Author(s):
Muneer Ahmed*, Tanvir Ahmed, Muhammad Anwar, Muhammad Mohsin, Waheed Murad, Khadim Hussain
Corresponding Author: munir008686@gmail.com

Abstract:

Administrative workload caps are proposed as a means of protecting early-career teachers, but causal evidence on retention and annual absence in Balochistan is not publicly linked. This study joins two separately analysed observational layers: World Bank Global Education Policy Dashboard indicators for five Pakistani jurisdictions, and official 2023–24 teacher–school ratios for 36 Balochistan districts. The published Balochistan figures indicate that 23.2% of surveyed teachers reported missing class for administrative processes in the preceding academic year; 87.9% were observed present at school and 82.2% in a scheduled classroom. Across five jurisdictions, the correlation between administrative-process reports and school presence was negative but imprecise (Pearson r = −.382; exact permutation p = .500), reversing sign under one leave-one-out check. Within Balochistan, district-wide teacher–school ratios varied from 1.39 to 10.37. Girls'-school ratios exceeded boys'-school ratios in 31 of 36 districts (mean paired difference 0.936 teachers per school; Wilcoxon p = .000025), a category-level staffing contrast rather than a teacher-sex comparison. These district patterns highlight unequal implementation capacity, not the effects of administrative caps. Because no public series links cap assignment to employment cohorts or annual absence days, retention and policy impacts cannot be estimated. An auditable Excel dataset, alternative inferential checks, and a preregisterable linked teacher-year evaluation design are provided. Conclusions concern baseline conditions and feasible measurement, not causal gains in retention.

Keywords:
administrative workload, Balochistan, teacher presence, staffing inequality, early-career teacher retention, school absenteeism, policy evaluation

Acceptance Date:
October 22, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Muneer Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed, Muhammad Anwar, Muhammad Mohsin, Waheed Murad, Khadim Hussain. Published by Falcons Journal of Advanced Research (FJAR).

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) .