Data and Technology in education are changing the landscape of education with digital learning platforms, artificial intelligence, internet resources and administration based on data and technology. Digital transformation is more than just technology. This includes changes in institutional structures, professional practices, leadership and governance, resource allocation and organizational culture. In this context, institutional capacity is the sum of human resources, technological infrastructure, administrative skills and knowledge, financial capacity, leadership, and governance that allows education policy implementation to become sustainable.

It is important to understand that educational technologies are not neutral tools, and that institutional capacity has an impact. They can influence what is taught, what is known, professional roles, and decisions on how to use them. Educational institutions need to be able to incorporate digital technologies into learning plans and align these with learning goals, while at the same time maintaining the educational equity, transparency, accountability and professional agency of educators. A lack of this means that digital policies can lead to the implementation of digital technologies in a disjointed way, reliance on technology, inequitable access to digital technologies, and the standardization of processes that are not aligned with the local learning needs of education and society (UNESCO, 2023).

An in-depth look at Digital Transformation in education has shown that successful implementation of the technological infrastructure is not sufficient. Institutional digital capacity is developed through the use of leadership, teacher digital competence, professional development, organizational culture, institutional planning, and technical support. Timotheou et al. (2023) indicate that there is a linkage between these factors affecting students, inclusion, teachers' work practices, and institutional performance.

This institutional digital capacity helps to interpret the policy objectives; managing resources, coordinating policy stakeholders, and determining the use of technologies in educational settings are particularly significant. According to Niță and Guțu, (2023), having a leader who is responsible for the management of changes in the institution and who can keep stakeholders engaged in digital transformation is very important. Likewise, OECD (2023) states that digital education policies need to be clear about the responsibilities of the different institutions, technical expertise, operational leadership, inter-institutional coordination, and funding for implementation. A second tension that has been raised in the literature is between a digital policy that is centralized and local pedagogical contexts. There are national policies that support a single technology and a single data-driven management, but that is not the case with teachers and/or institutions who need to customize that for their learners, curriculum, and resource conditions. UNESCO (2023) warns that technology should be integrated into education but not to replace it and should be used to encourage social interaction. Therefore, digital governance should also be taken into consideration in terms of privacy, transparency, fairness, ethical supervision and autonomy of teachers in their work Wesam Sharif Hussein Abu-Matar, (2025).

The National Education Policy 2010, in Bangladesh, focuses on leveraging ICTs to modernize education, enhance teaching standards and create a knowledge-based society (Ministry of Education, 2010). The introduction of the multimedia classroom, digital learning material and online teacher training, connection between institutions and the establishment of Bangladesh Research and Education Network have extended the scope of technology-supported education. The participating universities and research institutions are also able to increase access to academic resources thanks to digital library services (World Bank, 2016). But some places are yet to be addressed on a consistent basis. The researchers Alam et al. (2023) found that the socioeconomic status, previous exposure to digital technologies, and access to technology play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of Bangladeshi students towards the digitalized form of higher education. Rouf, (2021) also found that there are gaps in the implementation of national education policy direction, especially in educational administration, teacher development, infrastructure, coordination, monitoring and class practices. The findings indicate that policy commitments and investments in technology can only have partial effects if institutional capacity is lacking. But in the case of Bangladesh, little is known about how institutional capacity in a digitally transforming education system influences the comprehensive implementation of education policy. The existing literature is mainly focused on issues related to technology adoption, online learning, students' attitudes, access to digital resources, or single policy-implementation issues. The combined effect of leadership and governance, human resources capability, technological infrastructure, financial resources, organizational culture, coordination and monitoring has been limited in studies.

Moreover, digital transformation can be an enabling and inhibiting factor to policy implementation. Can improve communication, data management, sharing of resources, monitoring and access to learning resources. However, it can also impede implementation if the institutions do not have the right infrastructure, digital competences, funding, have multiple responsibilities, or if the situation does not change or if they are relying on proprietary technologies. In this regard, no evidence has been found so far in Bangladesh about how educational institutions' digital policy is implemented and what institutional capacities are needed to make this happen, which is useful for the local pedagogical needs, professional autonomy and educational equity requirements. The main objective of the study is to examine how institutional capacity contributes to the implementation of the education policy in the backdrop of digital transformation in the education system in Bangladesh.

