Syed M. Imaad

Engineer turned public-sector strategist focused on govt reforms and why some survive and others don't. Strategy at OW & McKinsey. Harvard & MIT alum.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

@KlasraRauf @CMShehbaz @MIshaqDar50 @ForeignOfficePk @ansukhera @HinaRKhar @sherryrehman @JalilJilani @Asimiahmad More like no one lets them retire. If the executive trusts existing cadre's competence and looks beyond incumbents, officers will retire on time irrespective of "wants".

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Separately, board composition seems to be a relevant issue. Is it reasonable for a board of an enterprise competing with other companies, not all of which are SOEs, to include multiple civil service officers, including currently serving ones? @ansukhera curious for your perspective in light of the separate discussion on extensions and double-hatting - would a similar principle apply to board appointments?

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Is the issue 1) high salaries for these specific positions in SOEs; 2) high salaries for given individuals / profiles appointed to these positions; or 3) both? High salary in and of itself may not be an issue especially if comparable to private-sector E&P companies. Do we know what comparable roles at Mari, POL, MOL make?

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

The magnitude of the performance gain is striking: +44 is the largest gain of any OECD country over 2006–2025, especially when compared to a near-universal decline. It appears that Türkiye's persistence in implementing basics (e.g., access, staffing, curriculum) over two decades is yielding results.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

A similar pattern shows up within OECD too. Türkiye posted the largest gain of any member over 2006–2025 (+44) compared to, say, Finland with the steepest decline over the same period (-70). Türkiye's gains appear to track a focus on basic reforms (e.g., access, staffing, curriculum).

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

@karenvaites @C_Hendrick Interestingly, Finland's slide follows this trend. Student effort appears to have collapsed as only 41% of students there try harder when work gets difficult (lowest in PISA 2025).

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

@OECDEduSkills Also worth adding "movers" to the "performers" story. Over 2006–2025, Türkiye posted the largest gain of any OECD country (+44) and Finland the steepest decline (-70).

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

@tombennett71 This is good news, and England isn't alone in going against the trend. Türkiye posted the largest OECD gain over 2006–2025 (+44) coinciding with a focus on the basics (e.g., access, staffing, curriculum).

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

The global-decline headline hides some of the more useful signals in exceptions. Over 2006–2025, Türkiye posted the largest OECD gain (+44) while Finland posted the steepest decline (-70). Seems like Türkiye's gains track a focus on basic reforms (i.e., access, staffing, curriculum).

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Scores are the unweighted mean of reading, math and science. Source: OECD, MEB Türkiye, and Press reports.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

PISA 2025 results are out and most of the coverage is about scores falling almost everywhere. The more interesting story is the striking contrast in performance of 2 countries.

Over 2006–2025, Finland, long considered the model school system, posted the steepest decline of any OECD country (down 70 points on the combined reading, math and science score). Türkiye posted the largest gain (up 44).

Both trends warrant further investigation before deducing causation, but it is hard to ignore what has been happening in each system over this period:

Türkiye
- Access: PISA coverage of 15-year-olds rose from ~47% to ~74% as compulsory schooling went from 8 to 12 years
- Teachers: Teaching workforce approximately doubled from ~500K to ~1.2 Mn (2002–23)
- Curriculum: Course content streamlined by ~35% in the 2024 curriculum overhaul, with more weight on reasoning

Finland
- Effort: Only 41% of students say they try harder when work gets difficult – the lowest share of any country in PISA 2025
- Devices: Only 5% attend schools that ban phones, and reported distraction runs above the OECD average
- Equity: Performance decline is sharpest among advantaged students, not the disadvantaged

Other interesting trends and insights will emerge as the data is fully analyzed, but the pattern is hard to miss: Türkiye's gains track the basics – access, staffing, curriculum alignment – sustained over two decades. A good reminder that it is often the more basic reforms done consistently that move the needle.

