The Second Basic Education Improvement Program (2nd BEIP) is the follow-up of the first BEIP program that was executed from 2004 to 2012. As a result of some operational and coordination circumstances between the Executing Unit and the Ministry of Education and Community Development (MOECD), this program took longer than initially planned to finalize. Toward the end of the first program, it became clear that a continuation was necessary in order to fully implement the reforms in basic education. From this departure, the concept and planning for the second program started before the first program was closed.
In June 2012, the 2nd BEIP was approved and reintroduced with an energetic takeoff. The program was designed as a multiphase operation with two phases spanning an eight-year period (Phase I: years 1–4; Phase II: years 5–8). Phase I will focus on developing the curriculum framework for the entire basic education system and on increasing learning outcomes of students in Grades 1 to 8. Phase II will focus on four components: improving student learning outcomes in basic education in Grades 4 to 8, with an emphasis on Dutch and mathematics, and in teaching approaches; information and communication technology in education; increasing access to education through school construction and expansion; construction of teacher housing in the interior; and improving management of the education system at the MOECD and school levels.
Taking all recommendations from the first program and suggestions for improvement on board, the Executing Unit approached the MOECD for initiatives to build a closer collaboration. The 2nd BEIP is currently in its second year of execution and has disbursed faster than expected, which also indicates that the project will be entering its next phase early 2015. The following are some of the program’s results:
- Key curriculum for course subjects in Grade 3–6 approved and implemented except for the language course;
- Draft of information and communication technology policy submitted to the MOECD;
- Basic education legislation submitted to the MOECD for education of eight years;
- Rehabilitation of 10 schools in the interior;
- 2,764 teachers trained and coached in the new curriculum.
From the beneficiaries and stakeholders of the program, the Executing Unit has received positive feedback on the opportunities that the new curriculum offers and the expected results that should be achieved at the end of Phase II. The Executing Unit and the MOECD expects that after program completion, all students and teachers will have gone through a development of curriculum revision and improved learning methods to enhance their capacity, aligned to modern international trends. The new curriculum is also being designed to stimulate more interaction in classes, including working with information and communication technology. The Executing Unit, in collaboration with the MOECD, is continuously engaging to improve program management and is open to new perspectives and to learning.
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