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The World Bank has funded educational efforts in Mongolia since 2006, focusing on improving educational resources in rural areas.
Historical Overview
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Mongolia was under the rule of the Qing Dynasty until 1921. After that it came under the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. Mongolia declared itself a People's Republic in 1924. Since then, the Soviet Union has had a significant influence on the policies of the Mongolian government, especially on economic policies. The Mongolian economy experienced significant growth because of a large inflow of assistance from the more developed regions of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The capital and technological assistance from the Warsaw Pact led to rapid growth within its industries, with mining benefiting significantly. Furthermore, there were big developments in education and public health; the average life expectancy rose from 46.7 in 1960 to 63.57 in 1990.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country underwent large reforms. Mongolia became a unitary semi-presidential republic in 1992 and a new constitution was made.
Educational Development- READ (2008)
After Mongolia's transition to a free market economy in the early 1990s, it began to experience a decline in school enrollment, particularly in rural areas. The Mongolian government and the World Bank have been working together to improve the educational system in the country. One of these includes the (READ) Project, developed in 2006–2013. The READ project was intended to improve Mongolia's primary education system and was funded by $5 million from the IDA.
One goal of the READ program is to provide children with better access to books. Prior to 2006, the supply of books in primary schools in Mongolia was scarce. To fix this, READ set up classroom libraries in all rural primary schools of Mongolia. As a result, the use and reading of books increased and the children's overall interest in books grew.
Another part of the READ program was the training of teachers on the proper use of these books which would help to more efficiently integrate the curriculum. Classrooms now aim to have a more interactive set-up. This goes against the traditional set-up of having students sit in parallel rows facing the teacher at the front of the class. The desks are now being positioned so that the students will face each other, and classes are being taught in a way that encourages interaction and the sharing of ideas.
As of 2013, the READ program has accomplished the following:
- 3,560 classrooms in 383 schools, in all 21 provinces of Mongolia, received 160 books each.
- 4,549 teachers have been trained in new reading methods.
- 130,000 children have used the new classroom libraries.
- 200,000 small books (books made as individual projects assigned to students) were made by students.
- 10,000 big books (books made collaboratively as an entire class) were made and used in classrooms
MN Education Quality Reform Project (2014)
The objective of this project is to improve the quality of primary education in Mongolia, with an emphasis on the successful development of mathematical and language skills. It has a budget of US$30 million. This project consists of four main components:
- Improving learning outcomes: By the end of the second grade, a student should be able to read fluently and gain basic math skills.
- Prior and continued training of the professional development of teachers: Teachers should develop the skills needed to provide support to all children to ultimately improve their learning outcomes. This places an emphasis on reading and mathematical skills, especially for children in the first and second grades.
- Implementation of a school support program: Increase the Ministry of Education and Science's funding to cover more primary schools in the country.
- Effective implementation of the program through support and technical assistance.
Improving Primary Education for the Most Vulnerable Children in Rural Mongolia
This project is funded by the Japan Social Development Fund and managed by the World Bank. It aims to provide education to the most vulnerable children in rural Mongolia, with a particular focus on children aged 6–10 and the children of Mongolian nomadic herders. Children from this section of society are significantly less likely to be enrolled in school. This program makes schooling more accessible by providing students with learning kits to be completed at home. There are a total of ten learning kits that consist of books and toys. A child is allowed to take one kit at a time until he or she completes it and goes to the library to receive the next kit. According to a specialist at the World Bank, Tungalag Chuluun, this project "improved children’s access to education and also helped reduce the number of school drop-outs and out-of-school children in the four aimags" (Mongolia 2015).
References
- Dorjdagva, Javkhlanbayar; Batbaatar, Enkhjargal; Dorjsuren, Bayarsaikhan; Kauhanen, Jussi (22 December 2015). "Explaining differences in education-related inequalities in health between urban and rural areas in Mongolia". International Journal for Equity in Health. 14 (1): 154. doi:10.1186/s12939-015-0281-9. PMC 4688929. PMID 26694326.
- Shugart, Matthew Søberg (September 2005). "Semi-Presidential Systems: Dual Executive and Mixed Authority Patterns" (PDF). Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. United States: University of California, San Diego. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- Shugart, Matthew Søberg (December 2005). "Semi-Presidential Systems: Dual Executive And Mixed Authority Patterns" (PDF). French Politics. 3 (3). Palgrave Macmillan Journals: 323–351. doi:10.1057/palgrave.fp.8200087. S2CID 73642272. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
Even if the president has no discretion in the forming of cabinets or the right to dissolve parliament, his or her constitutional authority can be regarded as 'quite considerable' in Duverger's sense if cabinet legislation approved in parliament can be blocked by the people's elected agent. Such powers are especially relevant if an extraordinary majority is required to override a veto, as in Mongolia, Poland, and Senegal.
- Odonkhuu, Munkhsaikhan (12 February 2016). "Mongolia: A Vain Constitutional Attempt to Consolidate Parliamentary Democracy". ConstitutionNet. International IDEA. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
Mongolia is sometimes described as a semi-presidential system because, while the prime minister and cabinet are collectively responsible to the SGKh, the president is popularly elected, and his/her powers are much broader than the conventional powers of heads of state in parliamentary systems.
- Pomfret, Richard (1 January 2000). "Transition and Democracy in Mongolia". Europe-Asia Studies. 52 (1): 149–160. doi:10.1080/09668130098316. S2CID 16040231.
- "Building Mongolia's Future with Books". World Bank. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- "Projects: MN Education Quality Reform Project | The World Bank". projects.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
- "In Mongolia, Preparing Herders' Children for School and Improving Their Learning". World Bank. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