Specifically, the study aims

1. To assess the dimensions of institutional capacity that influence education policy implementation in digitally transforming education systems. 
2. To examine the relationship between institutional capacity and the effectiveness of education policy implementation. 
3. To evaluate the role of digital transformation in facilitating or constraining education policy implementation. 
4. To recommend evidence-based strategies for strengthening institutional capacity and improving digital education policy implementation in Bangladesh. 

The findings examined education policy and institutional management in Bangladesh in terms of capability analysis for effective and sustainable digital policy implementation. The policy briefing to policy makers prepared as a result of the study that enhanced on institutional coordination, governance, financing, guidance for implementation and monitoring. For institutional leaders, it will highlight those areas that need to be addressed to invest more on leadership development, infrastructure, technical support, organizational readiness and professional development. The study also helped in educational equity by exploring if the gap in institutional capacity results in unequal opportunities in digital education for institutions, teachers, and learners. The findings can inform policymakers to design and develop policies that are more inclusive and context-sensitive and take into account the trade-offs between expanding technology and teacher autonomy, ethical governance, and human-centered education. Finally, it assisted the way for a more coordinated, accountable, resilient, and equitable digital education system in Bangladesh.

Digital transformation in education is strategically using technology to integrate it into the processes of teaching, administration, assessment, communication and decision-making. It is thus not limited to the supply of devices and the conversion of printed content into digital (Gkrimpizi et al., 2024). Implementation required institutional capacity, leadership and governance to manage human resources, technological infrastructure, financing, organizational culture, and coordination of stakeholders. Over the last few years, research has defined Digital readiness as a multi-dimensional institutional capacity. The selected interconnected dimensions of this study were leadership, institutional strategy, teaching, staff training, infrastructure, curriculum and partnerships (Chounta et al., 2024). Similarly, (Singun, 2025) considered digital leadership, resources, competence, organizational structures, stakeholder management, culture and ethics as obstacles to digital leadership. The result is that it is not possible to ensure implementation of policy with the technology available.

Digital transformation solutions can assist in better communication, the availability of resources, administration, and monitoring. However, this could be constrained by a lack of infrastructure, skills, good governance, funds and equality of access. The digital education policy, in turn, needs to be clearly defined, adequately funded, technically competent, and accountable (OECD, 2023; UNESCO, 2023). 

This study comprised Institutional Theory and Transformational Leadership Theory. Institutional Theory (Scott, 2014) explained that organizational behavior is influenced by different institutional, regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive forces. Structures are regulatory (policies, rules, funding, monitoring), normative (professional values) and cultural-cognitive (shared beliefs, routines). Why institutions that adopt the same national policy may have different outcomes was explained by the theory. Institutions varied with respect to norms, culture of professionals, resources, infrastructure and governance. Digital policies can then be formally approved, but not institutionalized. These policy–practice gaps had been associated with the lack of infrastructure, professional capacities, coordination, and monitoring in Bangladesh (Rouf, 2021). Transformational Leadership Theory is a model that describes how leaders establish a vision for the organization, inspire institutional members, stimulate innovation and facilitate change (Bass & Riggio, 2006). Transformational Leadership in digital education involves linking the policy goals to institutional practice by distributing resources, facilitating professional learning, facilitating collaboration and engaging teachers in decision-making. Schmitz et al. (2023) determined that transformational leadership motivated teachers to employ digital technologies in more pedagogically relevant ways. These two theories indicated that effective implementation needs to be accompanied by a supportive institutional context and leaders to activate the context.

Topics such as institutional and human factors were frequently referenced in the literature as factors to consider in digital transformation. According to (Timotheou et al., 2023), the key factors that influence the digital capacity of schools are leadership, teacher competence, PD, infrastructure, planning and professional culture. The findings were similarly found in the study by Wohlfart and Wagner,  (2023), who showed that the digital competence of teachers is more effective when supported by institutional support, appropriate pedagogy, and the provision of continuous professional development. At the institutional level, (Chounta et al., 2024) developed an institutional digital-readiness framework that consists of seven dimensions and 72 possible indicators. The framework was detailed, but has been developed based on evidence collected from European HEIs, and should be tested in resource-limited environments (Singun, 2025) identified 80 barriers in nine dimensions, which show that technological, organizational, cultural and ethical barriers are interdependent. However, the joint impact of these on policy implementation effectiveness was not usually examined in barrier studies.

