Improving Primary Education Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable Children in Rural Mongolia (2012-2016)

IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

Amitabh Dabla, PhD

SAVE THE CHILDREN JAPAN, MONGOLIA PROGRAM JUNE 2013 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

SCJ-M Save the Children Japan in Mongolia GoM Government of Mongolia JSDF Japan Social Development Fund GDP Gross domestic product MDGs Millennium Development Goals ECE Early childhood education MECS Ministry of Education, Culture and Science NFE Non-formal education ICT Information and communication technology M&E Monitoring & Evaluation FGD Focus group discussion ADB Asian Development Bank JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency MoU Memorandum of understanding CEC Community education council ECD Education and Culture Department

2 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

INTRODUCTION

The Mongolian education system was When nomadic herder children leave extended to 12 years in 2008, which home at the age of six, this separation now aligns Mongolia’s education system from their family negatively affects their with international standards. Therefore, psycho-emotional wellbeing. Furthermore, since the 2008-2009 school year, early most of these children enroll in primary childhood education (ECE) is for 2-5 year school without having attended formal old children followed by 12 years of primary ECE, thus increasing chance of them and secondary education. This structural having undetected learning difficulties and reform has led all schools in Mongolia to poor school performance. According to the lower the primary school entry age to 6 Ministry of Education and Science (MES), years of age (from the previous age of 8 in 2011, more than 38% of all ECE-aged years old). children in Mongolia (most of who reside These reforms have also brought about in rural areas) entered into primary school a new set of concerns and challenges for without having formal ECE. MES statistics nomadic families in rural Mongolia, who also indicate that 80.5% of all dropout make up nearly 30% of the country’s total cases of children (aged 6-14) occur in population. Dormitories attached to soum rural areas and that dropout and repetition center schools have consistently served rates are disproportionally high for primary as the only way of providing nomadic grade children. Compounding this situation children with access to education; yet now is the fact that the existing non-formal when it comes to meeting the educational education (NFE) program targets children needs of 6-8 year old children, thousands and individuals between 10-49 years of age, of nomadic herder families have to choose and is not set up to meet the educational either to needs of lower-primary age children. • Send their child to the school The Improving Primary Education dormitory at the age of 6, and be Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable Children completely or partially separated in Rural Mongolia project thus aims to from their child for 9 months a specifically target the most vulnerable year nomadic children aged 5-10, who face very specific challenges in adjusting to • Have the father herd animals while school and soum life an adjustment that the wife migrates to the soum plays a crucial role in the children’s overall center with their 6-8 year old child, development. Ultimately, the project so that the child can attend school complements and contributes to the efforts without staying a dormitory of the Mongolian government, the World • Send their child to live with relatives Bank, the UN and other development at the soum center to attend school partners’ initiatives and goals to improve • Delay their child’s school entry until disadvantaged rural children’s access to the child is 7-8 or older. quality education.

3 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT

Save the Children Japan in Mongolia • Strengthening school preparation (SCJ-M) has received a $2.5 million grant programs for new school entrants from the World Bank’s Japan Social (5-6 years of age) Development Fund (JSDF) to implement • Introducing extracurricular after- the Improving Primary Education Outcomes school programs in schools for for the Most Vulnerable Children in Rural vulnerable children (6-10 years of Mongolia project (June 2012 to 2016). age) living away from home The project, which will be implemented in 30 rural soums (districts) in four aimags • Pilot compensatory education (provinces) across the country, consists of programs for lower primary out of three interlinked components. school children (6-9 years of age)

METHODOLOGY

The baseline survey conducted for the • To enable the baseline survey project had the following goals, results to be compared with the • To provide a current overview of conditions of the project outcome the pre-operational conditions in and output indicators at the mid- the 30 target soums where the point and the end of the project project will be implemented • To gather data on the current The consultant visited Mongolia from situation of project’s outcome February 16 to March 14, 2013 and led indicators the SCJ-M project team and the field • To gather data on the current office teams in finalizing the baseline situation of the project’s output methodology, pilot testing the baseline indicators, which will emanate from instruments and conducting the baseline the project’s three components survey in six soums. After training each • To discuss potential issues of the three field office teams, the field concerning the project’s teams then went on to conduct the implementation & to provide baseline survey in the remaining 24 soums practical suggestions and of the project. recommendations • To train and build capacity of the SCJ-M field staff in conducting the baseline and the M&E of the project

