This post is a summary of a report published at Worldbank.org at December,07,2011. And was written by Matluba Mukhamedova, communication officer in the World Bank Uzbekistan office. The title is above.
Jumaeva took her mother`s advice and became a school teacher. After she went back to her small town, where for the last six years she has been principal of Romilton School. Jumaeva has seen a lot of improvement at Romilton School. The school has had an infusion of new materials and resources that are helping teachers improve what they know and how they teach. Together with 1,501 schools, her school has been benefiting from a project of government supported by the World Bank that aims to improve the effectiveness of both teaching and learning.
It is needed. Many teachers lack the skill to engage students in what they are learning. In addition, classroom equipment is either insufficient or outdated and information technologies was used ineffectively.
Since Romilton School received its new aids, one student won an olympiad, another won an essay contest, and a third received the governor`s scholarship. Jumaeva explains " we want to create a stimulating environment to encourage students to be masters of their learning. To achieve that, the teachers need to know how to make the lessons more interactive, and apply a student-centered approach to improve learning outcomes."
Along with new attitudes for teachers, came stronger roles for school boards. Boards comprising parents, neighboring communities, sponsor organizations and teachers can be powerful, specially in knowing what a school needs to improve.
In 2008. per capita financing was introduced and completely changed school financing. The old system was inequitable and resulted in inefficient and nontransparent spending of public resources. Schools had little budget authority and no incentive to spend wisely, as savings would result in budget cuts the following year. With per capita financing, schools directors were administrators of funds. They and accountants had to estimate budget and staff needs to pass a budget through the regional treasury and manage resources according to the law.
On a given day, Jumaeva is relentlessly active. Asked whether every day is as hectic, she answered: " Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself."