Research on leadership provided lessons that could suggest how it could be done. In this regard, the teachings of Schmitz et al. (2023) showed that the shared vision, empowerment and professional collaboration of teachers in the use of technology through transformational leadership had a positive impact on teachers' advanced use of technology. However (Jameson et al., 2022) found that the theoretical framework of digital-leadership research remains fragmented, and a tendency to focus on efficiency without considering institutional power and professsional agency, ethics. There was minimal evidence from Bangladesh. (Alam et al., 2023) found that the digitalized higher education experience of students varied based on socioeconomic status, previous experience with technology and resources. According to Rouf, (2021) the general problems identified in the implementation of NEP 2010 in Bangladesh were Administration, Infrastructure, Teacher Development, and Monitoring. The relevance of these studies is related to the institutional conditions, but they do not analyze them within an integrated capacity framework.

The studies reviewed agree that it is necessary, but not sufficient, to have technological infrastructure. The following traits are essential to successfully transitioning a farm to a digital ecosystem, including Leadership, Staff competency, Professional development, Organizational readiness, Sustainable resources and institutional support (Chounta et al., 2024; Timotheou et al., 2023). However, the level of analysis of the analyses in the studies is different. Research related to teachers is directed at competence and technology use, the research on leadership is directed at vision and empowerment, and the research on institutional readiness is directed at strategy, infrastructure and support. Cumulative understanding is also undermined due to differences in methodology. Systematic reviews picked up general trends, yet are not able to establish relationships between institutional factors. Perceptions of readiness are often used in cross-sectional surveys and readiness frameworks developed in more well-resourced settings may not reflect readiness in institutions with limited resources or connectivity, or with centralized governance.

Even contextual evidence comes from studies in Bangladesh and is limited in scope. While Alam et al. (2023) investigated students' attitudes and inequality, Rouf, (2021) addressed the policy gaps in general. None of them represents leadership in the implementation of digital education policy, governance, human resources, infrastructure, financing, culture, coordination and monitoring as a combined influence. The present study tried to fill the following gaps in the literature including In the institutional theory, the study has attempted to conceptualize institutional capacity as a variable in the understanding of the implementation of education policy in Bangladesh, while in transformational leadership theory, the study aimed to conceptualize transformational leadership as a variable in the understanding of the implementation of education policy. It evaluates leadership and governance, people, infrastructure, funding, culture, coordination and monitoring and looks at how digital transformation enables or obstructs implementation.

This study presents the methodology applied to look into the impact of institutional capacity on the realization of education policy in the context of digitally transformed education system. It includes the approach to research, the research design, the research target population and sample, data collection and instruments, data analysis, and ethical issues. The methodology developed is constituted not only of quantitative but also qualitative techniques to provide both statistical evidence and contextual understanding of the phenomenon studied, based on the study's aims. The type of research employed in this study is a mixed methods research, which is the mixed methods used in the research model consists of two methods including quantitative and qualitative methods, with the aim of obtaining a holistic view of the relationship between institutional capacity and the implementation of education policy in the context of digital transformation in education systems. The mixed-methods research approach helped researchers to integrate the advantages of quantitative and qualitative methods and gain a more comprehensive understanding of complex research problems than either quantitative or qualitative approaches alone can provide (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). The quantitative component was used to measure institutional capacities in the dimensions, analyze the relationship between institutional capacities and the implementation of education policies, and analyze the influence of digital transformation using statistical techniques. To gain deeper understanding of the experience, perception and practice of stakeholders in education regarding institutional capacities, policy implementation and digital transformation, the qualitative part of the study was designed to further build on the quantitative findings. All these data were analyzed together by methodological triangulation (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) to increase the rigor, credibility and validity of the study.

