FY2020 FIRST QUARTER REPORT Capacity Building Activity

The program is implemented by Chemonics International Inc. under contract AID-306-C-17-00005. The primary counterpart organization is Afghanistan's Ministry of Education, and the geographic coverage includes central MoE and six provinces: Badghis, Balkh, Bamyan, Kandahar, and Paktia. The Capacity Building Activity focuses on education management information systems, teacher recruitment, payroll systems, internal audit, resource planning, and civil society oversight. Key activities during the first quarter of FY2020 included enhancements to the Education Management Information System (EMIS) database and interface, training for school representatives on EMIS, and data quality assessment. Additionally, the program implemented workforce planning policy and guideline training for teacher recruitment, digitization of employee records, and payroll system modifications. The program also made progress in internal audit, including the development of a manual, toolkit, and training for special audits. Furthermore, the Capacity Building Activity conducted budget preparation and execution tracking upgrades, extended the Afghanistan Ministry of Finance Information System (AFMIS) coverage to Provincial Education Directorates (PEDs), and provided training on budget preparation and execution tracking. The Capacity Building Activity also emphasized civil society oversight, including coaching and mentoring of community education monitors and civil society organizations, provincial oversight forums, and public awareness of the Ministry of Education's development plans and policies. The program also focused on cross-cutting activities, including gender inclusion, gender integration, and implementation of the Ministry of Education's anti-harassment policy. Notable progress was made during the first quarter of FY2020, with the implementation of key activities and the achievement of several milestones. The program's success stories, including the establishment of a functional EMIS system and the successful recruitment of teachers, demonstrate the program's impact on education management in Afghanistan.