BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank (WB) approved the allocation of $50 million grant for the improvement of the quality of secondary education in Tajikistan, Trend reports via the WB.
The grant will be provided by the member of the World Bank Group -International Development Association (IDA) in the frame of the Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education in the Tajikistan project.
According to the WB, the first stage of the project will support the development and implementation of a new national teaching and learning system in the country.
The second stage includes investments in the reconstruction, and modernization of schools to increase the number of classes, open new modern laboratories, provide equipment and expand the possibilities for learning.
The third stage is going to enhance the country's capacity to conduct national and international assessments, which are critical for monitoring student learning quality and generating reliable data to inform policy and decision-making.
The WB noted that while Tajikistan has high access to general secondary education (enrollment at 96.6 percent in 2019), the quality of learning remains low.
According to the WB Country Manager for Tajikistan, Ozan Sevimli, education is an important investment in human capital, and it is linked to higher wages and GDP growth in the country.
“We are very excited about this new investment as it seeks to improve teaching and learning for a young and growing population and supports capacity improvements and learning assessments towards a more accountable, effective, and inclusive education system,” the manager said.
Tajikistan has been cooperating with the World Bank since 1993 and with IDA since 1994. During the period, the WB has provided over $2.44 billion in grants, highly concessional credits, and trust funds to support Tajikistan’s efforts to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives.