USAID/Cambodia–All Children Learning Quarterly Progress Report - OCT-DEC 2020

The project is funded by USAID/Cambodia and aims to improve early grade reading skills of children in Cambodia. The activity is led by Bryn Tucknott and involves subcontractors such as World Education, Room to Read, Save the Children, Krousar Thmey, and Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE). The geographic coverage of the project includes Cambodia. The project was initially designed to complement Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) activities planned under a grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). It aimed to support the development and piloting of the Khmer language component of a national early grade learning (EGL) program in five provinces. The MoEYS, with support from other partners, was to develop the mathematics component of the EGL program. In September 2018, additional resources were made available through the USAID/Cambodia–All Children Learning award to enable the MoEYS to implement the EGL program in additional schools and build MoEYS capacity to scale up the program. The project activities drew from two funding sources: All Children Learning and All Children Reading–Cambodia. Both sources were managed by RTI International and had the same overall goal: to increase learning outcomes in the early grades. The overall objective of the project is to assist the MoEYS, its development partners, and nongovernmental organizations to develop a more harmonized approach to early grade reading. The project is helping to coordinate and support the development of a rigorous, practical, scalable, and inclusive intervention for Khmer language for upper-pre-school and grades 1 and 2. It is also supporting the MoEYS to develop a plan for scaling the program nationally and building capacity within the MoEYS to implement that plan. The project is currently supporting the implementation of the EGL program in at least two provinces, including Kampong Thom and Kampot. It is also supporting the MoEYS to mobilize resources within the public and private sectors for inclusive early grade learning. The project's activities are closely related to the project's activities funded through the All Children Reading–Asia award and USAID/Washington, and may be referred to in parts of the report to provide some context, history, and demonstrate the project logic and strategic framework. The project has made significant progress in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021. The MoEYS has the tools to improve inclusive, evidenced-based early grade literacy instruction, as a result of the project's efforts. The project has also strengthened partnerships that promote collaboration, coordination, and synergies between partners supporting inclusive early grade learning. Additionally, the MoEYS is supported to develop and implement a plan for piloting and scaling up a coordinated and harmonized, inclusive, evidence-based MoEYS national EGL program that is feasible, practical, and scalable. The project has faced some challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to school closures and learning loss. However, the project has adapted to these challenges by implementing remote learning activities and providing support to teachers and students. The project has also made plans for the next quarter, which include continuing to support the implementation of the EGL program and building MoEYS capacity to scale up the program. The project has a strong team of staff, including Bryn Tucknott as the activity lead, and subcontractors such as World Education, Room to Read, Save the Children, Krousar Thmey, and Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE). The project has also received support from the MoEYS and other development partners. The project's progress is monitored and evaluated regularly, and the project team is committed to achieving the project's objectives and making a positive impact on the lives of children in Cambodia.