Education in a Hidden Marketplace: Monitoring Private Tutoring

The Education Support Program (ESP) is pleased to announce the publication of Education in a Hidden Marketplace: Monitoring of Private Tutoring, which is the result of the Monitoring Private Tutoring Project, initiated by ESP in close cooperation with the Network of Education Policy Centers.

This report presents the results of a study that examines how education has been affected by private tutoring in nine former socialist countries: Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The comparative study is the first document of its kind in the former socialist countries that looks into the main factors behind the phenomena; its scale, cost, geographic spread and subjects involved; the educational, social, and economic impact of private tutoring on the education system; the policy options and alternative approaches.

The publication consists of an in-depth international comparative overview; country reports prepared by nine Education Policy Centers and their partners as well as a set of recommendations for policymakers.

This report can be useful for national legislative bodies, education ministries, school administrators, local authorities, policymakers, and other education stakeholders to help raise awareness of the problems and benefits of private tutoring. It can also serve as an advocacy tool in the effort to make national education policies more equitable for all students.

To request a copy of the book, please contact espassistance@osi.hu

OSI colleagues appointed to government positions in 2006

Over the years, colleagues working in the education network of the Open Society Institute have become key actors who influence government reforms in the education sector in their countries. ESP is pleased to announce that Virginija Budiene was appointed vice minister at the Ministry of Education and Science in Lithuania in 2006.

Also, Liliya Hrynevych, former director of the International Renaissance Foundation and the spin-off NGO Center for Testing Technologies, has been appointed director of the Ukrainian Quality Assessment Center, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in February 2006. Later, she was offered the position of director of the Education and Science Department of the Kiev City Council, taking responsibility for all Kiev schools.

We express our congratulations to our colleagues!

Snapshots of Education Developments and Trends from Central Europe to Central Asia 2005-2006 appears in Russian

ESP is pleased to announce that the Russian-language version of the report Snapshots of Education Developments and Trends from Central Europe to Central Asia 2005-2006 has just been released. The report, as we announced in the previous issue of this newsletter, provides snapshots of developments related to education and education policy in 28 countries and territories over the last year with a focus on secondary education and, where relevant, vocational training and higher education. Geographically, it focuses on Central Europe, the Baltics, Southeastern Europe, Turkey, the Palestinian Territories, the Caucasus, Turkey, Pakistan, Central Asia, and Mongolia.

The publication of the report was supported by the Open Society Institute - Education Support Program within the framework of the RE:FINE program through a grant to Transitions Online, Czech Republic. The English and Russian versions are available here.

MEA win bid for training in the World Bank’s Rural Education and Development (READ) project

The World Bank’s Rural Education and Development project, to be implemented between 2006 and 2012, has three main components: 1) to support rural schools by increasing the amount of learning materials available to students and teachers while supporting teachers and their school networks in the use of learning materials; 2) to strengthen the government's capacity to monitor student learning through participation in national and international assessments; 3) to provide financial and technical support for project management and monitoring of the project.

The Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA) has won a bid to conduct training that will be part of the first component in READ's project in Mongolia.

The MEA project, "Teacher professional development through the use of classroom library" (READ), will support the development of rural schools, developing teachers' and students' skills by encouraging the use of classroom libraries; enabling teachers to improve students’ academic performance through the instruction of creative reading, writing, and thinking; involving the community in this pursuit in order to improve the literacy skills of children and the wider community; and establishing a sustainable and effective network of professional development for teachers.

Within 20 months of the project it is planned that more than 390 rural schools and 3,300 teachers will be involved; 3,500 primary classrooms in rural schools will have libraries; more than 104,000 primary students from rural schools will have access to reading materials; more than 350 teachers will be trained as trainers and mentors; and community participation in schools will increase.

MEA was established in 2004. Since then the leadership of the NGO and its staff have worked hard to make the NGO’s work credible and reputable among education stakeholders in the country. Over the years, the professional credibility of the organization has risen steadily, attracting more donor funds for its projects. ESP staff is pleased to learn that MEA’s efforts have resulted in this major achievement.

For more information, please contact batjargal@mea.org.mn