Identify why children are not in school: The biggest factor is economic constraints, and the fact that kids often need to choose between work and school. In an ideal world, we would be able to demonstrate the link between schools and future earnings. We need to get better at promoting the value of education to parents and children. Madeeha Ansari, writer and independent consultant, London, UK @madeeha_ansari



Set universal minimum standards for schools: What makes a primary or a secondary school? Currently, you see a school under a tree with two teachers in one place but a primary school with a huge building and many teachers in another place - the same is the case for curriculum, teachers’ qualifications and examinations. Government, community and private schools should have to adhere to the same basic principles. Dr Mir Afzal Tajik, director, Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development, Karachi, Pakistan

Provide transport for children and teachers: Lack of safe transportation is a major factor in teacher absenteeism and fatigue. It also affects children’s attendance. School van transport is a valuable perk for our teachers. Amjad Noorani, education activist (Pakistan), The Citizens Foundation, San Francisco, USA @amjadtcfusa @TCFPak

Mobilise parents: For girls, parents are the biggest impediment to their education. More than half of girls who are out of school lack either parental consent or ability to pay schools fees. We need to advocate more for parents to get involved with community schools – whether they are on the management committee, or helping with the building, financing or security at their child’s school. Roohi Abdullah, lead and initiator, Girl Rising Pakistan, Washington DC, USA @GirlRisingPak

Hold politicians to account: Central government and provincial governments have good intentions but no one’s political stakes are invested in delivering that “better” set of outcomes, so they leave it to donors and NGOs. Until we can get Pakistani leaders to view a dysfunctional education regime as a political liability, we will keep grasping at non-solutions. Mosharraf Zaidi, campaign director, Alif Ailaan, Islamabad, Pakistan @mosharrafzaidi

Get the private sector to offer more scholarships: The government could provide private schools with attractive packages such as cheaper utility bills in return for them making at least 10% of their places available for free to poor students. This could be especially effective in areas government schools have failed to reach. Zobaida Jalal, former minister of education, Balochistan, Pakistan @ZobaidaJalal

Scrap teaching in English: We focus on English too much which is why we’ve ended up with so much rote learning. Many teachers are trying to teach in a language they’re not even fully competent in. Meanwhile, children who are confident in their own language are condemned as dumb if they can’t pick up English. Zubeida Mustafa, columnist for Dawn, Karachi, Pakistan @zubeidamustafa @dawn_com

Listen to teachers: What do they need to be more effective? What needs to change for them to increase motivation and spend more time in the classroom? This feedback is not adequately collected or used at the moment. Adam Hall, project manager (education), Adam Smith International, London, UK

Offer stipends to girls: It’s a slightly controversial method but in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa we found that providing stipends to girls at risk increased girls’ attendance. Of course setting the amount for a stipend is very tricky to make sure it is not too expensive to do at scale, but we’ve delivered 400,000 so far. Adam Hall

Make provisions for children with special needs: I think we always neglect the children with special needs and their education in our society. As minister for special education, I came out with a national plan of action for people with disabilities and the most vital element was inclusive education. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it widely implemented yet. Zobaida Jalal

Collect a wider variety of data: Most government data is focused on school building contracts and teachers’ salaries, rather than on what the children are learning. How about running community focus groups routinely and having more nimble programmes that allow for mid-course correction? Noorulain Masood, CEO, Teach For Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan @Noor_Masood

Incentivise teachers to learn as they earn: Teachers should be encouraged with salary incentives to take college qualifications and get a bachelors degree. Additionally, annual professional development workshops and in-service training should be provided. Higher competency should be rewarded. Amjad Noorani

Take sanitation seriously: At our schools we have cleaning staff to maintain toilets during school hours. They also help with hygiene of young kids before they go to class as many children are from homes that do not have running water. Toilets, sanitation and privacy are not a trivial requirement. Amjad Noorani

Adapt teaching techniques for volatile situations: Where schools are frequently closed due to violence, one possibility is home schooling. For example, in Ebola-affected Sierra Leone we moved to delivering educational radio programmes. Tricia Young, director, Child to Child, London, UK @ChildtoChild

Read the full Q&A here.

Is there anything that we’ve left out? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow@GuardianGDP on Twitter.