#PISA2025 #Education #OECD

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Also, we should stop assigning additional charges. Together with extensions, both practices show the executive's underconfidence in the competence of the civil service. If the default is to extend incumbents or double-hat roles, isn't it an implicit admission of weak bench strength?

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

The part I'd add: any education reform is only as good as the principal and teacher who ultimately translate it into classroom instruction and learning outcomes. Reforms are announced at the policy level, some get translated into real strategy, but they succeed or fail in implementation especially at the school level.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

On point (1), the consulting parallel is quite relevant: the "obligation to dissent" is encouraged and survives because of shorter client feedback loops (weeks, as opposed to months or years for academic research). So a junior consultant who disagrees is an asset while a junior researcher is considered a status threat.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Nike is getting kicked out of the S&P 100, ~78% off its November 2021 high, while ASICS shares run right past it and keep climbing. That's right, ASICS. The Japanese shoemaker whose Onitsuka Tiger is in vogue again - the same Onitsuka Tiger that Nike's predecessor, Blue Ribbon, was founded to distribute in the US. What a turnaround.

$NKE up 1.8× since 2010. ASICS up 8.5×.

[Mohammad Ali Shabani @mashabani]

NEW: A number of important signals from current and former senior Iranian officials suggest two things:

🔷 Negotiations remain a priority, provided the outcome is viewed as just.

🔷 Iran is prepared to expand the “pressure” component of its dual-track diplomatic approach, mirroring the US strategy.

In a nutshell:

🔹Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf (also chief negotiator): The era of proportionality in retaliation is over now that the US military is abandoning red lines by attacking civilian tankers that are not attempting to breach the US naval blockade.

🔹Former president Hassan Rouhani: Warns against confusing resistance with an open-ended war. Iran should stand firm, he argues, but “standing firm” cannot mean insisting on fighting indefinitely. If the goal is a 20-year war, he says, the public should be told and listened to.

🔹SNSC Secretary Mohsen Rezaee: Signals an expansion of retaliation in both quality — including the use of a “special missile” against US naval vessels — and quantity, with a new exclusion zone for commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf reportedly to be announced.

🔹Basij chief Hossein Taeb: Says an honorable negotiated outcome is acceptable, but the US must uphold its agreed concessions. Iran cannot be expected to implement its obligations unilaterally. He specifically points to commitments under the Islamabad MoU, including the release of frozen assets and an end to threats, which he says were never fulfilled.

🔷General trajectory: Iran appears to be moving toward a make-or-break moment, with messaging that signals an end to a largely reactive approach to military confrontation with the US.

🔷If Trump concludes that negotiations are a dead end, the regional war could flare further — potentially putting critical energy and water infrastructure among the targets.

Read more:

https://t.co/YTzWgRfMiW

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Correct in theory but works in practice only if fiscal and political decentralization accompany administrative decentralization for an empowered and elected local government. From elected district governments with real authority in 2001 to reestablished DC title and authority in 2017 and now DC-chaired district authorities per 2025 Act in Punjab, the issue is quite clear.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

Both @HamidMirPAK and @Fahdhusain point out the existence of 140A and that it has not been implemented by provincial governments, but I'm not sure either offered a solution. I believe it is two-fold and sequential:
1) Public pressure through media, civil society, and courts. Sitting parliamentarians have little incentive to push for empowered local government as they lose development funds they control.
2) Constitutionally mandated division of subjects across tiers with a fiscal guarantee for local government. Without it, provincial governments will continue to restrict local government authority and finances.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

@arrafiq Agreed. Current discourse is stuck on administrative decentralization. Without decentralizing political and fiscal powers too, we just push administrative functions closer to the frontlines without transferring real power to actually get things done.

[Syed M. Imaad @syedimaad]

This and, more importantly, decentralization of political, administrative, and fiscal powers for more responsive and accountable governance. Most complaints will inevitably end up being at the local govt level where you find the most citizen-facing action of the 3 tiers of govt. Assuming meaningful decentralization, of course.