Peer mentoring: enhancing social cohesion in Pakistani universities

Abstract

PurposeUniversity education in developing countries is often restricted to students from privileged backgrounds. However, in Pakistan, access to Higher Education, while competitive, is more broadly based. State universities in particular recruit students from diverse backgrounds. With the aim of introducing peer mentoring as a complementary support for students in Pakistani Universities, a project was undertaken to explore the impact of peer mentoring on the learning culture in universities in Pakistan to see if students involved in peer mentoring can transform learning in the institution and promote skills for lifelong learning and increased social cohesion. The aim of this paper is to investigate introducing peer mentoring in universities in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA social action research framework was designed to introduce structured peer mentoring as a support mechanism for students in two universities in Lahore, Pakistan.FindingsResults demonstrated the beneficial impact of introducing mentoring, not only in improvement in the conventional measures of mentoring schemes – improved results, progression, retention – but also in enhancing peer‐support between the diverse groups within the university.Social implicationsThe possibility is raised that such schemes could provide a lever for social change in Pakistan. Universities could provide a model for change in other institutions in Pakistan.Originality/valueIn Pakistan, the benefits of wider access, and the introduction of peer‐assisted learning, are constrained by a teacher‐centred approach, limiting the development of cross‐society learning networks. Structured peer‐assisted learning for university students was non‐existent before this project. The impact of positive results has been significant, with one university introducing a version for all first year students. A similar scheme was introduced for new teachers in one education authority.