4 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

DATA COLLECTION METHODS • The Task Team Leader (Human The following data-collection methods Development Operations Officer), were employed for the baseline World Bank Mongolia • Head of Division, Primary and Pre- School Education, MES Document review • Child Development Specialist, The consultant reviewed all pertinent Primary and Pre-School Education, project and GoM documents. MES • Non Formal Education Specialist, National Center for Lifelong Government & School Data Learning Government and school data on the following topics was collected and Interviews compiled for the 30 target soums Face to face interviews were conducted • Demographic with the following in all the 30 project • Primary school students numbers soums. and living arrangements (grades 1-5) • Soum governors, deputy governor, pertinent soum government • Primary school students having officials formal, alternative or no ECE (grades 1-5) • In total 61 government officials were interviewed including 26 • Dropout and risk of dropout soums governors and 6 deputy numbers (ages 6-10) soum governors • Re-enrollment numbers (ages 6-10) • School director, primary education • Non-enrollment numbers (ages manager 6-10) • In total 25 school directors and 24 • Primary school registration lists for primary education managers were grades 1-4 interviewed Pertinent education data was also • For the seven soums that had a obtained from the four aimag Education second school in a distant bagh, and Culture Departments overseeing the phone interviews were conducted 30 project soums. SCJ-M collected all this with their school director, primary data during the course of the baseline. school manager.

Meetings with Key Officials Focus Group Discussion (FGD) The consultant held meetings in Three sets of FGDs were conducted Ulaanbaatar with the following officials, with the following groups of people in the • The SCJ-M chief of party and the 30 project soums project team • Primary, kindergarten and

5 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

dormitory teachers; school social Three level of performance surveys workers and NFE specialists (in (including questions in the subjects of total 403 people participated in Math and Mongolian) for out of school these FGDs) children (ages 6-9 for component III of the • Community members including project) & for control students (in grades bagh governors, doctors, nurses, 1-3 in primary schools) were designed soum librarians, retirees and by the SCJ-M project team after getting general community members etc inputs from the four aimag Education (in total 331 people participated in and Culture Departments. However, these these FGDs) surveys were not administered, as potential • Parents and relatives of target target out of school children could not be children (in total 287 people located during the baseline. participated in these FGDs) Pilot Testing Checklists The consultant designed the interviews, Three checklists were administered to FGDs and checklists instruments (with determine the condition of the following questions) and the project team translated in all of the 30 project soums them. The consultant and the project • School dormitory M&E specialist then pilot tested all these instrument in the first two soums • School library the consultant visited (Burd soum in • Soum library Uvurkhangai and Khairkhan soum in The school dormitory and school library Arkhangai). Based on the pilot testing checklists were administered over the results, changes were made to the phone with the school director/primary baseline instruments. The final translated school manager for the bagh school in the interviews, FGDs, checklist instruments seven soums. were provided to the project field teams Surveys to enable them to carry out their baseline Two psycho-emotional surveys were work. designed by the consultant & administered and tested in six soums. Data Entry Forms • A psycho-emotional wellbeing The consultant prepared excel data survey for target children in grades entry forms for the following, 2, 3 & 4 • Demographic and education data • A teachers’ survey including for the 30 project soums questions about the target children’s • Interviews psycho-emotional wellbeing (filled • FGDs out by the teachers who teach the target students taking the student • Checklists psycho-emotional surveys in grades 2, 3 & 4) All the data collected was inputted into the predesigned Excel file formats by the

6 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

field teams and sent to the project team to Time Requirements be translated before being provided to the Each soum visit required one whole day consultant. that included a visit to the soum school and to the soum government offices to Training of SCJ-M Field Staff conduct the interviews and FGDs & to administer the checklists. However, as the The consultant visited six soums in three distances to reach the soums were vast, an aimags (two soums in each aimag). In overnight stay was required to complete each aimag, one field team accompanied the baseline in each soum. Further, each the consultant and the project M&E interview took 45 minutes to one hour and Specialist for the interviews and FGDs for each FGD took between 50-70 minutes. the administering of the checklists and the psycho-emotional surveys. Through this method, the three field teams observed Data Analysis the consultant conducting the baseline. At Quantitative and qualitative data was the end of the visit to each aimag, the collected as part of the baseline. The consultant and the M&E Specialist sat quantitative data included demographic down with each field team and went over and education data for the 30 project the methods and scope of the baseline. The soums. The qualitative data (collected from topics covered in these meetings included interviews, FGDs, checklists, meetings • Providing an overview of the etc) included more detailed, holistic and baseline indicators, data collection nuanced information (also adding context methods etc to the quantitative data). All the collected • How to administer the interviews, data was examined and analyzed by the FGDs and checklists consultant and limitations in the baseline • The demographic and education were noted. data needed • How to conduct data entry • How to administer the surveys in the future

