Education Sector Development Project

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The Education Sector Development Project for Azerbaijan is committed to sectoral reforms in the education sector based on the Education Reform Program of 1999. The purpose of the reform program is to address key sectoral issues, some of which need to be prioritized on the basis of additional analytical work, to improve the quality of education, and to realign the entire sector. The project has 5 components: 1) Quality and relevance of general education through curriculum reform for grades 1-11, development and enhancement of teacher capabilities, and provision of reading materials for school libraries. Design and adopt the national curriculum framework, and prepare and implement new national standards. Establish strong links between education reforms and teacher professional development, textbook and reading materials to stimulate reading habits. 2) Reforms in financing and budgeting so as to gain efficiencies in the use of financial, human, and physical resources. 3) The proposed school grant program will supplement limited resources of specific schools in the three pilot districts to ensure that the poor are not discriminated from benefiting from quality education; 4) Management and planning capacity in the Ministry of Education to use available resources more effectively and efficiently. 5) Strengthening of coordination and monitoring mechanisms under the project.