The study was explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design, in which data collection and analysis were performed in the quantitative phase, then followed by data collection in the qualitative phase to explain the quantitative data. This kind of design is particularly helpful when the researcher aims to discover the conditions under which variables relate to each other in the data, as well as not only discovering how they relate to one another statistically (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2018). Quantitative data were gathered in the first phase of the study with the help of a structured questionnaire, which explored the dimensions of institutional capacity, the implementation of education policy, and digital transformation through selected respondents. The quantitative analysis result was served as a guide in the second phase of the study, which used semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling to gather qualitative data. The interviews provided an in-depth description of the quantitative results and a better understanding of the institutional, organizational and technological determinants of the implementation of education policy. The target group for this study was the stakeholders who are directly involved in the process of formulating, implementing and managing education policies in the context of the digital transformation of education. Stakeholders included the policymakers, officials from the Ministry of Education, administrators, school principals and teachers and ICT coordinators who are responsible for facilitating digital learning in schools. They engaged in education policy implementation and are bringing much knowledge and experience to the table that's crucial to fulfilling the research goals.

In the quantitative phase, the study was conducted with a sample size of 384 respondents, which is considered adequate considering the following formula suggested by Cochran, (1977) for a large population at 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error: n= 100/m3.29. The stratified random sampling technique was used to ensure that an adequate sample proportion is obtained from each of the stakeholder groups, which makes the findings more representative and generalizable (Bryman, 2016). For the qualitative phase, purposive sampling with 40 respondents was used. This sampling method is appropriate because it ensures that the researcher is able to include participants with a wide range of experience and knowledge in implementing Education policy and Digital Transformation initiatives (Patton, 2015). The selected participant(s) were able to provide detailed and rich information that explained the quantitative information and expanded the understanding of the research problem. Both primary and secondary data collection techniques were used to assist in the collection of comprehensive data for the three factors of interest to the study: institutional capacity, implementation of the education policy, and digital transformation. A structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used to collect primary data. The respondents involved in the quantitative phase of the study were asked to respond to the questionnaire. It collected data regarding institutional capacity, institutional digital transformation and institutionalization of the education policy using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”. Standardization of the questionnaire aided in the collection of quantitative data for all respondents, which were reliable and comparable. 40 participants were purposely selected and interviewed in the semi-structured qualitative phase. The interviews allowed participants to exchange their experiences, perceptions, challenges and recommendations on institutional capacity and implementation of the education policy in education systems in the process of digital transformation. The researcher had the chance to follow up on the questions and deepen the understanding of the issues presented in the Quantitative results through the Semi-structured interviews (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015). Secondary data were gathered through the review of education policy documents, government reports, digital transformation strategies, Institutional publications and relevant scholarly literature. The documentary sources provided support to the interpretation of the empirical data and supported the study through data triangulation.

The research instruments for this research were a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide. The structured questionnaire was the main tool to gather quantitative data from 384 respondents. It contained sections dealing with: demographic respondent characteristics, Institutional capacity, Digital transformation and Education policy implementation. The questions on the questionnaire were presented on a 5-point Likert scale, with the respondents indicating on the scale the extent of agreement with the statements presented under each construct. The indicators for institutional capacity were leadership, governance, human resources, financial resources, institutional capacity and ICT infrastructure. The indicators used to evaluate digital transformation included digital infrastructure, digital technology, digital competence, and digital governance, with indicators of how well it is implemented, who's involved, policy outcomes and monitoring systems used to assess implementation of education policy. The data from the 40 participants were collected by using the qualitative component and the semi structured guide for the interview. The interview included guided questions with open-ended responses on the following topics: institutional experiences and practices, institutional implementation of digital transformation projects, challenges of implementation and recommendations for improving institutional capacity and policy implementation. The questionnaire was reviewed by experts prior to the main data collection to ensure content validity and then a pilot study was conducted to check the clarity and suitability of the questionnaire. 

The data obtained from the questionnaire were coded, entered, cleaned and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29. The characteristics of education policy implementers and the magnitude of the institutional capacity influencing the implementation of education policy were presented using descriptive statistics by calculating the mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between the variables of the study, while multiple regression analysis was used to see how much institutional capacity is able to explain education policy implementation, and to assess the effect of digital transformation. A significance level of 0.05 was used for statistical significance. 