A workshop was also held on March 13, 2013 in Ulaanbaatar to enable the three field teams to discuss the baseline work they had completed to clarify issues and further plan for the soums they still had to conduct the baseline in. Hence, through accompanying and observing the consultant while he carried out the baseline, holding meetings in the aimags and from the workshop in Ulaanbaatar the three field teams built their capacity to conduct the baseline in 24 project soums.

7 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

EDUCATION DATA

The baseline compiled education data • The numbers of target children for all the 30 soums in the following living in dormitories and with categories: relatives is a determining factor in • Number of students in primary planning programs and activities school (by grade 1-5) for component II of the project • Number of primary students living • Non-enrollment numbers are a in dormitories and with relatives determining factor in planning (by grade 1-5) programs and activities for • Early childhood education (ECE) component III of the project coverage of primary students • The dropout and re-enrollment including those that have attended data serves as the baseline for two formal ECE, alternate ECE or have of the project outcome indicators no ECE (by grade 1-5) • Taking into account the reasons • Number of dropouts in primary provided for dropouts/risk of school (ages 6-10) and reasons for dropping out, re-enrolling and dropping out non-enrolling; the project will have • Primary school students at risk to align its activities, programs and of dropping out (ages 6-10) and strategies so that, as far as possible, reasons for them being at risk of it is addressing these reasons. dropping out The dropout, non-enrollment and re- • Number of students names enrollment data obtained for the baseline removed from primary school from school directors, primary school registration lists (by grade 1-5) and managers from all the 30 project soums also the reasons for this has certain limitations. First, the baseline • Number of re-enrollment in primary has no mechanisms to verify whether any school (ages 6-10) and the reasons errors were made in compiling this data & for this if the data received by the schools from • Number of non-enrollment in the bagh governors is completely accurate. primary school (ages 6-10) and the Second, the education data provided by reasons for this these sources also does not take into account issues of long-term absenteeism & This detailed education data is critical what happens to migrating children. Third, for the project as, the dropout and non-enrollment numbers • The ECE coverage data is a obtained from the school directors/primary determining factor in planning education managers were combined for programs and activities for two school years (2011-2013), hence the component I of the project baseline was not able to breakdown these numbers for any one of the two years.

8 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

For the specific purpose of this project, SCJ-M is also collecting data (the CECs in each soum will aid in this task) on each target child in the 30 project soums and plans to set up a database of all the target children. This database will include, for example, their age, sex, level of ECE, grade level and whether they dropped out, re-enrolled, not enrolled, migrated etc and for what reasons.

9 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

TARGET 4 AIMAGS AND 30 SOUMS

The 30 project soums were selected number of students currently at through a three-step process. Statistical risk of dropping out. information from the MES, national level data and other sources were analyzed UVURKHANGAI AIMAG to select the soums in the country that have high numbers of 5-10 aged children, Uvurkhangai has 19 soums, which are the lowest formal ECE enrollment rates, divided into 105 baghs. The population in high numbers of poor families, higher the aimag is approximately 100,000. Ten than the national average school dropout soums were chosen for the project in rates(especially in primary classes), soum’s Uvurkhangai and two of these soums had not already receiving any international two schools (one located in a distant bagh organization support and so forth. of the soum). • Uyanga and Bogd are the most populated soums and also have ARKHANGAI AIMAG the most number of children aged Arkhangai has 19 soums, which 6-10. are further divided into 99 baghs. The • Bogd, Sant and Bayan-Undur population in the aimag is approximately soums have the highest number 84,000. Ten soums were chosen for the of target children (living in the project in Arkhangai and four of these dormitories and with relatives) of soums had two schools (one located in a all the ten soums in the aimag. distant bagh of the soum). • Uyanga and Bogd soums have very • Erdenemandal and Ondor-Ulaan high number of students with no are the most populated soums preschool education. and also have the most number of • Uyanga, Bogd and Zuunbayan- children aged 6-10. Ulaan have the highest number of • Erdenemandal, Undurkhaan, dropouts. Khairhan and Tsetserleg have the • Bogd has the highest number highest number of target children of students currently at risk of who living in the dormitories and dropping out. with relatives of all the ten soums in the aimag. DORNOD AIMAG • Erdenemandal and Khotont soums have very high numbers of students Dornod has 14 soums, which are divided who have no preschool education. into 58 baghs. The population in the aimag • Khotont soum’s Undursant bagh, is approximately 68,000. Five soums in Tariat and Jargalant have highest Dornod were chosen for the project and number of dropouts. one of these soums has two schools (one located in a distant bagh of the soum). • Khotont soum’s Undursant bagh and Erdenemandal have the highest

