Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 1st, 2022 - The Ministry of Science and Education (MES) is launching a new program, titled “Enabling Equity to Advance Learning” (EQUAL), which will create better access to, and quality education for the children in Mongolia.
The US$5 million program is funded by the Global Partnership for Education, within their Multiplier education sector program implementation grant.
The financing agreement was signed by B.Javkhlan, Minister of Finance, L. Enkh-Amgalan, Minister of Education and Science, and L. Bayan-Altai, Country Manager and Representative of Save the Children Japan in Mongolia, who is representing the grant agent on August 23, 2022 and the program entered into force.
The signing ceremony of the financing agreement took place on August 23, 2022 between the MES and Save the Children. The agreement was signed by L. Enkh-Amgalan, Minister of Education and Science, and L. Bayan-Altai, the Country Manager and Representative of Save the Children Japan in Mongolia, who is representing the grant agent. The agreement was signed in the presence of Kobayashi Hiroyuki, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia, representing the Coordinating Agency.
The program will be implemented for three years with the overall goal to improve access and quality of learning through inclusive approaches. The program will be focusing on three education sector priorities: inclusive education, school feeding and blended learning, which will be supported by Multiplier partners – JICA, KOICA, Save the Children and other development partners in Mongolia.
The inclusive education component will complement Save the Children and JICA’s interventions by building the capacity of targeted mainstream schools to provide learning support for children with disabilities. This component will support 4,693 mainstream teachers in public schools across two districts in Ulaanbaatar and the four rural aimags of Arkhangai, Selenge, Sukhbaatar and Uvs through capacity-building training workshops.
The school feeding component will complement KOICA and JICA's program by improving the quality of food production and service in schools. 45 schools will be targeted across Mongolia, reaching over 48,000 children and working with 36 nutritionists.
The blended learning component will complement development partner strategies by creating a contextually appropriate blended learning model for improved student learning. 50 selected schools from two districts in Ulaanbaatar and Uvs, Khovd, Bulgan, Sukhbaatar, and Dundgobi aimags will be supported by EQUAL program, improving skills of over 1,000 primary and secondary school teachers and learning of 5,000 students.
Mr. L. Enkh-Amgalan, Minister of Education and Science said: “This grant will significantly support the implementation of our mid-term education development plan. The program is responsive to current needs from COVID-19 and I have no doubt that MES together with Multiplier and development partners will ensure aid effectiveness and maximize value for money.”
Mr. Charles North, Acting CEO of the Global Partnership for Education, said: “GPE commends the government of Mongolia and its education partners for their dedication and commitment to transforming education for the country’s most vulnerable children.”
Mr. L.Bayan-Altai, Country Manager and Representative of Save the Children Japan in Mongolia, said “Save the Children in Mongolia and Save the Children Australia were selected to work as joint grant agents and we will do our best to ensure the smooth implementation of the program."
Mr. Kobayashi Hiroyuki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia, said: “As the coordinating agency, the Embassy will ensure the engagement of all stakeholders. I have no doubt that the Multiplier effect of development partners will improve access and quality of learning in Mongolia.”
Mr.Shinichi Tanaka, Chief Representative of JICA Mongolia Office, said: “JICA, as a co-financing partner, is delighted to know GPE Multiplier grant was approved and ready for mobilization for strengthening school lunch and inclusive education program in Mongolia."
Mr. Jun Mo Kim, Country Director of KOICA Mongolia Office, said: “It is delightful to hear that the GPE Multiplier Fund finally got approved in partnership with the Ministry, KOICA, JICA and Save the Children. More students are expected to receive the high quality of education and meal services.”
For more information, please contact:
Tsolmon Gundenbal, Education Program Manager, Save the Children in Mongolia @email
Tamara Kummer, GPE Media Lead, @email, +33 7 82 26 07 18
About GPE
GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis. We mobilize partners and funds to support 82 lower-income countries to transform their education systems so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world. www.globalpartnership.org