Quarterly Report: General Education Activity (TABLA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The project began on September 24, 2019, and will end on September 24, 2024. TABLA's overall purpose is to prepare students and teachers for the demands of the 21st century by taking a comprehensive and innovative approach to improving learning outcomes in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects. To achieve this goal, TABLA will focus on four key components. The first component, Sub-Purpose 1: Pre-Service Teacher Training, aims to align pre-service curricula with the Common Core Curriculum Based on Learning Outcomes (CCC) and integrate Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration (4Cs) and Pedagogy, Psychology, Didactics, and Teaching Methods (PPDM) into pre-service training. The second component, Sub-Purpose 2: Professional Development/In-Service Teacher Training, will design a STEM education package and certification and work with the Ministries of Education (MoEs) and pedagogical institutes to increase their efficiency and accountability. The third component, Sub-Purpose 3: Provision of Quality Learning Environments, will incentivize educational policymakers and school leadership to support reforms by equipping schools with STEM labs. The fourth component, Sub-Purpose 4: BiH Increases Education Reform Dialogue in Response to PISA 2018 Results, aims to stimulate discussion on education reform and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the BiH education system. In the first quarter of the project, TABLA focused on preparing and building a foundation for the Activity, including establishing the strategic and operational platform. This involved a series of high-level meetings with the ministers of education from Canton Sarajevo, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, and Republika Srpska, as well as meetings with partners. TABLA also established an office, recruited staff, and completed start-up procurements. The TABLA Activity team worked intensively from October to December to recruit for the TABLA team, resulting in the successful recruitment of the Chief of Party, who was approved in December 2019. Save the Children also recruited other positions, including the Program Specialist for Sub-Purpose II/in-Service and III/improving quality and the Project Assistant. Recruitment for other essential positions is underway. TABLA has established a working group team to provide coordination and technical support in the implementation of the Activity, as well as PAB and TAB committees to provide general oversight and policy and technical support in the implementation of the project. The TABLA Activity team has also developed a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan and Annual Work Plan (AWP), which are currently being revised based on feedback received from USAID. Overall, TABLA aims to improve students' outcomes in critical thinking and STEM subjects in BiH by taking a comprehensive and innovative approach to improving learning outcomes in STEAM subjects through building teachers' capacity. The project will target national-level government stakeholders, and cantonal MoEs and pedagogical institutions in three geographic areas for capacity strengthening and support in passing education reforms.