10 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

• Tsagaan-Ovoo is the most the aimag is approximately 54,000. Five populated soum and also has the soums were chosen for the project in most number of children aged Sukhbaatar and none of these soums had 6-10. more than one school. • Choibalsan soum has the highest • Erdenetsagaan is the most number of target children (living in populated soum and has the most the dormitories and with relatives) children aged 6-10 of all the five of all the five soums in the aimag. soums. • Matad soum has the highest • Erdenetsagaan and Bayandelger number of children with no soums have the highest number preschool education. of target children (who live in the • Khalkhgol has the highest number dormitories and with relatives) of of dropouts. all the five soums in the aimag. • Khalkhgol’s Yalalt bagh has the • Erdenetsagaan soum has very highest number of students high number of students with no currently at risk of dropping out. preschool education. • Erdenetsagaan has a high number SUKHBAATAR AIMAG of dropouts and double the amount of students who are at risk Sukhbaatar has 13 soums, which are of dropping out. divided into 67 baghs. The population in The 30 soums chosen for the project are listed under their aimags in Table 1 below. Table 1: List of the 30 Project Soums

Arkhangai Aimag Uvurkhangai Aimag Dornod Aimag Sukhbaatar Aimag 1 Khashaat 11 Bayan-Undur 21 Tsagaan-Ovoo 26 Munkhkhaan 2 Khotont ** 12 Bayangol 22 Sergelen 27 Uulbayan Urdursant Bagh 13 Zuunbayan-Ulaan 23 Matad 28 Ongon 3 Khangai 14 Uyanga** 24 Choibalsan 29 Bayandelger 4 Tariat ** Jargaland Bagh 25 Khalkhgol** 30 Erdenetsagaan Murun Bagh 15 Taragt** Yalalt Bagh 5 Undur-Ulaan** Tuya Bagh Khanui Bagh 16 Bogd 6 Tsetserleg 17 Khairkhandu-laan 7 Jargalant ** 18 Burd Khoolt Bagh 19 Yosonzuil 8 Ulziit 20 Sant 9 Khairkhan 10 Erdenemandal

** denotes that the soum has two schools

11 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

3 COMPONENTS

The project consists of three interlinked and skills on caring for 5-6 year components. old children’s psychosocial and development needs

COMPONENT I Based on the data gathered from the This chapter discusses the pre- 30 soums the baseline has reached the operational conditions pertaining to the following conclusions for the current state outputs that the project aims to achieve for the eight outputs of component I; through its first component, which will strengthen school preparation programs • None of the 30 soums primary for new school entrants (5-6 years of age) schools currently have any training in the 30 target soums. The project output modules or learning resource indicators for component I include; materials on school readiness and preparation that can be used by • Training modules and materials parents, school administrators, on school readiness developed for kindergarten and primary teachers parents, school administrators, and dormitory staff. kindergarten and primary teachers, • None of the 30 soums currently and dormitory staff have any learning resource • Learning resource materials on materials on school readiness and school preparation produced for preparation for children and their 10,000 children, families families. • 30 Toy and Equipment Libraries • All the 30 soums have school and set up at 30 target kindergartens/ soum libraries, but no Toy and schools Equipment libraries currently exist • 40 soum governors and local in any of the 30 soums. government officials trained on • None of the 30 soums governors, school readiness/preparation deputy governors and government • 30 community education councils officials currently have any training formed at soum level and conduct in the area of school readiness and regular operations preparation. • Capacity of at least 210 • None of the 30 soums currently kindergarten/primary/dormitory have any type of community based teachers on school preparation education councils, groups or built through training associations. • Up to 30 CECs provided with • None of the 30 soums currently community block grants to promote have any training programs or the program delivery and reach activities to build the capacity • At least 3,600 parents/relatives of kindergarten, primary and contacted to share knowledge dormitory teachers in the area of

