).

Additionally, school leadership models highlight that in struggling schools, turnaround is enabled by principals who adopt a flexible but consistently directive approach focused on explicit short and long term results through emphasis on accountable practices (Bush, 2018) The decisive, uncompromising leadership displayed in conveying shared mission and goals while monitoring for progress helps to overcome inertia and resistance blocking change efforts in dysfunctional contexts (Holben et al., 2009) Hence, research affirms that in-service training helps equip heads with adaptive yet directed leadership capacities essential to spark action towards priorities and yield positive transformation even in challenging school environments (Grissom et al., 2021) However, school leadership literature also highlights that while short workshop-based interventions may build initial capacities, the positive impacts will not sustain over longer periods without consistent engagement opportunities to retain and utilize upgraded skills (Taylor Backor & Gordon, 2015) The eventual decline in enhanced leadership abilities can severely affect school progress and undo early gains. Structural barriers related to excessive workload also often prevent department heads in public school systems from exercising strategic practices (Hitt & Tucker, 2016). Hence, the broader organizational contexts must provide ongoing support structures to embed and optimize enhanced competencies for lasting improvements (Khan & Akhtar, 2017)

In this manner, QAED's immersive initiative enables continued engagement to strengthen sustainably and repeatedly apply upgraded leadership abilities.  But for realizing systemic improvements, parallel reforms are vital across governance, recruitment, and appraisal frameworks to facilitate trained heads' application of strategic, directive practices aligned to institutional needs (Holben et al., 2009). The impact will remain limited without corresponding organizational shifts and incentives to employ enhanced expertise (Honig, 2012). Directive leadership development must occur through sustained, contextualized training models reinforced at provincial and school levels to continually nurture and optimize enhanced capacities.

As underscored in contemporary literature, while the short-term impacts of standard leadership development initiatives are well-documented, longitudinal evidence regarding how enhanced directive leadership skills translate into leadership practices that eventually spur measurable school-wide improvements and student achievement gains remains more limited, especially from developing country contexts. It highlights avenues for future studies to track how trained heads' enriched directive leadership capacities unfold into actual decision-making and oversight mechanisms over longer periods. Quantitative data regarding refined practices can be supplemented qualitatively via observations and interviews to provide more nuanced monitoring and feedback toward institutional improvement needs (Torres, 2016). Such mixed-methods inquiry can yield holistic and contextualized knowledge regarding sustaining enhanced leadership capacities through ongoing professional development. Connecting reinforced skills to leadership behaviours and school conditions can provide systemic insights to guide reform initiatives aimed at harnessing trained leadership potential to improve Pakistan's educational landscape.

Recommendations

Considering the above findings and conclusions, the following are the recommendations.

? There should be continued central in-service training programs through QAED that enable constant engagement prospects to figure and hold improved directive leadership capabilities among educational managers over time rather than one-time workshops.

? There should be immersive directive leadership training modules across all provincial programs for pre-service and in-service capacity building of aspiring and current heads, principals, and administrators.

? Encourage peer learning and experience sharing concerning directive leadership skills application through district and cluster-level training communities among qualified heads to collaboratively solve context-specific tasks.  

? Promoting advanced in-service training in data analytics and educational technology usage should be applied to support trained heads' evidence-based progress tracking and strategic decision-making for school development.

? Appraisal frameworks should be revised to assess educational managers' directive leadership practices.