The semi- structured interviews generated qualitative data that were analyzed thematically, using the six stages of thematic analysis recommended by Braun and Clarke, (2006). Interviews were initially transcribed verbatim and then read many times to become familiar with the data. The researcher then developed initial codes, discovered common patterns, formulated more general themes, reviewed and revised themes, identified and named the themes, and wrote a complete story of the results. The themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis were connected with the quantitative results to give a contextual explanation of the effects of institutional capacity on the implementation of education policy in digitally transforming education. Written informed consent was obtained with detailed information on the purpose, methodology, potential benefits, and potential risks of the study. There will be no coercion or negative consequences for those who do not wish to participate or stop participating at any time.

Confidentiality and anonymity were maintained by giving identification codes to the respondents instead of their names. All the information gathered was kept confidential and for academic research only. Electronic data was kept safely on password-protected equipment and printed data was kept in a lock box. The results of the investigation were published in an anonymous way so that the identification of the participant and/or the institution is prevented. In addition, the researcher maintained honesty, transparency, and academic integrity for the research by reporting the research findings accurately and properly citing all sources used in the study.

The quantitative results are provided for 384 respondents in this chapter. The data collected have been analyzed using the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 29. The results showed that the study variables were summarized using descriptive statistics, the relationships among the study variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis, and the contribution of the study variables in predicting education policy implementation was examined using multiple regression analysis.

Descriptive Statistics

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics (N = 384).

The descriptive statistics showed an overall positive sentiment towards the media of institutional capacity, digital transformation, and implementation of the education policy. The mean score for ICT infrastructure (M = 4.21, SD = 0.54) was the highest, indicating that ICT infrastructure was perceived as being the strongest capacity dimension of an institution. It was found that Financial capacity obtained the lowest mean score (M = 3.58, SD = 0.70), which means the perceptions of the financial resources being adequate were comparatively low.

Pearson Correlation Analysis

Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among the independent variables and education policy implementation.

Table 2: Pearson Correlation Matrix.

The correlation analysis results showed that there were statistically significant positive relationships between all the predictors and education policy implementation. The strongest relationships were with the implementation of education policy (r = .69, p < .01), followed by digital transformation (r = .66, p < .01), leadership capacity (r = .60, p < .01), governance and coordination (r = .58, p < .01), organizational capability (r = .56, p < .01), human resource capacity (r = .54, p < .01), and financial capacity (r = .39, p < .01). All of the predictor variables were not highly correlated with each other (all inter correlations < .80), which would likely not be a serious multi collinearity problem.

Multiple Regression Analysis 

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to find out the relationship between leadership capacity, human resource capacity, financial capacity, ICT infrastructure, governance and coordination, organizational capability, digital transformation, and education policy implementation.

Table 3: Model Summary.

The multiple correlation coefficient (R) of the regression model was .802, which shows that there is a strong relationship between the predictors and the implementation of education policy. A coefficient of determination (R² = .643) shows that the seven predictor variables account for about 64.3% of the variance in implementation of education policies.

Table 4: ANOVA.

The regression model was statistically significant, F (7, 376) = 97.82, p < .001, indicating that the predictor variables jointly explain a significant proportion of the variation in education policy.

Table 5: Regression Coefficients.

The regression coefficients showed that all the predictor variables were significant for the implementation of education policy. ICT infrastructure emerged as the strongest predictor (β = .292, p < .001), followed by digital transformation (β = .247, p < .001) and leadership capacity (β = .215, p < .001). Financial capacity had the smallest standardized effect (β = .071, p = .018), but was still significant. The results indicate that stronger institutional capacity and digital transformation positively influence the effectiveness of implementing education policies.

Qualitative Findings 

The qualitative results were collected through interviews with the selected participants in the process of education policy implementation. Four main themes emerged from the thematic analysis.

Theme 1: focuses on the importance of institutional leadership. Theme 1 is about the importance of institutional leadership. The participants highlighted the importance of effective leadership in implementing education policies. After answering these questions, the respondents expressed that committed leaders offer direction, mobilize resources and encourage institutional adaptation.

One participant stated: Leaders who have an awareness of the policy aims and are actively involved in the implementation processes are important in successful policy implementation.

Theme 2: Human and Financial Resources are available. Inadequate financial resources and inadequate skilled staff were cited as major challenges for policy implementation. Policy frameworks had been developed in institutions, but the technical capacity and financial resources were inadequate to effectively implement these policies. 

