USAID-Iraq Education Program

USAID-Iraq Education Program Overview Year 1 The education system in Iraq was widely regarded as one the best in the Middle East until the 1980’s. Between the 1960s and 1990s, Iraq made great progress in enrollment at all levels of education and achieved near universal primary enrollment by 1980. During the 1990’s, however; the system seriously deteriorated due to overall neglect, in large part, a consequence of Iraq’s engagement in two wars. According to UN statistics, primary school enrollment fell to 93 percent in 2000 while secondary school enrollment went from 47 percent to 38 percent. A UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster survey (MICS) reported in 2000 that as many as 23 percent of primary school aged children were not attending school, with significant rates among girls in the rural areas. Quality also declined at all levels of the education system: teaching and learning conditions deteriorated; teacher quality eroded; curriculum content was distorted or became outdated; and policy and system development came to a standstill. Immediately after the conflict in May 2003, only one in six children had textbooks, teachers were unpaid, school facilities were in poor condition, shortages of supplies and equipment were endemic, and the quality of education was in serious decline. Combined with systematic looting and destruction of public property, most schools lacked plumbing, wiring, lighting, desks, windows and doors. USAID Education Program Year 1 (May 2003 – March 2004) In support of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and CPA priorities, the following represents USAID Education Program Objectives Year 1: USAID’s Year 1 Education Program—worth $74 million through primary education activities and approximately $70 million through secondary education activities—employs a dual strategy that focuses on emergency actions to support the resumption of schools while laying the foundations for critical reforms to ensure that the education system and schools can play a constructive role in rebuilding social cohesion and progress in Iraq. This dual strategy, implemented on a nationwide scale, has emphasized the smooth, orderly conclusion of the 2003 school year; the rehabilitation of 2,358 schools; and the provision of education materials, equipment and supplies to students, teachers and MOE governorate offices for the beginning of the 2004 school year, including 8.7 million revised textbooks. It has also focused institutional management and administration assessment of the Iraq education system, the establishment of an education management information system; Iraqi lead development and implementation of secondary school teacher training and the piloting of actions to bring school dropouts back into the formal education system. Photos: Students in schools and teacher grading schoolwork Working in close cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority to improve the lives of the Iraqi people, USAID is devoting substantial resources throughout the country to restore critical infrastructure, support the delivery of healthcare and education services, expand economic opportunities, and improve governance. Education Program Overview Year 1- May 2003- March 2004 USAID-Iraq Education Program Education Program Overview Year 1- May 2003- March 2004 Objectives, Partners, Timelines In coordination with the Ministry of Education, USAID has pursued development goals through primary and secondary education partners. Primary partners are solely dedicated to education programming and secondary partners are dedicated to other reconstruction activities including the rehabilitation and re-equipping of schools. USAID Primary education partners include Creative Associates, UNICEF, and UNESCO. UNICEF ($7 million) - Grant duration: 3/03 – 11/04 Objectives: - Develop an education sector assessment document. - Distribute 7,000 kits of school materials to 560,000 children. Kits include notebooks, pens, pencils, a ruler and erasers. - Train 250,000 primary teachers. - Develop Education Sector Coordination Plan. UNESCO ($10 million) - Grant duration: 5/03 – 11/04 Objectives: - Conduct an assessment of primary and secondary math and science textbooks in Iraq. - Distribute 5 million revised textbooks in Iraqi primary and secondary schools. - Train Ministry of Education to edit, print, and distribute textbooks. Creative Associates (Revitalization of Iraqi Schools and Stabilization of Education Program) ($57 million) - Contract duration: 4/03 – 6/04 Objectives: - Distribute 1.5 million secondary student kits with notebooks, pens, pencils, calculator and rulers - Refurbish 3,900 secondary schools. - Equip 18 Education Governorate offices. - Distribute $8 million in community school grants for school refurbishment and revitalization. - Implement five accelerated learning pilot programs with at least 100 students each. - Develop a five year national plan with the Ministry of Education that addresses increased quality, access and equity in key areas such as curriculum, teacher training, decentralized decision making, school management and community participation through technical assistance in the areas of finance and budget, education management information systems, administration and management and teacher training. - Train 33,000 secondary school teachers through a training of trainers program. - Train 3,000 primary and secondary school administrators. Photos: Students in class, teachers meeting, students receiving supply kits United States Agency for International Development www.usaid.gov/iraq/ Iraq Ministry of Education http://www.cpa-iraq.org/ministries/education.html USAID-Iraq Education Program Secondary Partners include: Bechtel - Primary construction contractor with USAID which includes the rehabilitation of schools nation wide. Research Triangle International - Primary local governance contractor with USAID which includes rapid response community grants for the rehabilitation of schools when identified by individual communities. Non-Governmental Organizations working with