ENABLE Bih II. III. ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPOR
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I. ENHANCING AND ADVANCING BASIC LEARNING AND EDUCATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – ENABLE BiH II. III. ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT IV. V. For the period: September 25, 2019– September 25, 2020 VI. *For theSubmitted purpose of November uploading documents 2, 2020 to the DEC, all personal information and pictures were removed and replaced with “XXX”This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Save the Children. ENHANCING AND ADVANCING BASIC LEARNING AND EDUCATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Cooperative Agreement No AID-168-16-000001 Annual Report Period of Performance: September 25, 2019– September 24, 2020 Submitted by: Save the Children Date Submitted: November 1, 2020 *For the purpose of uploading documents to the DEC, all personal information and pictures were removed and replaced with “XXX” Table of Contents I. LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................... 4 II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... 5 III. ABOUT THE PROJECT ENABLE-BIH ............................................................................... 7 1. Purpose of the Project ....................................................................................................... 7 IV. ENABLE Progress in FY2020 ............................................................................................... 9 1. Project Activities and Results ........................................................................................... 9 a) Replication of the STEM Trainings in Selected Model Areas ................................................................ 9 b) STEM implementation in 7 out of 12 Model Schools ........................................................................... 11 c) Establishing cooperation and partnership with 3 universities in BiH ................................................ 12 d) Continued cooperation with technological park/center ...................................................................... 17 e) Establishing cooperation and partnership with leading STEM companies in BiH ........................... 17 f) STEM OTC Web Application ..................................................................................................................... 18 g) Advocacy Activities and Promotion of the Project ............................................................................... 19 2. Monitoring and Evaluation .............................................................................................. 22 V. List of Annexes ..................................................................................................................... 26 *For the purpose of uploading documents to the DEC, all personal information and pictures were removed and replaced with “XXX” I LIST OF ACRONYMS APOSO Agency for Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Education of BiH BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina CCC Common Core Curricula CD Country Director CMS CMS programming language CSSP Civil Society Sustainability Project ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development ENABLE Enhancing and Advancing Basic Learning and Education EU European Union EWG Expert Working Group FYR(OM) Former Yugoslavian Republic (of Macedonia) HEA Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina IE Inclusive Education INGO International Non-Governmental Organization KBE Knowledge Based Economy LO Learning Outcomes LoE Level of Effort MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning MIS Management Information System MoCA Ministry of Civil Affairs MoE Ministry of Education MEASURE Monitoring and Evaluation Support Activity MOU Memorandum of Understanding NWB Northwest Balkans OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OTC Operational Teaching Curricula PAB Project Advisory Board PISA Program for International Student Assessment PPDM Pedagogy, Psychology, Didactics and Teaching Methods RS Republika Srpska SAA Same as above SAR Special Administrative Region SC Save the Children SLO Student Learning Outcome STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics TE Teacher Education TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study ToT Training-of-Trainers UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development WG Working Group *For the purpose of uploading documents to the DEC, all personal information and pictures were removed and replaced with “XXX” II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The ENABLE BiH Phase II project continued its ground-breaking STEM reform in Year 2, with the aim to yield long-lasting impact and lay the foundation for further educational reform anchored in STEM principles. Key activities conducted this year include: STEM-integrated teaching implemented in selected model schools; teachers’ capacities further strengthened through training and mentorship; three centers of excellence created; an informal STEM education center established; and STEM integrated teaching further promoted. Moreover, in the emergency situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the project also quickly adapted, responding to the most pressing needs of project schools and universities and modifying activities to be able to bring the project to a successful completion. Key Achievements in this reporting period include: - 173 teachers in 11 model schools were further supported with capacity-building focused on the practical application of STEM labs in their daily teaching, in order to enhance the quality of STEM classes. - Five out of seven model schools exceeded the targeted 25% of STEM integrated teaching for annual teaching plans for STEM disciplines for Year II, while two models schools reached 18.25% and 19.42% respectively. More than half of the teachers surveyed through the SC’s internal evaluation reported using STEM teaching approach actively in their classes and extracurricular activities.1 - More than 90% of surveyed students1 reported a change in their perspective about STEM, including more positive attitudes and opinions about STEM subjects and STEM careers. Students now enjoy studying STEM classes more and consider STEM careers more often in comparison to the time when their teachers were using traditional teaching methods. - Through collaboration with Intera Technological Park Mostar, an informal STEM education center was established, providing additional educational opportunities for 300 children and youths in the Mostar area. - STEM integration best practice and project achievements were promoted through an online campaign, reaching over 405,000 people with videos, infographics, and success stories. - A catalogue of best STEM class lesson plans was compiled and widely shared with the educational community. In terms of project challenges, the implementation of programming in model schools in Republika Srpska finally resumed in November 2019 as a result of successful meetings between USAID representatives and educational authorities in Republika Srpska. Following up with the Pedagogical Institute, the agreement was made to provide a ToT STEM training for the advisors from the Pedagogical Institute prior to receiving the endorsing note for the implementation of STEM-integrated teaching in 5 model schools and the associated refresher trainings for their STEM teachers. The project team planned to implement STEM-integrated teaching at least in the second semester of the 2019/2020 school year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered these plans, so the implementation in the model schools in Republika Srpska was continued on *For the purpose of uploading documents to the DEC, all personal information and pictures were removed and replaced with “XXX” an extracurricular basis only and the refresher trainings (4 out of 5) were only feasible to be completed in September 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak led to a lockdown and the closure of educational institutions in mid- March which affected direct project implementation to a certain extent. To tackle these challenges, COVID-19 adaptation activities were presented to the donor in the Activity Risk Mitigation Plans. These plans included: online meetings and webinars, the use of 3D printers donated through ENABLE BiH for the creation of personal protective equipment for frontline workers during the COVID-19 initial lockdown, organization of different online STEM competitions in schools, and procurement of IT equipment, and distribution of PPE and hygiene products for schools and universities. The project thus showed how STEM-based approach to teaching could easily be adapted to quickly respond to crisis situations and changed work modalities. The internship activities with the STEM-related companies for students in the final years of primary and secondary schools were, unfortunately, most affected by COVID-19 pandemic, and had to be cancelled. Nevertheless, relationships were established and agreements signed with a number of leading local companies and these will be leveraged for further promotion of STEM professions and STEM education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, the project team continued supporting the USAID externally planned impact analysis aimed at examining the results of the ENABLE-BiH project and the effects of the STEM program in schools on students as per the methodology agreed by the Center for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research (CDESS) contracted by USAID. The Save