Theme 3: Role of ICT Infrastructure and Digital Transformation. Participants raised very significant issues regarding the use of digital technologies to enhance communication, monitoring, reporting and information about education. For the purpose of efficiency and transparency, digital transformation was perceived to be one of the main pillars. A participant explained: While the DPs have helped to coordinate and improve access to information, there is a need for ongoing investment and staff training. 

Theme 4: focuses on governance, co-ordination and organizational support. Effective coordination among education stakeholders is reported to bolster the implementation of policies. Poor communication and a lack of coordination were cited as factors that limit the effectiveness of implementation.

Integration of Quantitative and Qualitative Findings

The researcher should incorporate the findings from the quantitative and qualitative studies. Convergence between the two strands of evidence is shown by the integration of the quantitative and qualitative findings. Quantitative results revealed that the ICT infrastructure, digital transformation, and leadership capacity had significant predictive power for the education policy implementation. Qualitative evidence corroborated these findings, with participants highlighting the need for digital systems, leadership buy-in and organizational coordination. Likewise, the quantitative result that financial capacity was the least predictive was corroborated by qualitative results that showed financial constraints still pose a challenge in the implementation processes. The mixed-methods results indicate that a mix of good institutional capacity, leadership, provision and digitally enabled systems is important for successful education policy implementation. The quantitative and qualitative results on institutional capacity, digital transformation and policy implementation in the education sector were presented in this chapter. The quantitative analysis results indicated strong positive relationships between all the study variables and institutional capacity dimensions and digital transformation accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in policy implementation. The qualitative results offered deeper explanations of the mechanisms by which leadership, resources, technology, and governance impact implementation outcomes. The findings are discussed in terms of previous studies and theoretical perspectives in the next chapter.

The study's findings related to the effect of institutional capacity and the digital transformation on education policy implementation are discussed. The quantitative and qualitative results are presented which are integrated into this discussion and compared to the theoretical and empirical literature. A mixed-methods approach was used, with statistical analysis of data collected from 384 respondents and qualitative analysis of data collected from key informants. Results of quantitative analysis showed that the dimensions of institutional capacity and digital transformation significantly predicted education policy implementation, accounting for 64.3% of the variance in education policy implementation effectiveness. The qualitative results also supplied explanations as to how a variety of factors relating to leadership, resources, technological systems, governance structures, and organizational practices affect the implementation of policy. The discussion is structured based on the main study variables, starting with institutional capacity, then specific dimensions and digital transformation, and finally the incorporation of the mixed-methods results. The results indicated that institutional capacity has a significant impact on the implementation of education policies. The regression analysis revealed that three factors, namely leadership capacity, human resource capacity and financial capacity, ICT infrastructure, governance and coordination, and organizational capability were significant factors that predict policy implementation. The results suggest that the impact of the education policy is related to the institutional capacity of the policy implementers to allocate resources, coordinate activities and govern change, as well as to the quality of the policy design. 

This discovery validated the institutional capacity point of view that organizations need to have adequate organizational capacity to accomplish the responsibilities given to them, as suggested by Honadle, (1981). In the same way, Wu et al. (2015) claimed the need for policy capacity as institutions must have analytical, operational and political skills to translate policy goals into effective results. This was reinforced by the qualitative analysis, which identified four key factors that participants identified as necessary to successful implementation of education policy: institutional readiness, leadership commitment, availability of resources, and coordination mechanisms. The findings indicate that poor institutional capacity can result in policy-to-implementation gaps. The findings corroborated past research which highlights the importance of implementing institutions for adequate capacity to implement policies (Pressman & Wildavsky, 1984). Hence, it is crucial to see strengthening institutional capacity as a key measure to enhance the education policy outcome.

