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Winter is long and hard in Mongolia. Even on an early morning in mid-November, the tem- perature is –12oC and the wind bitterly cold.
Breath steaming, students bundled up in long coats and fur hats trudge down the frozen streets of Dzuunmod, a town of about 20,000, south of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The clanging of the School of Humanity’s bell urges them to sprint the last few meters to the door to avoid being tardy.
Cheeks red with the cold, students welcome the warmth of the building. Heat is precious during Mongolian winters—and costly. Schools like this commonly spend a third of their budget on heating alone, leaving little money for paying teachers, buying textbooks, and maintaining facilities.
The School of Humanity was fortunate: it received $120,000 from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported Education Sector Development Program for repairing its badly decaying roof and providing chemistry and physics laboratories, computers, desks and chairs, chalkboards, and new textbooks.
“It would have been a very different picture without the renovation. Because of the leaky roof, the school would have had to be closed,” says Baasan Main, the school’s General Director.
LUNCH TIME A preschooler eating a hot lunch at school
During the socialist era, education was heavily subsidized with modern school and dormitory facilities built in all soum (district) centers. Every child—even those from nomadic families in remote areas—could go to school. With every school having a full staff complement, student-teacher ratios were among the lowest in the world and—although educationally desirable—proved expensive.
With the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Mongolia embarked on a painful transition from a planned to a market economy. As a consequence, expenditures on education eroded drastically, with teachers’ salaries having to be cut to minimal levels and textbooks becoming precious. With no budget for maintenance or repair, facilities deteriorated—particularly in rural areas—and many were forced to close.
Preschools, which accommodated 97,000 children, were hard hit, with 244 out of 900 closing between 1990 and 2001. By school year 1993/94, enrollment had plummeted to 370,300 from 446,700 in 1989/90, and dropouts soared by 2,300% between school years 1988/89 and 1992/93.
Finding it impossible to guarantee adequate financing for education, the Government saw a need for streamlining and downsizing the system, and asked ADB for financial and technical assistance. So ADB funded a comprehensive restructuring and reform program in 1996, and also financed basic building rehabilitation, textbook provision, and teacher training.
Using a $6.5 million loan from ADB’s Asian Development Fund, which provides support for ADB’s least developed members, the Government merged and closed schools, and let thousands of staff members go in a bid to improve quality by concentrating scarce funds on a leaner, more compact system whose needs could be adequately financed.
CLASSROOM CONSULTATION Training has boosted teachers' confidence
It was a painful process, but the improved efficiency provided resources for financing essential items, such as teachers’ salaries. Today, Mongolia’s teachers are enthusiastic and can expect to receive up to $100 per month in rural areas and $150 in major cities. A doctor in Mongolia, for example, earns $60 a month. This figure puts Mongolia well ahead of other former socialist countries in the region such as Tajikistan, where teachers’ salaries are just $5 a month.
By school year 1999/2000, enrollment had risen to over 90% again. Rural areas, however, still lagged behind, with enrollment in two thirds of the districts lower than 80%.
“The numbers show that students are staying in school longer than they did 5 years ago…fortunately Mongolians have been able to pay their teachers a living wage and that’s a very important factor too. The teachers are motivated. They are capable and that helps the kids stay in school,” says Barry Hitchcock, ADB Country Director for Mongolia.
But much remains to be done.
The Second Education Development Project, partially financed through a $14 million loan from the Asian Development Fund, was approved in 2002. The Government of Japan provided $45 million and the Nordic Development Fund $4.8 million, with the Government funding the balance of the $68.5 million Project. The Project builds on reforms and activities started in the first project. Its goal is to help provide universal access to quality primary and secondary education—including for children with disabilities—especially in rural areas and poorer urban communities.
TIME OUT Students enjoying the snow
Many children enrolled in the School of Humanity are sons and daughters of nomadic herders from remote rural areas, so they must come to live in Dzuunmod. About 180 children stay in a dormitory during the school week and go home on weekends. Some students come from as far as 300 kilometers away.
Boarding education is long entrenched in Mongolia, going back to the days when monasteries provided most of the education. Today, dormitories are crucial for allowing children from poorer families to attend school.
SON: I don't want to be a herder. I want to be a professional. That's why I'm interested in science
As is common throughout Mongolia, more girls than boys are enrolled in the School of Humanity, which used to be two schools. The cost of the schooling, dormitory, and food is about $2 a week per child. Although the Government covers the basic expenses, parents often contribute to covering these costs as well with sheep or other livestock.
During the past few years, severe droughts followed by harsh winters killed millions of head of livestock, depriving thousands of herder families of their livelihoods. Partly due to this, dropout rates in rural schools are high, with many boys leaving school to go back home to work as herders, as tradition dictates.
Nyamdavaa Namjil, a 15-year-old student and dormitory resident at the School of Humanity, however, has other plans. He wants to be a doctor—and live in a town.
“I don’t want to be a herder. I want to be a professional. That’s why I’m interested in science,” he says.
FATHER: I prefer Nyamdavaa to continue his studies. I want him to be an excellent student and become a doctor for the people of Mongolia.
Fortunately for his family, Nyamdavaa’s youngest sister, Byambadulam, loves animals and wants to take over the 150 sheep, 50 goats, 50 horses, 17 cattle, and 2 camels from her father, Zuudi Namjil, who doesn’t mind breaking with tradition.
“I prefer Nyamdavaa to continue his studies,” says Mr. Namjil. “I want him to be an excellent student and become a doctor for the people of Mongolia.”
Unlike many nations, Mongolia is challenged with educating its boys, who only account for 40% of enrollment in upper secondary education. At higher education levels, female students outnumber their male counterparts by over two to one.
Medical school tuition, however, costs a small fortune by Mongolian standards: about $300 a year. Nyamdavaa’s parents will have to pay this, which will be a challenge in a country where the per capita gross national product is about $400.
CRAZE Students eagerly study the computer
Computer laboratories have made a big difference in many schools. Fifth grade students at Ulaanbaatar’s School of the Future, formerly known as School No. 80, are well aware of the importance of computers. They are enthusiastically studying the computer—and learning English in the process—because there aren’t computer programs in Mongolian.
“English is the world’s language. Without it, it’s difficult to go outside our borders,” says 12-year-old Dagontsooj.
“I understand the computer is a key for my future,” says Uien, also 12, who wants to be a doctor.
Students and teachers know what the Internet offers, but they are still waiting to go online because the school cannot afford the monthly connection fee.
The students and teachers know what the Internet offers, but they are still waiting to go online because the school cannot afford the monthly connection fee
With 70% of Mongolia’s population under 35 years old, education is the foundation of Mongolia’s future. Reforms, streamlining, and repairs—mixed with ample optimism and dedication—are propelling Mongolia’s education system toward achieving its goal of education for all. Teacher Surmaajav expresses this determination: “All these things will help us provide our children with an educational foundation that matches world standards.”
—With contributions from Adrian Brown,
Asia-Pacific Vision
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