Basic Education Strengthening and Transformation Project

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The objective of the Basic Education Strengthening and Transformation Project for Timor-Leste is to improve the learning environment of basic education schools and increase the efficiency and equity of basic education programs. The Project has five components. 1. Developing 21st Century Learning Spaces component will support the ministry in transforming how school infrastructure investments are made and in the development of infrastructure in schools that are in greatest need. 1.1. Standards for 21st Century Schools subcomponent will finance (a) capacity building of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS); (b) the development of 21st century school standards; (c) the development of infrastructure planning guidelines; ; (d) the development of an online school infrastructure management system; (e) the implementation of a school infrastructure census; and (f) the development of standardized school designs. 1.2. 21st Century Classrooms and Schools subcomponent will finance the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, schools, and all the associated non-academic infrastructure. 2. Improving Teacher Effectiveness component will have three subcomponents. 2.1. Classroom and School Diagnostics subcomponent will support upgrading of a classroom observation tool and its use by directors, assistant directors, coordinators, and other school officials to monitor classroom processes. More specifically, it will finance the finalization of the tool and its deployment in schools across the country, with a particular focus on rural areas. 2.2. Supporting School Leaders Training subcomponent will support the strengthening of school instructional leadership with an emphasis on improving student learning. 2.3. Supporting Teacher Quality Improvements subcomponent will finance the following teacher-focused interventions: (a) strengthening the MOEYS’s capacity to plan, deliver, monitor, and evaluate in-service teacher training and professional development, and (b) the delivery of continuous professional development focused on improving classroom techniques for improved teaching. 3. Improving Teaching-Learning Material and Assessment component has two subcomponents. 3.1. Teaching-Learning Material (TLM) subcomponent will support the development of systems to help improve the distribution of Cycle 1 and 2 TLMs and the development of Cycle 3 TLMs. 3.2. Strengthening Learning Assessments subcomponent will finance periodic national student learning assessments on a sample basis during the project period and strengthen the capacity of MOEYS to manage them. 4. Data Driven Planning, Budgeting, Financing and Implementation component will support MOEYS to use data more effectively in decision making and program implementation. 4.1. Integrated Sistema de Gestao Escolar subcomponent will enable users to access the various applications, as well as the Education Management Information System (EMIS), through a single, user-friendly integrated dashboard. It is expected that all schools will be able to access and use the integrated system by the end of the project period. 4.2. Strengthened EMIS and Personnel Management Information System (PMIS) subcomponent will finance (a) updating of the EMIS software to bring it to current industry standards; (b) relevant training needed at the central, district, and school levels to operate the EMIS; and (c) implementation of an independent school census for EMIS data verification in year 1 and a follow-up independent verification survey in year 4 to enhance the reliability of EMIS data. 5. Project Management and Implementation component will finance the overall management of the project and put in place mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the program.