PA BASIC EDUCATION II

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The Second Basic Education Project in Panama, aims at improving the quality, and efficiency of basic education, and accessibility to pre-school, primary, and lower secondary education, for children in rural, and poor urban areas. Project components will: 1) improve the quality of basic education, through enhanced teacher training in primary, and secondary schools in rural, and marginal urban communities. Textbooks, and instructional materials will be provided for targeted areas, and, poverty-based scholarships will be awarded annually at public schools, to include indigenous students. A pilot distance learning project (TELEBASICA), will focus on delivering secondary education, i.e., grades 7-9, to those students in remote areas, where schools are unavailable. Shanty school buildings will be replaced, to accommodate growing student enrollments in primary, and secondary schools; 2) expand the non-formal pre-school education program, through new community initial education centers (CEFACEIs), as well as home-based initial education program groups. Training will be provided to promoters in rural, and marginal urban areas; and, 3) strengthen the institutional capacity of the education system, by supporting decentralization at the regional, and school levels, providing training, and technical assistance to decentralized offices of the Ministry of Education, for the expansion of information, and assessment systems.