1. DCC Education Working Group
Consultation on Medium-term Development Strategy (MtDS)
Dushanbe
21 November 2016

2. 1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors?
Preschool Education/ECE
Increasing the enrolment in pre-school education, especially for children aged 3-6 years old, with the advantage of enrollment for children with disabilities in the process of allocation of available places. By 2020, the number of children attending pre-school institutions is expected to increase up to 30%.
strengthening and expanding traditional forms of preschool education, including through active encouraging the establishment of private educational institutions;
development of innovative/alternative forms of pre-school training (free preparatory groups created in public kindergartens, early childhood development centers, special preparatory groups at schools);
development of standards and training programs for non-traditional forms and short-term daycare centers to prepare children for school, as well as to provide additional paid services related to preschool training.
Ensuring high-quality preschool education through the implementation of the following measures:
development of the system of state standards for getting children ready for school, which will create the skeleton of basic skills development system, using innovation and promoting protection of children’s rights/interests;
implementation of an improved system of training, retraining and professional development of employees;
development and implementation of the systems to monitor the quality of education in pre-school institutions;
development and implementation of standards and controls with regard to the quality of food and medical assistance provided to such institutions.

3. 1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors
1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors? (cont.)
General Secondary Education
Preparation for transition to 12-Year Education System;
Universal general secondary education;
Improving quality of teaching and learning;
Improve the efficiency in education;
Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities
Finalizing the establishment of the framework for transition to 12-year education cycle and improving the efficiency of the educational process, while ensuring universal coverage, improving the quality of teaching and school results by:
improving the quality of education of graduates, teachers and educational institutions;
increasing investment in school infrastructure, thereby allowing building at least 281 new schools for approximately 104 thousand pupils. Computers will be provided to at least 480 schools;
development and publishing of new textbooks not only in the state language, but also in the languages of the national minorities;
connecting all schools across the country to the Internet;
full provision of schools with qualified teachers, especially in rural areas, and promoting employment in the school system, including young graduates of pedagogical specialties;
introducing interactive programs of innovative education in the teachers’ advanced training institutions, including programs aimed to support and train teachers to educate children with disabilities in regular schools;
introduction of the free daily hot meal system for the primary school children;
implementation of training programs in schools, which will include professional orientation to help pupils choose further professional specialization at the end of the 9th grade;
providing education in personal hygiene, life skills and healthy lifestyle according to age groups of pupils;
increasing access to specialized optional (facultative) classes;
significant efforts will be applied to ensure fulfillment of the rights of children with disabilities to have access to and receive quality education.
Development and application of special training programs and improvement of the system of training of specialists to work with children with special learning needs through:
integration of children with disabilities into regular schools;
establishment of special environment for the development, upbringing and education of children with disabilities, as well as promoting and initiating establishment of conditions adequate to the specific needs of a child (distance education of children with disabilities at home, including equipping their homes with necessary technical means and providing access to the Internet);
implementation of per capita financing mechanism at schools to ensure the quality of education and social equality;
providing better support for children from poor families in the form of textbooks, nutrition (not only primary school children) and provision of clothing through budgetary funds.

4. 1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors
1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors? (cont.)
Primary and Secondary Vocation Education
Review of curriculum and linking with the labour market;
Introduction of learning outcome assessments;
Professional development and teacher training (management skills, law, foreign languages, ICT);
Diversifying vocational schools to offer 7-10 key specialties.
Cardinal improvement of the primary and secondary education systems by 2020, in particular through:
improving the legal and regulatory framework and the system of accreditation of educational institutions;
regular updating of professional education programs based on the monitoring of the labor market demand. Such monitoring system will be established in the form of public-private partnership. This will include the establishment of a database of professions. External educational outcomes assessment and certification of professional qualification system is expected to be implemented;
development of the training system and certification of teachers through implementation of new professional training programs that would include, for example, development of management skills, knowledge of the law, foreign languages and information technologies;
assessment of continuous progress in the establishment and functioning of the Coordination Council on professional education.
Creating favorable conditions for persons with disabilities to receive vocational education in educational institutions located as close as possible to their place of residence by:
providing opportunities for distance education using e-learning technologies;
developing tolerant attitude towards persons with disabilities getting education;
promoting interagency cooperation to address the problems of vocational education for the people with disabilities and facilitate their subsequent employment.
Increasing establishment of diversified (multisectoral) vocational high school (lyceums)/colleges, each of which will offer training in 7-10 key specialties by:
clustering the related professions and specialties, for which the training should be organized in line with primary and secondary professional education programs;
opening the branches of vocational colleges on the basis of existing secondary schools in the most remote regions;
initiating the process of inclusion of colleges in the structure of specialized universities;
organizing special courses aimed to ensure greater inclusion of women in the small business.
By 2020, 18% of vocational education institutions accessible for PwD

5. 1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors
1) What is indicated in the MtDS as a priority in specific sectors? (cont.)
Higher Education
Design new educational standards and programmes and translate in education process and research;
Improve quality assurance system through internal audits, state attestation and accreditation and public oversight mechanisms;
Introduction of PCF and expansion of competitive research grants;
Establishment of small enterprises, techno-parks, joint labs and centres.
By 2020, 15% increase in enrolment
Increasing coverage of school leavers, vocational colleges and lyceums graduates with higher education by not less than 15% and ensuring greater coherence between the labor market demand and the higher vocational education system through:
implementation of necessary measures to improve the quality of education for graduates, teachers and higher education institutions;
design and implementation of educational standards of the new generation, equipping the educational process and scientific research in line with those standards;
improvement of the education quality evaluation system through the modernization of internal audits, the state attestation and accreditation, as well as the development of public oversight mechanisms;
introduction of new methods of higher education funding, involving per capita financing along with increased competitive funding of HEIs research activities;
establishment, within higher education institutions, of small enterprises, technoparks, joint laboratories, centers providing consulting, design and other types of services.

6. 2) What DPs are doing jointly and remain the priority for the sectors?
Increasing access to and improving the quality of early childhood education;
Curriculum reform in general secondary education;
Promotion of safe and inclusive education;
Improving educational results in primary schools through providing free daily meals in rural areas;
Strengthening capacity on education management at all levels (EMIS, financing, M&E, planning);
Improving teacher preparedness and professional development (pre-service and in-service teacher training);
Improving national education quality assurance system, including learning outcome assessment system;
Improvement of relevance of professional education to the labour market needs;
Coordination, Policy Advocacy and Joint Planning and Reviews.

7. 3) What is missing, but is important for the sector development?
Strengthen focus on evidence generation and monitoring of progress and performance for improved planning and decision making;
Improve cross sectoral collaboration for children holistic development, such as early childhood development (nutrition, early stimulation, early screening and intervention, social protection);
Link with the on-going curriculum reform;
Stronger focus on equity in learning;
Involvement of private sector in improving education at all levels;
Performance assessment framework linking policy statements to measurable goals along with a set of costed programmes is somewhat missing.

8. 4) Priority areas/Results to be achieved by 2020?
Near universal basic education is achievable, however not in upper secondary (10-11 grades); also target for CwDs enrolment is extremely ambitious;
Efficiency gains and improvement of teaching quality are attainable with the ongoing curriculum reform;
Effective use of public funds for education thanks to introduction of PCF, however allocation of 1% of GDP for Science by 2020 seems unrealistic;
Matrix of policy actions in the MtDS should be reviewed as per committed contribution of DPs.
Well articulated performance assessment framework that links the policy statements to measurable goals along with a set of programmes that have been costed with activities allocated across a number of years allowing for the priority programmes to be identified and a phasing identified.

9. Questions / Comments