Education Programs

Purpose

Education programs reaffirm U.S. support for the Education for All (EFA) Initiative by assisting countries that demonstrate a sustained political commitment to quality education for all children, youth and adults. The United States is a leader in the support of country-owned EFA programs within an overall framework of comprehensive economic development and poverty reduction programs. The U.S. focus includes:

• Emphasizing education access and quality;
• Strengthening education personnel, policy, and systems;
• Leading education’s response to non-health impacts of HIV/AIDS;
• Promoting education as a tool to prevent and respond to crisis;
• Creating education alliances, including with the private sector.

U.S. government partners include the ministries of education in Benin, Jamaica, Malawi and other local government units; U.S., international, and local non-governmental organizations (Academy for International Development; African Training for Leadership and Advanced Skills; Africare; American Institutes of Research; CARE International; Creative Associates International, Inc.; Education Development Center; International Foundation for Education and Self-Help; Juarez and Associates; La Fondation Haitienne de l’Enseignement Privé; Save the Children; Sesame Workshop; United Negro College Fund; World Education; World Learning; World Vision); colleges and universities (Rafael Landivar University, University of Massachusetts, University of Montana, University of Namibia); other bilateral and multilateral donors ( the International Labor Organization; UNICEF; United Nations Development Fund for Women); and local communities.

• Sponsored in-service teacher training, particularly for teachers in rural, isolated areas and hard-to-reach populations (Ghana, Jamaica, Malawi);
• Involved communities in education decision making, and program planning and implementation (e.g., Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali);
• Facilitated policy dialogue and education policy reform to improve efficiency and quality (El Salvador, Uganda);
• Strengthened planning, management, and evaluation expertise within developing country agencies and institutions (Guinea)
• Explored instructional programs that provide basic literacy and numeracy instruction in nonformal school settings (Nepal);
• Used television, radio, and computers to improve instruction for hard-to-reach students and teachers (Morocco, Zambia);
• Improved educational opportunities for girls, out-of-school youth, and other under-served populations (e.g., Guatemala, Mali, Peru, Vietnam);
• Provided educational opportunities for preschool-age children, thereby improving their likelihood of primary school success (Egypt, South Africa);
• Evaluated private sector involvement initiatives and established partnerships between public and private institutions (Dominican Republic);
• Initiated efforts to minimize abusive child labor through education (Brazil, India); and
• Restored and improved education for children who were victims of earthquakes, hurricanes, war, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic (Honduras, Nicaragua).

In addition to building on past successes, new initiatives are currently underway. Two of these are:

Education reform in Pakistan, which brings $110 million in life-of-project funding plus an estimated $38 million for Afghanistan for FY02 and FY03 to

raise the quality of education for increased numbers of children (especially girls) and adults, strengthen teacher and administrator skills, provide literacy training for adults and out-of-school youth, and encourage positive collaboration among government, parents, businesses, industries, and community groups in basic education.

President’s Centers for Excellence, which will use $20 million in federal funding and $20 million in private sector matching funds to strengthen the capacity of existing institutions to form regional teacher training and resource centers in the Caribbean, the Andean region of South America, and in Central America. The objectives are to boost teacher and school administrator quality, improve the quality of early reading instruction, and upgrade the knowledge and pedagogical skills of poorly qualified teachers.