Tweet
WORLD BANK SUPPORTS IMPROVEMENTS IN EDUCATION IN ARMENIA
Targeted News Service
March 13, 2014 Thursday 12:18 AM EST
WASHINGTON
World Bank issued the following news release:
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$30
million financing for the Education Improvement Project in Armenia.
The project will support the improvement of school readiness for
children entering primary education and the physical conditions in
upper-secondary schools. It will also promote greater links between
higher education institutions and labor market in Armenia.
For over a decade the Government of Armenia has been pursuing reforms
in the education sector targeted at strengthening the quality of
education services delivered. These reforms include but are not
limited to the development of the new national curriculum framework,
standards, and syllabi for general education, extension of the general
education system from grade 11 to 12, establishment of the Assessment
and Testing Center (ATC) for enhanced capacity to assess student
performance, and provision of universal access to internet to all
schools in Armenia. The latter has considerably improved access and
the quality of general education.
The new project will support improving the school readiness among those
entering first grade by expanding preschool coverage in impoverished
rural areas benefiting approximately 2,400 children per year. 17 high
schools will be rehabilitated with enhanced construction and safety
standards to benefit approximately 10,200 high school students in all
regions. The rehabilitated high schools, would provide more appropriate
teaching and learning environments to the students, including safer
infrastructure, adequate ICT equipment and digital teaching and
learning materials. The project activities will specifically cover
vulnerable population including ethnic groups and disabled children.
"Establishing equitable and high-quality education system has been
a corner stone of Armenia's education reforms in the past decade,"
says Jean-Michel Happi, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. "This
project will continue improving the relevance of educational services
through accessible quality education at all levels, including for
higher education, thus contributing to building country's human
capital necessary to enhance the competitiveness of the economy."
The project will also support strengthening of the National Center of
Education Technology for monitoring the school network and providing
adequate ICT coverage and publicly available relevant and timely
data to all educational institutions and to the society. The quality
of general education would be also increased through the revisions
and improvements in curriculum. This would indirectly benefit almost
370,000 students per year. The support for Tertiary Education through
the envisioned mainstreaming of the Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF)
would impact about 3,000 students annually, whose academic programs
would be modernized and made more responsive to the needs of employers.
"The project will address the readiness to school of over 12,000
five year old children living in rural impoverished areas that lack
preschool services," says Cristian Aedo, World Bank Task Team Leader
of the project. "This will positively impact the poor population as it
will improve the opportunities for children to be comparably successful
at later stages of their education. The project will actively engage
in activities that will boost the learning environment from full
rehabilitation of 15 percent of high schools across the country to
development of electronic content."
Over these years the Government has successfully increased the
enrollment at preschool level along with pursuing reforms of higher
education after joining the Bologna Process in 2005. To successfully
complete the process, this project would be specifically focused
on community-based pre-schools and enhancing enrollment rates in
participating kindergartens and schools; the improvement in teaching
and learning conditions in high schools; and curriculum revisions. The
project will support the development of an integrated information
system that will provide necessary data and analysis for policy making
and recurrent improvement of general secondary and tertiary education.
The proposed activities will also enhance partnerships between
universities and the private sector for modernizing the higher
education sector in Armenia.
Total financing of the project is US$37.5 million, of which US$7.5
million will be the Government's contribution. The World Bank will
provide a US$15 million credit on standard blend IDA terms at a fixed
interest rate of 1.25% per annum with a maturity of 25 years and a 5
year grace period, as well as a US$15 million IBRD loan of variable
spread, with a 10 year grace period and the total repayment term of
25 yearrs.
Since joining the World Bankn in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the commitments
to Armenia total approximately US$ 1,818.04 million.
Contact: Elena Karaban, 202/473-9277, [email protected]
Targeted News Service
March 13, 2014 Thursday 12:18 AM EST
WASHINGTON
World Bank issued the following news release:
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$30
million financing for the Education Improvement Project in Armenia.
The project will support the improvement of school readiness for
children entering primary education and the physical conditions in
upper-secondary schools. It will also promote greater links between
higher education institutions and labor market in Armenia.
For over a decade the Government of Armenia has been pursuing reforms
in the education sector targeted at strengthening the quality of
education services delivered. These reforms include but are not
limited to the development of the new national curriculum framework,
standards, and syllabi for general education, extension of the general
education system from grade 11 to 12, establishment of the Assessment
and Testing Center (ATC) for enhanced capacity to assess student
performance, and provision of universal access to internet to all
schools in Armenia. The latter has considerably improved access and
the quality of general education.
The new project will support improving the school readiness among those
entering first grade by expanding preschool coverage in impoverished
rural areas benefiting approximately 2,400 children per year. 17 high
schools will be rehabilitated with enhanced construction and safety
standards to benefit approximately 10,200 high school students in all
regions. The rehabilitated high schools, would provide more appropriate
teaching and learning environments to the students, including safer
infrastructure, adequate ICT equipment and digital teaching and
learning materials. The project activities will specifically cover
vulnerable population including ethnic groups and disabled children.
"Establishing equitable and high-quality education system has been
a corner stone of Armenia's education reforms in the past decade,"
says Jean-Michel Happi, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. "This
project will continue improving the relevance of educational services
through accessible quality education at all levels, including for
higher education, thus contributing to building country's human
capital necessary to enhance the competitiveness of the economy."
The project will also support strengthening of the National Center of
Education Technology for monitoring the school network and providing
adequate ICT coverage and publicly available relevant and timely
data to all educational institutions and to the society. The quality
of general education would be also increased through the revisions
and improvements in curriculum. This would indirectly benefit almost
370,000 students per year. The support for Tertiary Education through
the envisioned mainstreaming of the Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF)
would impact about 3,000 students annually, whose academic programs
would be modernized and made more responsive to the needs of employers.
"The project will address the readiness to school of over 12,000
five year old children living in rural impoverished areas that lack
preschool services," says Cristian Aedo, World Bank Task Team Leader
of the project. "This will positively impact the poor population as it
will improve the opportunities for children to be comparably successful
at later stages of their education. The project will actively engage
in activities that will boost the learning environment from full
rehabilitation of 15 percent of high schools across the country to
development of electronic content."
Over these years the Government has successfully increased the
enrollment at preschool level along with pursuing reforms of higher
education after joining the Bologna Process in 2005. To successfully
complete the process, this project would be specifically focused
on community-based pre-schools and enhancing enrollment rates in
participating kindergartens and schools; the improvement in teaching
and learning conditions in high schools; and curriculum revisions. The
project will support the development of an integrated information
system that will provide necessary data and analysis for policy making
and recurrent improvement of general secondary and tertiary education.
The proposed activities will also enhance partnerships between
universities and the private sector for modernizing the higher
education sector in Armenia.
Total financing of the project is US$37.5 million, of which US$7.5
million will be the Government's contribution. The World Bank will
provide a US$15 million credit on standard blend IDA terms at a fixed
interest rate of 1.25% per annum with a maturity of 25 years and a 5
year grace period, as well as a US$15 million IBRD loan of variable
spread, with a 10 year grace period and the total repayment term of
25 yearrs.
Since joining the World Bankn in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the commitments
to Armenia total approximately US$ 1,818.04 million.
Contact: Elena Karaban, 202/473-9277, [email protected]