Liberia Teacher Training Program (LTTP) Project Year Two Second Quarter Report

The program is implemented by FHI 360 in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other stakeholders. The two overarching goals of the program are to increase equitable access for Liberian children and to improve reading skills for Liberian children. The program's objectives are to strengthen institutional capacity to provide educational services and to improve teacher effectiveness in the classroom, particularly in reading and math. To achieve these objectives, the program is organized around three elements of the results framework: institutional capacity strengthening, improved teacher policies and procedures, and improved teacher training programs and reading/math delivery systems. The LTTP has made significant progress in the second quarter of year two. The pilot phase for the National Teacher Biometric Identity Card System in government schools is underway, and the EMIS infrastructure and policy document is being used to guide the rollout of training for county and district education offices and schools throughout the Republic of Liberia. A new MoE organizational structure has been developed to pave the way for the recruitment and deployment of staff in line with the mandate for decentralized governance of education. The program has also made progress in improving teacher policies and procedures. The scope of work and plans for developing teacher recruitment, training, and deployment policies and guidelines that are gender-sensitive are now complete. The LTTP is supporting the MoE in setting up a national Center for Excellence in Accreditation, Certification and Licensing (CEACL) that is mandated in the Education Act of 2011. In terms of improved teacher training programs and reading/math delivery systems, the Reading First Plus Math and TCPD/In-service teams continue to demonstrate progress in implementing school-based training activities and strengthening PTAs in 810 primary schools to accelerate student reading achievements. Over 71,000 children, 46% female, are currently following the reading program in 810 primary schools. The Reading First Plus Math team has established partnerships with other NGOs, and a total of 362,789 copies of school instructional and resource materials were distributed to 636 schools during the period under review. The LTTP has also undertaken early grade reading face-to-face training for 11 DEOs and 784 grade one, two, and three teachers and school principals in fifteen clusters in Nimba, Lofa, Margibi, and River Gee counties. Additionally, 148 classroom lesson observations, mentoring, and school visits were conducted during the period under review. The LTTP's progress in the second quarter of year two demonstrates the program's commitment to achieving its goals of increasing equitable access to education and improving reading skills for Liberian children. The program's focus on institutional capacity strengthening, improved teacher policies and procedures, and improved teacher training programs and reading/math delivery systems is yielding positive results, and the program is well-positioned to continue making progress in the coming quarters.