More than 65,000 children in small towns and villages across Belarus will benefit from an education programme to promote collaborative learning and science education.
“When people talk of regional development, they often forget that education is one of the best local investments available,” said Alex Kremer, World Bank country manager for Belarus. “This project will help boost the learning of rural children because a kid’s education shouldn’t depend on where they are born.” The World Bank has pledged 70 million euros to fund the programme.
The project will also help Belarus measure how well children are learning. In 2018 the country participated in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the first time in its history. The new financing will enable Belarus to take part in PISA 2021 and 2024 and provide for more comprehensive analysis of the testing results.
A national education management information system (EMIS), currently in preparation, will be expanded to all levels of the education system, making it possible to track graduates in their later careers and work out the impact of different educational programs.
“While basic statistics on schooling are available in Belarus, there is not much information on students’ learning outcomes. Thus, for human capital growth it is crucially important to ensure that schooling translates into learning in Belarus,” added Tigran Shmis, World Bank senior education specialist.
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