Leadership capacity was a strong predictor of education policy implementation (β = .215, p < .001). The conclusion is that good leaders play a key role in the implementation of policy by giving direction, coordinating activities, motivating workers and holding them accountable. The discovery was aligned with transformational leadership theory, which focuses on the ability to create a shared vision, inspire commitment and facilitate organizational change (Bass, 1985). Educational leaders actively shape policy interpretation, acceptance and implementation by creating environments that support good policy. The qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative findings as they showed that the level of attention being given to policy implementation activities is dependent upon leadership commitment. Leaders who are active in promoting reforms are better able to raise resources and engage staff in reform, participants noted. This result was consistent with Leithwood et al. (2004), who pointed out that the role of educational leadership plays a crucial role in organizational improvement and successful implementation of reforms. Thus, building the leadership capacity of education managers is one of the things that should be done to increase the effectiveness of implementing the policy.

This study focused on the implementation of the Human Resource Capacity and Education Policy. This chapter was on the implementation of the Human Resource Capacity and Education Policy. The findings showed that the capacity of human resources had significant effects on the implementation of education policies (β = .119, p = .002). It indicated that institutions that have competent, well-trained and motivated staff are more likely to implement education policies effectively. Human resources are the backbone of institutions, as policies should be implemented by educated manpower who can understand the guidelines, carry out the job and adjust to new requirements. The finding corroborated Becker's, (1964) human capital theory that argues investment in knowledge and skills positively influences the performance of an organization. The qualitative results showed that staff training, technical skills and professional development are important aspects of successful implementation. This was especially true for digital transformation, where workers needed to acquire new skills in order to be able to fully leverage digital systems. This outcome was consistent with previous studies that revealed that lack of skills and/or professional capacity are significant impediments to educational reform (Fullan, 2016). Hence, there is a need for continuous training and professional development to increase the preparedness of the institution.

The implementation of financial capacity and education policy was examined. Financial capacity and education policy implementation are explored. There was a statistically significant relationship between financial capacity and implementation of education policies (β = .071, p = .018). It was the smallest predictor of the variables, but financial capacity was still a significant factor in the effectiveness of implementation. The discovery indicated that the infrastructure and support to training programs, digital systems and monitoring are all tied to financial resources. However, the contribution in relation to the other factors is relatively small, meaning that financial resources are not enough without effective leadership and management systems, and organizational capability. This is consistent with the interpretation of Grindle, (1997), who suggested that the implementation outcomes are dependent on the interaction of resources, institutional arrangements, and political and administrative conditions. The qualitative results also showed that barriers to the financial sustainability of policy efforts are an institutional challenge. Thus, education policy implementation improvement should not only be based on adequate funding, but also on achieving effective financial management and the prioritization of funding. ICT infrastructure was the strongest predictor of the implementation of education policy (β = .292, p < .001) and digital transformation was the second strongest predictor (β = .247, p < .001). The findings showed that technology has become an integral part of modern education governance and policy implementation. This outcome reinforces the thesis that digital transformation can contribute to the betterment of institutional performance through better communication, information management, monitoring and decision-making processes (Westerman et al., 2014). Digital technologies help organizations to capture and access information in a better way, making information more transparent and efficient in the way it is used within the organization. This finding was corroborated by the qualitative data. Participants reported that digital platforms enhance coordination, reporting and access to educational information. However, they also noted that these factors are required for the successful use of technology: infrastructure, technical skills and organizational support. The discovery is corroborated by UNESCO, (2018), which states that the use of digital technologies in education can be enhanced by the support of proper policies, infrastructure, and capacity development. Thus, digital transformation should not be seen as merely a technological tool, but as a change process of an organization.

The implementation of education policy was also significantly predicted by governance and coordination (β = .128, p = .002) and organizational capability (β = .104, p = .007). The results indicate that coordination and institutional arrangements are crucial to fulfil policy goals. The results confirm the governance view that focuses on the need to engage in collaboration, accountability and coordination of implementation by various stakeholders in the process of public policy (Rhodes, 1996). Implementing education policies involves a plurality of actors such as government institutions, administrators, schools, and communities. Action coordination between these actors provides for greater consistency and fewer implementation issues. The qualitative results showed that poor communication and lack of clarity of responsibility can have a negative impact on implementation. The importance of effective coordination mechanisms for enhancing information sharing and collective action was highlighted. These results align with Bryson et al. (2015), who state that collaborative governance is an effective way of enhancing the performance of public sector organizations, as they can join forces, share resources and knowledge.