12 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

school readiness and preparation. judges their ability. Based on this • There are currently no grants being testing their teacher can have a allocated to specifically address better idea as to what challenging issues related to school readiness issues the children face and can and preparation in any of the 30 then determine what resources/ soums. materials are needed to help them • There are currently no programs overcome their learning difficulties. or activities to contact parents • The school director and the primary or relatives to provide them education manager also need to information, knowledge and skills be trained along with the teachers on how to care for children’s (5-6 and the kindergarten manager years) psychosocial, psychological should interact with them to inform and development needs in any of them of the formal kindergarten’s the 30 soums. methods and approaches. • The location of the Toy and Equipment library will be a crucial Some other issues regarding this factor in its operation and use and component that the project should consider it would be optimal to base this include; library in the soum library (as long • Primary school teachers should as the soum library is physically be appraised on the topics and able to do so). A schedule can methods that are being used in the then be worked out where the soum kindergartens, so that they ger kindergarten can use the Toy can build their capacity to deal and Equipment library resources/ with new school entrants who have materials in the summer and the limited or no ECE. Further, trainings kindergarten, primary school and should be held where kindergarten dormitory can use them on a teachers inform primary teachers rotating basis over the course of about how and what children learn the school year. in kindergarten and also provide • The reason to avoid basing the them strategies on how to teach Toy and Equipment library in the children who enter school with kindergarten, school or dormitory limited or no ECE. It will also be is that placing it in either of these beneficial for primary teachers to venues will give the officials (of visit the kindergarten to see the these venues) ownership of the kindergarten teachers interacting library and they will then be in a with the children. dominant position to decide who • Materials and resources that are uses its resources/materials and used in the kindergarten should be when. By placing the Toy and made available for children in grade Equipment library in the soum 1 who enter school with limited or library the soum government will no ECE. have oversight of it and there • All children who enter grade 1 should not be a bias towards any should take a simple test that group.

13 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

• Nomadic herder parents that come 1. A school guidance manual on to the soum center to receive after-school programs developed their monthly allowance from and 30 soum schools (5 teachers the government (which is meant per school, including primary and for helping the families take dormitory teachers and school care of their children) should be social workers) receive relevant systematically targeted for trainings training and dissemination of educational 2. At least 60 target children regularly materials and resources. Further, attend and benefit from the after- when nomadic herder parents that school programs per school each come to drop off their children in year during the second year to the the dormitory they should also be fourth year systematically targeted. The project 3. At least 5 community members are should also determine which identified, trained and act as after herder children live with their school program facilitators at each single mothers in the soum center school (while the father remains with the 4. 500 copies of an “After-School animals) and these single mothers Program Best Practices Manual” should then also be systematically developed and circulated to all targeted. schools in Mongolia • Herder parents and relatives need 5. Up to 30 CECs provided with to be trained on school preparation community block grants to promote and readiness and each soum will the program delivery and reach have to work out the optimal 6. 30 school dormitories supported schedule for the trainings. However, with basic equipment and the project should consider the renovation seasonal calendar for Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai to determine the best times to hold training sessions Based on the data gathered from the and other related activities for 30 soums the baseline has reached the herder parents. following conclusions for the current state for the six outputs of component II, COMPONENT II • Extracurricular after-school programs and activities exist in This chapter discusses the pre- schools for primary students, but operational conditions pertaining to the currently there are no extracurricular outputs that the project aims to achieve after-school programs or activities through its second component, which that specifically target children will introduce extracurricular after-school living in dormitories or with relatives programs in schools for children (6- in the 30 project soums. 10 years of age) living in dormitories or • There are community members with relatives. The output indicators for in the 30 project soums who component II include; have the skills and knowledge to run extracurricular after school

