Sustainability

This is Part 1 of a four-part comprehensive evaluation of the public textbook procurement system in Morocco. It offers recommendations on how to improve textbook quality, how to strengthen the procurement system --including budgeting and financing--, and developing a policy for digital textbooks.

CIES 2018 Presentation, given by Scholastica Tiguryera. While in-service training is an essential component of early grade reading (EGR) projects, it only addresses the current force of teachers and is usually a one-time, resource intensive undertaking. In these efforts, pre-service teacher education is often not addressed overlooking the next generation of teachers who will also need to know how to teach the new reading curriculum. This presentation will discuss how the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) has worked with two USAID-funded EGR projects (School Health and Reading Program [SHRP] and Literacy Achievement and Retention Activity [LARA]), a government-run EGR project funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Kyambogo University, and other local partners to develop an addendum to the Primary Teacher Education Curriculum to ensure the early grade reading initiatives introduced by the projects are incorporated into the pre-service teacher training program.

CIES 2018 Presentation, given by Sam Ngaruiya. This study explores the role of the Tayari program in promoting a viable and quality ECDE system that county governments in Kenya can sustainably deliver. Tayari is a three year pilot implemented by the national Ministry of Education and four county governments. The program is designed to help the government develop a cost effective and scalable ECDE model. The pilot program is implemented in public schools and ECDE centers in low resource settings. Utilizing data from a qualitative study conducted in 4 pilot and 3 non-pilot counties’ decision-making, the presentation outlines three key aspects of sustainability: the extent to which collaborative implementation has improved ownership and resource allocation and how the Tayari instructional approach has impacted on process quality and teacher retention in the program. The findings and discussion are critical in helping county governments prioritize investment in a quality and sustainable ECDE model for improved school readiness.

Presentation delivered at CIES 2017 (Atlanta). As the READ TA project’s main focus is on providing technical assistance to and building the capacity of the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and its Regional Education Bureaus to develop and conduct the foundational components of a reading program (i.e., curriculum development, in-service and pre-service teacher training, and teacher support), the project has had to work through government systems to accomplish its objectives. This has provided great opportunities along with challenges. While there are some activities in which the project has direct involvement in the inputs and outcomes (curriculum development workshops, training of trainers, incorporating technology), there are others which are largely outside of the control of the project (printing of textbooks, training of teachers, government approvals). But all activities are necessary for the reading program to be successful. This requires establishing strong collaborative relationships with government counterparts and having the flexibility to adjust to the ever-changing situation.

Presentation delivered at CIES 2017 (Atlanta).