USAID-Iraq’s Community Action Program - Save the Children, Mercy Corps, ACDI-VOCA, Cooperative Housing Foundation, International Relief. Development Alternatives, Inc. - Prime reconstruction contractor working under USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives. Bechtel, RTI, CAP NGOs, DAI - Reconstruction of schools for an overall target of 1000 by the beginning of the new school year. How do you we measure by results? By monitoring the Results Framework below: SO2: RESULTS FRAMEWORK Essential Heath, Education and Other Social Services Supported Sector 5: Education IR 2.5: Essential primary and secondary education programs restored IR 2.6: Primary and secondary students encouraged to return to and stay in school. IR 2.7: More interactive and participatory teaching methods employed in primary and secondary school instruction. IR 2.8: Increased institutional capacity to establish and manage national education reform process and standards. IR 2.5 - Indicator 1 IR 2.6 - Indicator 1 IR 2.7 - Indicator 1 IR 2.8 - Indicator 1 Number of School Facilities Restored End of School Exams completed to ensure students return to school with appropriate placement Number of Primary School Teachers Trained (Postponed for year 2) Number of Governorate Education Offices Restored and Equipped IR 2.5 - Indicator 2 IR 2.6 - Indicator 2 IR 2.7 - Indicator 2 IR 2.8 - Indicator 2 Number of Secondary School equipment distributed Number of Primary School Students with access to essential education materials Number of Secondary School Master Trainer Trained 5-Year education reform plan and policy investment framework complete IR 2.5 – Indicator 3 IR 2.6 - Indicator 3 IR 2.7 - Indicator 3 IR 2.8 - Indicator 3 Number of Primary & Secondary school teacher’s equipments Number of Secondary School Students with access to essential education materials Number of Secondary School Administrators & Teachers Trained Education Management Information Systems Improved IR 2.5 - Indicator 4 IR 2.6 - Indicator 4 Number of Math and Science Books distributed to Iraqi Schools Number of Out-of-School primary & secondary school aged children participating in accelerated learning programs IR 2.5 - Indicator 5 Number of Community Members involved in decision-making process for school restoration Working in close cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority to improve the lives of the Iraqi people, USAID is devoting substantial resources throughout the country to restore critical infrastructure, support the delivery of healthcare and education services, expand economic opportunities, and improve governance. Education Program Overview Year 1- May 2003- March 2004 Education Program Overview Year 1- May 2003- March 2004 USAID-Iraq Education Program USAID’s Key Accomplishments in the Education Sector Immediately After the Conflict -- Provided technical assistance for the resumption of Ministry of Education functions and salaries. -- Funded 5.5 million examinations for transitional grades, to ensure the continuation of education. -- Surveyed secondary schools in all permissive areas of the country (4,541 participants total). Facilities and Supplies -- Awarded 627 grants worth more than $6 million to rehabilitate schools and Directorates General. -- Rehabilitated 2,358 schools countrywide for the first term of the 2003/04 school year. -- Provided materials, equipment and supplies: • Distributed nearly 1.5 million secondary school kits that include pens, pencils, paper, math equipment, and other supplies. • Distributed 159,005 student desks, 26,437 teacher desks, 59,940 teacher chairs, 26,050 metal cabinets, 61,500 chalkboards, and 58,500 teacher kits. • Delivered 808,000 primary student kits containing notebooks, pens, pencils, a ruler and erasers. • Delivered 81,735 primary teacher kits containing pencils, pens and notebooks. • In consultation with the Iraqi Ministry of Education, reviewed 48 math and science textbooks for grades 1 through 12. • Printed and distributed 8,759,260 textbooks throughout Iraq. Institutional Strengthening -- Trained 860 secondary school Master Trainers nationwide from September 2003 to January 2004. -- Trained 31,772 secondary school teachers and administration staff. -- Conducting an accelerated learning program in Baghdad, Nasiriyah, Ad Diwaniyah, Karbala’, and Arbil. More than 600 students are participating in the program. In February 2004, the students completed mid-term exams. Higher Education -- USAID participated in the bi-national Fulbright scholarship review committee set up by the CPA. The Fulbright Scholarship Program returned to Iraq after a 14-year absence. The program awarded at least 25 scholarships for Iraqis to study in the United States in 2004. -- Launched the Higher Education and Development Program. Awarded five grants worth an estimated $20.7 million for U.S.-Iraqi university partnerships: -- A consortium led by Research Foundation of the State University of New York at Stony Brook is partnering with Baghdad University, Al Mustansiriyah University/Baghdad, Basrah University, and Mosul University in archeology and environmental health. -- The University of Hawaii College of Agriculture and Human Resources is partnering with the University of Mosul Hamam Al-Alil and University of Dahuk for strengthening academic, research, and extension programs. -- The Human Rights Institute at DePaul University College of Law and the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences (Italy) is partnering with Universities of Baghdad, Basrah, and Sulaimanyah on legal education reform. -- Jackson State University/MCID is partnering with University of Mosul, University of Dahuk, and the Nursing Institute (Dahuk) for public health and sanitation. -- The University of Oklahoma and consortia is partnering with the Technology University/Baghdad, Al Anbar University, Basrah University, University of Babil, and the University of Salah ad Din in higher education initiatives. United States Agency for International Development www.usaid.gov/iraq/ Iraq Ministry of Education http://www.cpa-iraq.org/ministries/education.html