News and Events

News Release

Email this page   Print this page

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 November 2005) - ADB will help the Government of Uzbekistan improve the quality and relevance of basic education through a new loan of $30 million to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into teaching and learning.

The project will equip 860 designated cluster leader schools with ICT facilities and Internet/intranet connections. The 860 school clusters established will play a key role in facilitating ICT integration in all schools numbering more than 9,700 in Uzbekistan, including pedagogical and technical cluster leader schools.

The Government will provide ICT facilities to the other schools as part of its ICT in basic education program, and the leader schools will provide pedagogical and technical support to the schools within their clusters and will serve as an effective mechanism for improving in-service teacher training.

Integrating ICT in basic education is an integral part of the Government's long-term objective of transforming the education system into one consistent with a market-based economy in the 21st century. In 2004, only 18% of general secondary schools had access to modern personal computers and only half of schools had access to any form of computers, including those made during the Soviet era.

ADB has developed a two-phased national strategy for developing ICT in basic education and the project is a key component of implementation of the first phase during 2006-2010. Based on a comprehensive approach, the project emphasizes teacher training, materials development, e-readiness in schools, operation and maintenance, and financial sustainability through adequate budget allocations.

"The use of ICT in basic education will lead to improved student performance and enhanced skills and competencies, as opposed to the accumulation of just factual knowledge," says Lan Wu, an ADB Principal Social Sector Economist. "It will motivate students and teachers alike by making education more relevant."

More than six million students over the next four years stand to benefit from the project through improved learning and teaching conditions resulting from the provision and application of ICT in classrooms.

More than 90,000 teachers, school management staff, teacher trainers, and local language e-material developers will also benefit from improved skills through the targeted training to be provided under the project. Learning materials for ICT use covering the priority subjects of mathematics, sciences, history, and languages for grades 5-9 will be developed. Training will also be provided to school administrative staff and teachers in non-leader schools in the clusters.

As about 70% of the cluster leader schools will be in poor, rural, and remote areas, the project will especially benefit the poor by providing the disadvantaged with equitable access to information.

To ensure the sustainability of the Government's ICT in basic education policy, the project will provide advisory services on technical, financial, and fiscal issues. It will also pilot test approaches to enhance the project's sustainability and future ICT development that focuses on the poor.

ADB's loan, which covers 70% of the total project cost, comes from its concessional Asian Development Fund. It carries a 32-year term, including a grace period of eight years, and an interest rate of 1% per annum during the grace period and 1.5% per annum thereafter.

The Government will contribute $13 million equivalent toward the project's total cost of $43 million. The Ministry of Public Education is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion around December 2010.

About ADB