References

• Abbas, M., Hassan, K. H. U., & Rehman, R. U. (2023). Exploring the role of ICT in developing teachers' ICT competencies through promotion‐linked‐training BS 17 to BS 18 Qaed during PLT at the Punjab level. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(1), 747‐757. https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i1.209
• Abbas, M., Hussain, S., Rehman, R. U., & Sheikh, S. M. (2023). Impact of in‐service promotion linked training on developing the professional competencies of pedagogy of subject specialists in Punjab. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences, 4(3), 175‐187. h ttps://doi.org/10.55737/qjss.945874591
• Abbas, M., Jabeen, A., & Tariq, S. (2021). An evaluation of in‐service teacher training in developing professional competencies at primary level. Global Social Sciences Review, 6(3), 210‐219.
• Abbas, M., Shah, S. T. A., & Tariq, S. (2023). Role of Quaid‐ e‐Azam Academy for Educational Development Punjab in capacity & promotion linked training of bs‐ 17 to bs‐18 school heads in leadership and management. AITU Scientific Research Journal, 1(3), 1‐ 10.
• Abbas, M., Tariq, A., Hussain, S., & Sheikh, S. M. (2023). Effectiveness of promotion‐linked training on the performance of educational leaders at their respective places of working in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences, 4(4), 352‐362. http://dx.doi.org/10.55737/qjss.154153294
• Abbas, M., Tariq, S., & Jamil, M. (2021). Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Quality Education of Primary School Teachers: A Quantitative Study in Lahore, Punjab. Global Educational Studies Review, 6(3), 206‐212. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2021(VI‐IV).21
• Arif, R., Jamil, M., & Naseer, B. (2023). Challenges of Instructional Supervision Faced by Primary School Heads. Pakistan JL Analysis & Wisdom, 2, 189
• Bowers, A. J. (2017). Quantitative research methods training in education leadership and administration preparation programs as disciplined inquiry for building school improvement capacity. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 12(1), 72‐96. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775116659462
• Browne‐Ferrigno, T., & Muth, R. (2006). Leadership mentoring and situated learning: catalysts for principalship readiness and lifelong mentoring. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 14(3), 275–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260600635530
• Bush, T. (2018). Transformational leadership: Exploring common conceptions. In (Vol. 46, pp. 883‐887): Sage Publications Sage UK: London, England. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218795731
• Cheptonui, E. C. (2015). The influence of teacher‐ motivation on performance of students in biology: A case of bureti sub‐county, Kericho county, Kenya University of Eldoret]
• Davis, S., & Darling‐Hammond, L. (2012). Innovative Principal Preparation Programs: What Works and How We Know. Planning and changing, 43, 25‐45.
• Earley, P., & Bubb, S. (2007). Leading & Managing Continuing Professional Development: Developing People, Developing Schools. Leading & Managing Continuing Professional Development, 1‐208. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446279601
• Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). How principals affect students and schools. Wallace Foundation, 2(1), 30‐41.
• Hitt, D. H., & Tucker, P. D. (2016). A systematic review of key leader practices found to influence student achievement: A unified framework. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 531– 569. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315614911
• Holben, D. M., Zirkel, P. A., & Caskie, G. I. (2009). Teacher fear of litigation for disciplinary actions. Journal of School Leadership, 19(5), 559‐585. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268460901900503
• Honig, M. I. (2012). District central office leadership as teaching: How central office administrators support principals’ development as instructional leaders. Educational Administration Quarterly, 48(4), 733‐774. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013161X12443258
• Jamil, M., Sewani, R., & Muhammad, N. (2024). Leadership practices of head teachers: Primary school teachers’ perspective in public schools of Punjab. Research Journal for Societal Issues, 6(1), 83–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.56976/rjsi.v6i1.178
• Kang, H., & Augustine‐Shaw, D. (2016). Table of contents and introductory materials for Vol. 43, no. 3, summer 2016. Educational Considerations, 43(3), 1.
• Hussain H. M. A., & Jamil, M. (2021). Head teachers’ training needs for quality education at secondary level. Global Journal of Scientific and Research Publications (GJSRP), 1(12), 1‐9.
• Khan, A., & Akhtar, M. (2017). Investigating the effectiveness of cooperative learning method on teaching of English grammar. Bulletin of Education and Research, 39(1), 1‐16.
• Lynch, J. M. (2012). Responsibilities of today's principal: Implications for principal preparation programs and principal certification policies. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(2), 40‐47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/875687051203100205
• Mansoor, Z. (2015). The Paradigm Shift: Leadership challenges in the public sector schools in Pakistan. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(19), 203‐211
• Owusu, K. N. (2018). Training and job performance of administrative senior Staff at the University of Cape Coast University of Cape Coast]. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4039
• Backor, T. K., & Gordon, S. P. (2015). Preparing principals as instructional leaders: Perceptions of university faculty, expert principals, and expert teacher leaders. NASSP Bulletin, 99(2), 105‐126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192636515587353
• Torres, A. C. (2016). The uncertainty of high expectations: How principals influence relational trust and teacher turnover in no excuses charter schools. Journal of School Leadership, 26(1), 61‐91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/105268461602600103