Sixth Six-month progress report for project

REPORT COVER PAGE

Participating UN Organization:	Cluster:
UNESCO	Cluster B: Education and Culture

Project No. and Project Title:	Report Number:
B1-15: “Strengthening Secondary Education in Iraq”	No. 5

Reporting Period:	Project Budget:
1 July 2007 till 31 Dec. 2007	US$ 4,721,300

List Implementing Partners:	Project Coverage/Scope:
UNESCO Ministry of Education, Baghdad	The project is operational in Erbil, Kirkuk, Baghdad/Rasafa3, Baghdad/Rasafa2, Baghdad/Rasafa1, Baghdad/Karkh1, Baghdad/Karkh2, Baghdad/Karkh3, Najaf, Basrah, Misan, Thi Qar, and Muthana.

Abbreviations and acronyms:	Project Duration/Closed Project:
SSE: Strengthening Secondary Education MoE: Ministry of Education DOE: Directorate of Education MDGs: Millennium Development Goals EFA: Education for All NDS: National Development Strategy	September 2005 – December 2006 Two budget revisions and extensions has been done: First till 30 June 2007 Second till 30 Sept. 2007

Report Formatting Instructions: We kindly ask that you review the instructions below and follow them in the preparation of your report:	Do not put the narrative text into boxes as was done in the previous report and do not incorporate boxes, graphs, etc into the narrative report.	Add additional information including charts, graphs, etc as annexes to the report and clearly reference the annexes using footnotes or endnotes within the body of the narrative	Number all sections and paragraphs as indicated below	Format the entire document using the following font: 12point _ Times New Roman & do not use colours.

NARRATIVE REPORT FORMAT

Purpose

Provide the main objectives, outcomes, outputs of the programme/project

Objectives of the programme/project:

The project aims at strengthening and rebuilding the secondary level of education in Iraq through the provision of equipment to secondary school science laboratories and libraries and training of teachers and librarians of these schools. Specific objectives are:

To support the reconstruction of secondary schools and school facilities in Iraq and in particular contribute to relevant and quality science teaching in secondary schools through the provision of science teaching facilities and capacity building of science teachers.

To rehabilitate secondary school libraries in Iraq by providing current literature, maps and other teaching/learning materials and also by equipping them with IT facilities and trained staff to maintain/use the facilities for ensuring access to a wide range of relevant materials to secondary school teachers and students.

Outcomes of the programme project:

55 Iraqi secondary schools science laboratories rehabilitated and equipped, Science teachers trained and technicians trained on the maintenance of science laboratories facilities.

55 Iraqi secondary schools libraries rehabilitated and equipped with books, maps and other teaching/learning materials, IT facilities provided, librarians trained.

Outputs of the programme project:

A detailed and adapted inventory for Iraqi secondary schools science labs formulated, 55 secondary schools rehabilitated and equipped with science laboratories, science teachers trained and auxiliary staff trained on the maintenance of science laboratories facilities.

Selected schools identified, libraries rehabilitated and equipped with books, maps and other teaching/learning materials, IT facilities provided, library staff trained and a staff development programme, monitoring and evaluation scheme set up.

Explain how the programme/project is relevant to the following benchmarks:

UN Assistance Strategy for Iraq

UN Millennium Development Goals

Joint Needs Assessment

Iraq National Development Strategy

UN Assistance Strategy for Iraq / UN Millennium Development Goals

This project aims to address the joint UN Assistance Strategy for Iraq within Cluster B as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals through enhancing the quality level of secondary education. This is addressed in all activities of the project that comprise all aspects of the secondary education sector. The project focuses on rehabilitating science laboratories in 55 secondary schools and provides them with science laboratories and furniture, IT, data loggers and AV equipment, developing and printout of 30 science experiment manuals. It also includes the rehabilitation of the school libraries in the selected secondary schools; provide them with library furniture and up-to-date books. The project includes capacity building programmes for science laboratory teachers, principals, supervisors and technicians as well as capacity building programme for school library principals, supervisors and teachers aiming at upgrading their knowledge, experience and to enable the existing educators to meet the full range of diverse needs in the learner population.

This project fits well within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. The project aims at reducing poverty by enhancing the quality level of secondary education that will lead to employment opportunities and income generation (MDG1 T1), including widening employment opportunities to youth (MDG 8 T16) and ensuring access to skills in new technologies in partnership with private sector (MDG 8 T18). Finally, the project endeavours to achieve main EFA Goals: progress towards better quality in education.

Joint Needs Assessment / Iraqi National Development Strategy

The project addressed the following issues and goals that fit within the Joint Needs Assessment and the Iraqi National Development Strategy:

Support the reconstruction of secondary schools and school facilities in Iraq and in particular contribute to relevant and quality science teaching in secondary schools through the provision of science teaching facilities and capacity building of science teachers.

