Enhancing and Advancing Basic Learning and Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina – ENABLE BIH Annual Work Plan – Year IV

The overall purpose of the project is to contribute to the improvement of learning outcomes in primary and general secondary education in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Phase I of the project focused on developing a policy framework for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Pedagogy, Psychology, Didactics, and Teaching Methods (PPDM) through the development of key documents. Building on the program's phase I objective, phase II implementation has focused on advancing USAID's goals of improving STEM education in BiH by implementing the new Operational Teaching Curriculum in schools and rolling out new standards and guidelines for improved STEM teaching methods in pre-service university programs. The overall STEM approach is based on a desire to compete in the knowledge-based economy, providing a direct link between education and the labor market, serving as a career-orientation tool at an early stage of schooling, and enabling students to acquire competitive and essential skills for the rapidly changing market. ENABLE-BiH II has two key components, STEM and PPDM, which address the need to change the approach of teaching and learning students in primary and general secondary education. The need to shift the educational paradigm away from teacher lectures and student memorization towards a student-centered, critical thinking approach is particularly important when it comes to cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, communication, and practical hands-on skills. The education process where students are the center requires changing teachers' roles from those who "teach lessons" to those who facilitate learning. This will improve learning by encouraging students to develop a higher level of thinking, independent learning, and problem-solving skills; ensure better engagement of students in the learning process and more quality interaction with their peers, teachers, and learning content. It will also enable students to independently conduct research, inquire, and find answers, think critically, and apply what they have learned. By increasing teachers' PPDM competencies, they will better use teaching methods and active approaches to help students gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes and to improve learning outcomes. International testing and education quality assessments, such as TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA, are used to improve the quality of education in many countries, including BiH. These tests assess students' abilities to understand content designated by a curriculum and apply knowledge in relevant fields. In 2007, BiH participated in TIMSS testing for the first time and achieved a score of 465.5 points, which is below the international average score of 500 points. Only 1% of students have attained the advanced, highest level of mathematics knowledge, and approximately 10% of BiH students attained the high level, as opposed to the international average of 15%. The TIMSS study and its secondary analysis focused on the teachers' role in teaching and learning, indicating that additional and quality training of teachers in PPDM was necessary, and the number of PPDM university classes needs to be increased. The ENABLE-BiH project has two key components, STEM and PPDM, which address the need to change the approach of teaching and learning students in primary and general secondary education. Phase II implementation has focused on advancing USAID's goals of improving STEM education in BiH by implementing the new Operational Teaching Curriculum in schools and rolling out new standards and guidelines for improved STEM teaching methods in pre-service university programs. The overall STEM approach is based on a desire to compete in the knowledge-based economy, providing a direct link between education and the labor market, serving as a career-orientation tool at an early stage of schooling, and enabling students to acquire competitive and essential skills for the rapidly changing market. The ENABLE-BiH project has established partnerships with various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Pre-Primary, Primary, and Secondary Education of BiH, and the BiH Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance. The project has also established cooperation with three STEM universities in BiH and equipped 12 model schools with modern STEM equipment to support teaching and learning in a practical manner. The project aims to increase and harmonize quality standards and to align in-service and pre-service training programs for future STEM teachers while increasing the quality of the educational-pedagogical process and ultimately improving student-learning outcomes.