USAID Quality Reading Project – Tajikistan - Quarterly Report (January – March 2016)

The project is a four-year initiative implemented by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Save the Children (SC). The primary objective of the contract is to improve reading instruction in grades 1-4, increase availability of reading materials, increase out-of-school reading time, and increase government support to improve reading. The project focuses on building capacity from the national level down to the classroom, supporting the common goal of improving students' reading skills. In Tajikistan, the project works closely with the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) and the Global Partnership for Education 4 (GPE-4) project to finalize competency-based standards and In-Service Teacher trainings (IST) for Mother Tongue. A seven-day workshop was held in March 2016 at the Dushanbe Teacher Training Institute (TTI) to review piloted competency-based standards and IST in Mother Tongue. The workshop was developed jointly by the USAID Quality Reading Project and GPE-4 teams. The workshop included reviewing competency-based standards for Mother Tongue and IST material for Mother Tongue modules. In alignment with the project's work plan, IST was conducted for 124 Cohort 4 schools in January 2016. The training included sessions on Mentoring, Reading Buddies, and the importance of reading with children in the family. Participation rates were high, with almost 95% of invitees attending the training. A 3-day Mentoring Training was conducted for Cohorts 1 and 2 schools in January 2016. The main objective of this training was to assess and evaluate the success of Level 3 (school-level) training. During discussion sessions, Cohort 1 and 2 schools shared their successes and challenges in conducting IST in their schools. The USAID Quality Reading Project conducted a planning session with Master Trainers to draw up a program for 24 additional Methodological Union Day trainings. The project aims to improve the quality and frequency of school-based mentoring through additional training, group work, and experience sharing. The project also conducted sessions emphasizing the crucial role of parents and family in children's literacy during the Level 2 IST for Cohort 4 Master Trainers and held similar sessions embedded within the Mentoring Trainings for Cohorts 1, 2, and 3. Master Trainers began to conduct sessions with other teachers on how to spread the messages of the Parents' Guide. The project's quarterly report highlights the progress made in Tajikistan, including the completion of the seven-day workshop, the conduct of IST for Cohort 4 schools, and the Mentoring Training for Cohorts 1 and 2 schools. The report also highlights the challenges faced by the project, including the cold weather during the training sessions. The project's estimated expenditure for the next quarter (April 2016 - June 2016) is $1,035,400. The cumulative accrued expenditures to date (March 2016) are $5,687,910. The project's total estimated contract/agreement is $10,295,575 (Modification #3), with an obligation to date of $10,295,575 (Modification #3).