Rehabilitate secondary school libraries in Iraq by providing up-to-date books, maps and other teaching/learning materials and also by equipping them with IT facilities and trained staff to maintain/use the facilities for ensuring access to a wide range of relevant materials to secondary school teachers and students.

Indicate the main implementing partners, their roles and responsibilities, and their interaction with the Agency.

The Ministry of Education is the main national implementing partner and is responsible for planning and supervision in close cooperation and consultation with the national staff and UNESCO Iraq Office. The MoE was responsible for the assessment of the schools’ needs in terms of the objectives contained in each sub-programme.

Human Resources

National staff (programme):

6 National Staff NO level partially co-shared with other projects

12 National Staff GS level partially co-shared with other projects

1 National Staff GS level full time

International Staff

1 Project Manager based in Amman (full time)

Highlight any variation(s) in projected versus actual spending for the reporting period indicating the reason for such variation(s).

The procedures necessary to issue the exemption letter for the MoE caused a delay in delivery of the equipment to the final destination.

The constraints on staff mobility and delays in decision-making at the MoE level together with unforeseen and unpredictable incidents and changes that emerge from MoE have been delaying the timely implementation of the project.

The allocated budget for the equipment has proved less than required. This is due to the fact that while the project document had foreseen equipping one Science laboratory in each secondary school, further to the Ministry's request, UNESCO re-adjusted the action plan in order to cater for the need of three laboratories in each school, which amounts to a total of 165 laboratories at 55 schools.

Following the events which took place in Jordan on 9 November 2005 and the revised UN security level in Jordan, the project's activities foreseen to take place in Amman were re-scheduled to take place in other countries. This necessitated major adjustments regarding workshops which resulted in unforeseen timing changes.

Indicate other funding sources, if applicable.

N/A

Provide details on any budget revisions approved by the UNDG ITF Steering Committee, if applicable.

Budget Revisions

24th January 2007 (1st Extension & Budget Revision)

23rd March 2007 (2nd Budget Revision)

16th May 2007 (3rd Budget Revision)

As mentioned above, the allocated budget for the equipment was less than that required with regard to the equipping to science laboratories in each secondary school. Upon the Ministry's request, UNESCO re-adjusted the action plan in order to cater for the need of three laboratories in each school, which amounts to a total of 165 laboratories at 55 schools.

Additionally, some activities were re-scheduled to take place in other countries following the events which took place in Jordan on 9 November 2005 and the revised UN security level. Such changes obliged UNESCO Iraq to change the venue of several workshops to more expensive countries, which also led to the increase in the budget requirements.

Project expenditures for the 1 July to 31 December 2007 period.

A five day “Data Loggers in Science Laboratories Training Program” was organized in Amman in October 2007 benefiting 8 Iraq participants from the Ministry of Education in order to increase the participants’ capacity in planning, preparing and carrying out science experiments using data loggers. The program covered the following 5 topics: Science Laboratory Skills; Computer Skills for e-Laboratory and Data Loggers; Chemistry Data Logger Experiments; Physics Data Logger Experiments; and Biology Data Logger Experiments.

Human Resources:

National Staff: Provide details on the number and type (operation/programme)

The national staff working on this project includes: 6 National Officers in Amman, 6 Project Assistants in Amman (both cross-funded from different projects).

International Staff: Provide details on the number and type (operation/programme)

The project is managed by one International Consultant.

Methods of Operating

Summarize the implementation mechanisms primarily utilized and how they are adapted to achieve maximum impact given the challenging operating context.

Monitoring and evaluation practices for project activities in Iraq are a general problem due to the security situation. To cope with this and to assist in the monitoring of project activities outside Baghdad by UNESCO national program monitors, UNESCO contracts a supervision firm to monitor, supervise, and facilitate the implementation of each specific activity, even though most of project workshops and training programs have been organized out outside Iraq.

UNESCO has been implementing the project inside Iraq with limited human resources on the ground. The project was designed to respond to needs of Iraqi secondary schools even if security issues prevented international staff from working in Iraq. The implementation depends on local contractors.

Provide details on the procurement procedures utilized and explain variances in standard procedures.

All procurement activities included in this project were implemented according to UNESCO’s standard rules and procedures of international competitive bidding processes.

Provide details on the monitoring system(s) that are being used and how you identify and incorporate lessons learned into the ongoing programme/project.

UNESCO continues to follow-up closely on the project implementation through its program monitors in Baghdad. There are three Iraqi monitors that report to UNESCO at the end of every activity and provide updates on a regular basis and when requested. They visit the sites targeted in the project and provide comments and reports on the progress of certain activities handled by the MoE.

