Accelerated Quality Education for Liberian Children | FY2021 Quarter 1 Report

The COVID-19 pandemic context necessitated a redirection of key AQE activities, with a focus on supporting the MoE's Teaching by Radio initiative earlier in the year. The MoE announced a phased approach to school reopening, informing AQE's plans for the quarter and beyond. The Activity requested approval from EDC's home office for a partial reopening of its Monrovia office and county offices to strategically support the reopening of schools. The partial reopening of Activity offices was approved, with staff adhering strictly to relevant government, USAID, and EDC COVID-19 protocols. Implementation activities resumed with below 50% staff in-person presence at the offices. The Activity planned to focus on transitional support for the MoE to sustain ALP, including activities aimed at the integration of ALP-CS with three scenarios, backstopping support to teachers' professional development, review and validation of AQE Assessment Management System, completion of Phase 1 and commencement of Phase 2 classroom rehabilitation, administration of completion assessment processing for the school year, and preparations for Activity close-out and asset disposition. The Alternative Education Technical Working Group submitted an action memo to the MoE SMT recommending that ALP continue in all 264 AQE sites for the academic year 2020-2021 and be integrated into conventional school timetables. The Activity planned key backstopping activities to support MoE to build sufficient capacity for the teachers to implement this initiative. The MoE Alternative Education Division and Technical Work Group met with AQE team and reviewed mapping of teacher professional development modules this quarter. The purpose was to select content for teacher, principal, EO, and PTA potential refresher trainings in preparation for the new academic year that could be carried forward by the MoE. The activity conducted the first MoE-AQE Training for ALP-CS One School Approach Launch. Training-of-Trainers trainings were conducted across the six counties. The ALP curriculum was completed and approved during the past activity year. During this quarter, the assessment package was fully aligned with the final curriculum. The assessment package completes the overall curriculum package for ALP. The national Technical Working Group met in a retreat to validate and take over responsibility for the ALP Assessment Management System. The Activity supported Level 3 learners in a major step towards integration and hopefully transition into conventional school norms. After an accelerated 8 weeks of classes, where ALP learners were able to return to school during conventional school timetables along with 6th graders, the Level 3 learners sat for the Liberia Primary School Certification Examination (LPSCE). The LPSCE represents a high-stakes national examination that is externally moderated. During the quarter, the Activity was successful in finalizing and closing three classroom rehabilitation contracts for phase one with the remaining three contracts nearing final completion, expected to end in January 2021. A total of 91 classroom renovations, 20 rehabilitated latrines, and 10 new latrines were completed. With the completion of the Memorandum of Selection, finalization of negotiations, acceptance of recommended bidders for contract award, and submission of all required supporting documents, the approval of phase 2 was granted. This was followed by the signing of contracts by the three successful bidders, who have mobilized to commence work on the rehabilitation of classrooms and construction of new facilities.