14 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

activities for target children living • Having only teachers lead the in dormitories or with relatives, but after-school activities might not they are currently not doing so due be conducive as the target children to a lack of existence of any such will then see the program as a programs. continuation of school. Further, • No national, aimag or soum after-school programs must be level extracurricular after-school structured in such a manner that programs manual (aimed at the they are different from classes target children) currently exists in taught in the school. Mongolia. • All the 30 project soums schools COMPONENT III currently have dormitories that This chapter discusses the pre- host primary and secondary school operational conditions pertaining to the students. outputs that the project aims to achieve through its third component, which will Some other issues regarding this pilot compensatory education programs component that the project should consider for lower primary out of school children include; (6-9 years of age). The output indicators • An assessment of the target for component III include, children should be undertaken to 1. Alternative lower-primary, home- find out what activities they would based learning education curricula like to participate in after-school (grades 1-3) and their corresponding program. teaching and learning materials • There are three categories of school (including a series of self-learning children who are away from home. video programs) developed and These include children living in piloted dormitories, children with relatives 2. At least 1,000 teaching and learning and children living with their resource materials developed, mothers (while their father stays produced, and disseminated with the animals). Thus, programs and activities should also ensure to 3. Training for at least 140 teachers, include the children living with their community volunteers and mentor mothers. parents trained on individual teaching/coaching/monitoring • Extracurricular academic after- techniques and program delivery school activities should be designed keeping in mind that target children 4. At least 300 children enrolled in the in the same grades do not have alternative lower-primary education identical learning levels. equivalency programs • Older children in the dormitory (in 5. Capacity of 34 soum/aimag schools secondary school) can be utilized or enlightenment centers to deliver as volunteers in the after-school program activities improved (e.g., activities and can also lead sports setting up of resource libraries) activities.

15 IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN RURAL MONGOLIA (2012-2016)

6. Up to 30 CECs provided with ICT content dissemination, retrieval community block grants to promote and evaluation methods will be. the program delivery and reach • The project should consider 7. Project-produced teaching and conducting a thorough global learning resource materials mapping exercise on this topic, uploaded onto NCLE’s website for which will provide information and wider circulation and use insights on how similar projects in similar/different contexts in developing and developed countries As component III of the project will have worked. This exercise will also pilot compensatory education programs, help in pointing out who the main there are currently no such programs in players in this area are; what types existence in any of the 30 project soums, of technologies and content have hence there was no baseline data to be been used and the issues with gathered on the component’s outputs. them, what resources are available Further, it should also be noted that the for free etc. Based on the results 30 project soums primary schools have no of this mapping exercise the project official role or involvement in targeting out will have a much clearer idea to of school children. However, when a school move forward to pilot programs. identifies an out of school child, it will sent a letter to the parents asking them to re- • ICTs are tools and the ICT content, enroll the child. The bagh governors will no matter how well made, will not also talk to the parents and ask them why serve its purpose unless it fits with their child is not attending school. the local context. Hence, it is more important to get a fit between the target children and parents and the Some other issues regarding this right type of ICT content rather component that the project should consider than having the most high end ICT include; content. The only way this can be done is to do a needs assessment and to test the ICT content before • It will have to be determined which piloting the programs. soums have the target children and families to pilot programs for this • NFE officials in each soum should component (the non-enrollment be asked to provide a list of people data in the baseline will aid in in the soum who are enrolled in the this task). Once the soums have NFE program. These people can been selected, the project (and/ then be targeted for the programs or the CECs) will have to conduct of this component. an assessment as to how to • Supporting mechanisms have to optimally target the children and be put into place for out of school their families based on their ICT children and herder families to infrastructure and what the optimal get something more from the ICT

16 BASELINE SUMMARY REPORT

content than just viewing it. This will include, at a minimum, some *** trainings, additional resources and materials (not ICT based) and a The baseline report has clearly shown feedback method to evaluate what that there is an acute need for each of kind of learning is taking place. the three components of the Improving Primary Education Outcomes for the Most • Schools and soum libraries have Vulnerable Children in Rural Mongolia ICTs equipment and the project project in the 30 target soums. As the should strategize how these venues project is implemented, it is expected can be used to show ICT content that the target children will improve their to various target audiences in the learning outcomes and psycho-emotional soum center. wellbeing; the capacity of teachers, parents and the community will be built; and the COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCILS quality of education will improve. The project has all the ingredients to become The project aims to set up innovate a model for the primary education system CECs in each of the project soums, which in Mongolia in the future and this baseline will oversee the programs and activities exercise is a crucial step in that direction. of each of the three components and also be responsible for distributing community block grants to attain the aims of each component. CEC members should be all the stakeholders of the project encompassing soum government officials, bagh governors, school officials, teachers, parents and active community members. As community-based education organizations are a new concept, the project will have provide additional support in the initial stages to get the CECs operational. Another way forward might be to pilot the CECs in some soums to see how they function before making them operational in all the project soums. Further, after the formation of each CEC, it would be beneficial if the body does some sort of an assessment exercise. This will help the CEC plan and strategize its roles and actions, thereby ensuring that the programs and activities of the three components of the project are implemented based on the needs of each soum.