Report on any assessments, evaluations or studies undertaken.

Training Programme Evaluation Reports: Evaluations are distributed to the participants of the trainings (about 90 trainees thus far). They evaluate the value, results of the training and if it met their expectations. Evaluations indicate that the majority of participants leave the trainings satisfied and prepared, however they also believe more trainings are needed.

Monitoring and Evaluation Report: The team of UNESCO monitors write and submit a monitoring and evaluation report to UNESCO at the conclusion of every project activity.

Results

Provide a summary of programme/project progress in relation to planned outcomes and outputs; explain any variance in achieved versus planned outputs during the six month reporting period.

Output 1:

A detailed and adapted inventory for Iraqi secondary schools science labs formulated, at least 55 secondary schools rehabilitated and equipped with science laboratories, Science teachers trained and auxiliary staff trained on the maintenance of science laboratories facilities.

Activities undertaken include:

1. 99 Science Laboratories were rehabilitated at 33 Secondary Schools. The geographical breakdown of rehabilitated schools is: 5 schools in Erbil, 3 schools in Karkuk, 4 schools in Baghdad/Rasafa3, 6 schools in Najaf, 5 schools in Basrah, 6 schools in Thi Qar, 4 schools in Muthana. Science laboratories in the rest 22 schools rehabilitated by Iraq Ministry of Education.

2. 165 Science Laboratories received Laboratory Furniture.

3. 165 Science Laboratories received Equipment. Equipment includes: Biology Laboratory Equipment; Physics Laboratory Equipment; and Data Loggers Equipment.

4. 15 Teachers’ Experiment Manuals printed (400 copies of each to be distributed to the 55 schools).

5. 15 Students’ Experiment Manuals prepared and delivered to the Ministry of Education in Baghdad.

Output 2:

Selected schools identified, libraries rehabilitated and equipped with books, maps and other teaching/learning materials, IT facilities provided, library staff trained and a staff development programme, monitoring and evaluation scheme set up.

Activities undertaken include:

1. 35 School Libraries rehabilitated.

2. Library Furniture were delivered to 55 Secondary Schools.

3. IT & AV Equipment were delivered to 55 Secondary Schools.

Report on progress made toward the achievement of specific medium-term outcomes of the programme/project as a result of the achieved short-term outputs during this reporting period.

The six planned Training Programmes were completed. The Laboratory and Library equipment has been delivered to MoE warehouses and the distribution to the schools is ongoing. The training and equipment for secondary schools and libraries contributes directly to the achievement of medium term outcomes.

Report on the key outputs achieved in the six month period including # and nature of the activities (inputs), % of completion and beneficiaries.

Please refer to the following:

1. IV Results – question 4.1

2. I. Purpose – question 1.1

Explain, if relevant, delays in programme/project implementation, the nature of the constraints, lessons learned in the process and actions taken to mitigate future delays.

Please refer to the following:

II. Resources – question 2.2

IV Results – question 4.1 – Output 2

List the key partnerships and collaborations, and explain how such relationships impact on the achievement of results.

No partnerships included in this project.

Summarize achievements against planned results for cross cutting issues: security, gender, human rights, employment (including # of short and/or long-term jobs created), and environment.

Security: Security issues are being addressed fully in accordance to the mechanisms and modalities and put in place for the on-going activities. However, every effort will be made to seek the cooperation of all UN agencies currently working in Iraq for the successful implementation of these project activities.

Gender: The project covers 55 Secondary Schools (28 for Boys and 27 for Girls)

Human Rights: The project work plan includes the production of the following teaching materials for the Secondary Schools:

A Guidebook in Helping Students Cope with Stress, Violence and Disasters

A “Teaching Special Needs Children” Guidebook in Iraqi Schools

A “Teaching Gifted Students” Guidebook

Employment: After the completion of secondary level education, the graduates can be utilized for creating more resources through a better rate of growth and also to reach more of their human potential so as to reduce the disparity between developed and underdeveloped regions of Iraq. At the project level, the project seeks to provide short-term (6-12 months) employment opportunities to 100-150 Iraqi nationals during the rehabilitation process of science laboratories and libraries.

Environment: The project work plan includes the production of Safety Rule and Guidelines in Science Laboratories and School Libraries and how to deal with chemicals and hazardous materials.

Future Work Plan

Summarize the projected activities up to the end of June 2008.

Data Loggers in Science Laboratories Training Program will be organized in Amman benefiting 8 Iraq participants from the Ministry of Education.

Printing the Mummification Manual for School Biology Laboratories.