Detailed quantitative and qualitative results were integrated. Quantitative and Qualitative findings were integrated in detail. The convergence of the two lines of evidence in the integration of quantitative and qualitative findings shows high convergence. ICT infrastructure, digital transformation, and leadership capacity were the most highly correlated quantitative factors with the implementation of education policy. The qualitative results addressed the "how" of these factors and served to explain their importance by indicating how they influence implementation experiences. The results obtained from the mixed methods confirm that the process of the implementation of education policy is complex and includes the interaction of technological, organizational, and human factors. Digital transformation offers opportunities for improving efficiency and coordination, but institutions must have (i) capacity, (ii) leadership commitment and (iii) staff readiness to work with digital technologies to achieve the desired results. The results agree with Creswell and Plano Clark, (2018), who support the use of mixed-methods research to gain a broader understanding of complex social phenomena, including numerical patterns and contextual explanations. The discussion illustrates how institutional capacity and digital transformation play an important role in education policy implementation. ICT infrastructure proved to be the most significant, reflecting the growing significance of digital systems in educational governance. Leadership capacity was also hugely significant, affecting institutional commitment and institutional processes. The qualitative findings complemented the statistical findings by providing explanations of how the institutional conditions influence policy implementation practices. In summary, the paper shows that comprehensive investments in leadership development, human resources, finances, digital technologies, governance, and organizational capability are required if education policies are to be implemented well.

This research used a mixed-methods approach to explore the relationship between institutional capacity and the implementation of digital transformation in the field of education policy. The study used a mixed-methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative data to gain an understanding of the impact of leadership capacity, human resource capacity, financial capacity, ICT infrastructure, governance and coordination, organizational capability, and digital transformation on policy implementation among the 384 respondents. The results indicated that the general perception of the respondents was positive for institutional capacity and positive for the implementation of the policy, with the highest being for ICT infrastructure and the lowest being for financial capacity. Through correlation analysis, it was found that all the predictor variables were positively and significantly related to the implementation of the education policy, with the highest correlation being ICT infrastructure (r = .69, p < .01) and digital transformation (r = .66, p < .01). The regression analysis results showed that the dimensions of institutional capacity and digital transformation had a significant influence on the education policy implementation, accounting for 64.3% of the variance. The strongest predictors were ICT infrastructure, digital transformation, and leadership capacity, highlighting the need for institutional capacity, effective leadership, and technological readiness to achieve optimal policy results. These findings were corroborated by the qualitative results, which highlighted the need for sufficient resources, competent staff, good coordination, and supportive digital systems to effectively implement the project. The study findings indicate that successful education policy implementation requires not only high-quality policies but also the ability of institutions to implement them effectively. Enhancement of leadership, building human resource capacity, financial support, development of ICT infrastructure and sustainable digital transformation are crucial to achieving good implementation results. 

The study suggests the need to invest more in the development of digital infrastructure, professional development, institutional leadership and coordination mechanisms among the education stakeholders. Digital transformation efforts need to be backed by organizational readiness, development of digital skills and good governance and not only on technology adoption. The study advances knowledge by offering insights on how digital transformation and institutional capacity can affect education policy implementation from a mixed-methods approach. The relationships between these should be investigated in future studies, either longitudinally or with comparative analysis across various educational contexts, with other factors being studied such as organizational culture, engagement of stakeholders and political support. The overall results of the study suggest that institutional strengthening and digital innovation are two features that are crucial in order to be able to implement the education policy effectively and sustainably.

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all individuals and institutions who contributed to the completion of this study. We particularly acknowledge the participants and relevant stakeholders who generously shared their time, experiences, and information during the data-collection process. Their cooperation was essential to the successful completion of the research. The authors also appreciate the guidance, assistance, and constructive feedback received from colleagues and academic peers throughout the research process.

M.N.S.: mainly contributed to the Conceptualization of whole study and made guideline and writing. S.I.: set Methodology and prepared questionnaire and collected data. A.S.: contributed to data analysis and making theme. M.F.HK.: visualization, and writing. M.M.I.M.: contributed interpretation of results, and writing all authors contributed to the development of the manuscript, critically reviewed the final version, and approved the manuscript for submission.

The authors declare that they have no financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as having influenced the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of this study. The authors further declare that no external party had any role in determining the research findings or the content of the manuscript.