Education Participation Improvement Project
 

Contact person: Dukagjin Pupovci

■ Project description

The Education Participation Improvement Project (EPIP) targets one of the key challenges of the system: to make sure that education participation is maximized; all eligible children enroll, regularly attend classes, successfully complete their school year and also enroll in the subsequent years in order to complete full primary and secondary education. The Project is based on plans and initiatives of schools that are selected by municipalities as the ones with the most significant challenges in the context of participation. Schools are also in charge of implementing the initiated projects and monitoring the results.

This 3 years Project will be implemented in all (30) municipalities of Kosovo. More than a half of the 560 primary schools and 110 secondary schools will benefit from this Project.
 

■ Project Implementation responsibilities and Funding

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in cooperation with UNMIK, is responsible for project implementation. EPIP is financed by the International Development Association (World Bank)

In general, the project objectives are the following:

►Improving access and education attainment in primary and secondary education (including attendance, retention and completion)
►Enhancing access of vulnerable groups (girls, minorities, children from poor families, rural areas, etc.) to education in Kosovo

The key policy and institutional reforms supported by the project are:

►Improving the capacities to monitor access and education participation,
►Strengthening school level education planning,
►Improving the effectiveness of schools in maximizing enrollment, attendance, survival-rate and completion,
►Strengthening central and local government capacity to manage projects, monitor system performance and school effectiveness.

■ School Grant Allocation Procedures and Criteria

Responsibilities:

The institutions with primary responsibility for implementation are the schools themselves, managed by the School Directors and under the supervision of School Boards, which are constituted in terms of the Law on Primary, and Secondary Education in Kosovo.

The Municipal School Grant Teams (SGMT) established under the leadership of the Municipal Education Directors (MED) manages the selection of the schools for participation in the Project. These teams also review School Development Plans and School Grant Proposals, forward proposals to the School Grants Approval Board (SGAB), and monitor implementation of school projects.

The Project Management Unit (PMU) manages the project implementation. The PMU will also have overall responsibility for supervising the Education Management Information System component and the training, including outreach to be provided to schools through KEC (Kosovo Education Center).

The School Grant Approval Board (SGAB) is responsible for assuring the transparency and reliability of the school grant process including monitoring the overall project direction but also dealing with possible grievances.
All procedures for purchasing goods and services are made in accordance with rules and procedures of the World Bank.
 

■ Pre-selection processes

Before pre-selecteing the schools, the MSGT (Municipal School Grant Management Team) develops reports with data on education participation and ranking of the schools in terms of severity of the problems regarding education participation. The MSGT reports are approved by the School Grant Approval Board (SGAB), based on social assessment and aggregate data available from the EMIS and from other central statistical sources.

For the pre-selection, the MSGTs use quantitative indicators of education participation (drop-out rate, retention rate, etc.), as well as indicators of high risk of low participation (such as gender rate, minority enrollment rate, poverty, etc.)
 

■ Project Proposal preparation

Schools willing to participate in the project will be provided by KEC (Kosova Education Center) with trainings and professional assistance in drafting development plans and school projects. Information can also be found in the School Grant Manuals that will be disseminated within municipalities and schools.

Each selected school has to organize a working group for drafting the school development plan and the project proposal. The school development plans should contain expected achievements, policy and investment priorities for a 3-years period.
 

■ The role of the Kosovo Education Center (KEC)

KEC is a local non-governmental organization established since 2000. KEC’s role in the EPIP is to provide technical assistance, including organization of trainings and help in drafting project proposals. This objective is fulfilled through KEC trainers and professional Regional Outreach School Officers hired from KEC that can be contacted in the regional offices in: Prishtina, Gjilan, Ferizaj, Prizren, Gjakovë, Pejë, Mitrovicë.
 

■ Contact with Regional Outreach School Officers: