The project was designed specifically to build further on the achievements of the Education Sector Development Program (the program) and to help the Kyrgyz Republic sustain its education-related Millennium Development Goals. The program was the first education project provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. It was introduced to arrest the deterioration of basic education services since independence. The program helped the government start the restoration of quality education services and to focus on (i) implementing policy reforms in education finance, (ii) rationalizing the Ministry of Education and Science staffing, (iii) enhancing private sector participation in the production of textbooks, and (iv) providing assistance for poor families to enable them to enroll their children in basic and early childhood education. Despite the achievements of the program, textbooks and learning materials were still outdated, the supply of new teachers was inadequate, there was insufficient in-service training for existing teachers, and the dilapidated state of rural schools still persisted. For the program, the government borrowed from ADB to initiate the rehabilitation of the education sector and clear the backlog while this Second Education project was financed by ADB on a grant basis.
This report validates the completion report’s assessment of the project which aimed to increase enrollment in primary and general secondary education in poorer areas of the country, and improved student performance as measured by learning outcomes. IED overall assessment: Less than successful.