Annual Work Plan – Year 2 for the General Education Activity in Bosnia-Herzegovina (TABLA)

The initiative began on September 24, 2019, and will end on September 23, 2022. TABLA is a comprehensive and innovative approach to improving learning outcomes in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects through building teachers' capacity, increasing standards for pre-service and in-service teacher training, improving learning environments, and encouraging reform dialogue and advocacy. The project targets national-level government stakeholders, and cantonal Ministries of Education (MoE) and pedagogical institutions in three geographic areas: Sarajevo Canton (CS) and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS). TABLA is based on four key components: Pre-service Teacher Training, Professional Development/In-service Teacher Training, Provision of Quality Learning Environments, and BiH Increases Education Reform Dialogue. The Pre-service Teacher Training component aims to increase standards for pre-service teacher training by adopting and implementing new curricula aligned with Common Core Curricula (CCC) and integrating 4Cs and PPDM into pre-service training. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) sessions will be offered to pre-service lecturers and university experts primarily through virtual meetings. The Professional Development/In-service Teacher Training component focuses on integrating high-quality in-service teacher training programs into the education systems in selected cantons and entities. This includes designing a STEAM education package and certification, increasing the efficiency and accountability of MoEs and pedagogical institutes, and offering in-service training and support for virtual and blended instruction. The Provision of Quality Learning Environments component aims to improve learning environments that allow for applied learning in STEAM. This includes establishing and equipping STEAM labs, providing computers, tablets, and data packs to students and teachers most in need, and offering technical assistance to policymakers to develop standards and guidance for online and blended learning. The BiH Increases Education Reform Dialogue component focuses on increasing education reform dialogue in response to PISA 2018 and TIMSS 2019 results, and on the need for increased access to and quality of online and blended-learning platforms in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes conducting a public advocacy and communication campaign to mobilize stakeholders, policymakers, and educational professionals to support education reform and improve the educational experiences and outcomes for youth, children with disabilities, and girls. TABLA's strategic approaches will build and strengthen emerging and critical capacities of future and current teachers and educational professionals to better support the education and development of students' essential knowledge and competencies as they prepare for lives and careers in an increasingly interconnected and digitized world. The project will continually prioritize government ownership, MHPSS for teachers, and sustainability to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for youth, children with disabilities, and girls not only during the life of TABLA, but well into the future.